iOS 17.3 Release Date: Apple Hurriedly Re Releases Important iPhone Update

January 13 update below. This post was first published on January 10, 2024. Apple’s next iPhone software release will be iOS 17.3, unless there’s some pesky bug that necessitates a surprise inbetweener. This software is in beta right now and the second version was released to developers on January 3, then promptly removed.

Now it’s back. Here’s how it will affect the release of the important software. Apple iPhone software, iOS 17.3, is coming soon. It's important, by the way, because it has a brilliant new feature in it. That’s Stolen Device Protection, which means that if someone steals your iPhone and they know your passcode, their options to take over your digital life, lock you out of your phone or invade your bank account and so on, their options are significantly curtailed.

There are other updates coming in iOS 17.3, but this is the standout. The sudden deletion of the last beta was because some users found that instead of updating their phone it put it into a perpetual boot loop, which required drastic action to overcome. That was iOS 17.3 beta 2. After its removal, also on January 3, it was expected that a revised version would appear a day or so later.

In fact, it’s taken until January 9 for the new beta. But you can bet that Apple was hurrying behind the scenes. As predicted, it’s been re numbered, so developers have access to iOS 17.3 beta 3. The next day, January 10, Apple released the public beta. This is called iOS 17.3 public beta 3, even though technically it’s the second version, as there was no pubic beta 2.

That was cancelled when the issues with the developer beta arose. None of this is surprising. The question that remains unanswered, however, is whether the previous week’s issues will have derailed Apple’s schedule for when the general release of iOS 17.3 will take place. In other words, is iOS 17.3 beta 3 just beta 2 with the boot loop problems overcome, or has Apple added further changes to keep it on track? My suspicion is it is closer to the first of those options, but the fact that it took almost a week for the revised beta to appear could indicate Apple took the opportunity to add more wide ranging changes.

All of which means there’s no certainty as to when the final general release will be, but I believe it will still be this month. There had been suggestions that it could be as soon as Tuesday, January 16, but that seems fanciful now. The following week, beginning Monday, January 22, is not impossible, but my money is on the week after—that is, the week commencing Monday, January 29.

Apple ideally likes to publish its updates on a Tuesday, so that would be Tuesday, January 30. Apple will want to go earlier if it can, because every delay is a knock on for the next software release, but recovering from an issue like the beta 2 snafu takes time. Could it go later? Sure, but my guess is that there is stuff in the software that relates to the new Apple Vision Pro, and that goes on sale on Friday, February 2, so it surely will need to be before then.

January 13 update. The question of when iOS 17.3 will go on general release, when nobody will be using the betas, public or developer, is under scrutiny. Juli Clover at MacRumors pointed out that there have been three betas seeded to developers so far (even if one was quickly rescinded along the way).

In which case, the theory goes, the general release could be as soon as the week of January 22. That’s a week earlier than I suggested above, although as mentioned, going earlier is always going to be on Apple’s mind. But Clover reckons that because iOS 17.3 isn’t “quite a large” an update as iOS 17.2 was in terms of how many features are expected.

That’s true, though I’d point out that the key update, Stolen Device Protection, is pretty big. The report also notes that the second and third betas “Have not added anything particularly notable, suggesting there isn’t much testing left.” In which case, it could be that the release candidate version could be seen in the coming week, from Monday, January 15 onwards.

If that happens, then I’d agree that the following week is most likely for general release. However, it still seems to me that it really depends on how much more was in beta 3 compared to beta 2. My suspicion is that Apple put all its efforts into urgently fixing the boot loop issue, so that this latest beta could really be beta 2.1, and therefore followed by another beta this week and release candidate in the week of January 22.

MacRumors adds that a launch around January 22 would fit with the timing of iOS .3 releases in recent years. In other words, we’ll know for certain soon enough. If the week beginning January 15 (yes, next week) sees the release candidate then iOS 17.3 will be released in the week beginning January 22, most likely on Tuesday, January 23.

If not, then the following week will be favorite, probably on Tuesday, January 30..