iOS 17.4 RC Released - What's New?

Summary

In this video, Brandon covers the release of iOS and iPadOS 17.4 release candidate to developers and public beta testers. He highlights new features like adding identified songs to Apple Music playlists, displaying business logos for call ID, iMessage encryption enhancements, and new emoji. He tests performance which seems great so far and shows Geekbench scores. Brandon expects the public release next week, likely Monday March 4th, with iOS 17.5 betas to follow. WatchOS, macOS, and tvOS RCs aren't released yet so should come later this week or after iOS 17.4 public release.

Takeaways

• 😀 Apple released iOS 17.4 RC and other beta software updates to developers and public beta testers
• 📱 iOS 17.4 RC build number is 21E5217 with modem firmware 1.55.04
• 🆕 New features include adding songs from Music Recognition to playlists, business name in Caller ID, and new emoji
• 🔋 Battery life seems improved over iOS 17.3 in testing
• 🎵 Changes in Music app: Listen Now renamed to Home, Monthly Replay
• 🎙 Podcast transcripts now more accessible with text sizing, contrast changing, VoiceOver support
• ⛔ Still no NFC setting in privacy or animation fix when searching podcast transcripts
• 📈 Geekbench scores slightly higher single-core and slightly lower multi-core vs beta 4
• 🔜 Expect iOS 17.4 final release likely next Monday, March 4
• 🌀 iOS 17.5 beta 1 could also come next week after 17.4 release

Q & A

What version of iOS was released as an RC build?

iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 were released as RC (release candidate) builds.

What is the build number for the iOS 17.4 RC release?

The build number for the iOS 17.4 RC release is 21E217.

What new music recognition feature was added in iOS 17.4?

A new feature was added that allows you to add identified songs directly to your Apple Music playlists and library.

What change was made to call identification in iOS 17.4?

Call identification now displays an Apple verified business name logo, department name when available.

What bug was fixed related to the Find My widget?

A bug was fixed where the Find My widget would fail to show a contact's picture around 50-60% of the time.

What change was made to the battery settings page?

The battery health information is now shown on the main battery settings page before entering a submenu.

What new emojis were added in iOS 17.4?

New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain and shaking heads emojis were added along with 18 new people/body emojis.

What enhancement was made to Apple Podcast transcriptions?

Accessibility features were added like adjustable text size, increased contrast and VoiceOver support.

When is iOS 17.4 expected to be publicly released?

iOS 17.4 is expected to be publicly released on Monday, March 4th.

Could there be an iOS 17.4 RC2 release?

It's unlikely but possible if issues are found in testing that need to be addressed quickly.