Apple’s iOS 17.2 update is now available for recent iPhones. The update includes Apple’s new Journal app, which is designed to get you writing about events in your life with prompts that draw from data on your phone as well as the option to record spatial videos.
Announced back at WWDC in June, the Journal app is a health- and wellness-focused feature that aims to get you reflecting on the small and big moments in your life. Although we found its interface a little basic when we tried it out in beta for ourselves, its superpower is its ability to recognize “Moments” based on your phone’s data, including locations you’ve visited, photos you’ve taken, or workouts you’ve done. It can then make writing suggestions based on these Moments.
There’s also support for recording spatial videos, a feature announced alongside the iPhone 15 in September. This works by recording footage simultaneously from the phone’s main and ultrawide cameras to create 3D video. You might struggle to find much to do with the footage for now, but it’s designed to be played back on the upcoming Vision Pro headset after its release next year.
Other features available in the release candidate version of iOS 17.2 include the ability to set the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action Button to translate phrases, new Weather widgets, and new features for the Messages app, including a handy catch-up button to quickly jump to the first unread message in a conversation. The update also adds Qi2 support to the iPhone 13 and 14 and what’s looking like faster 15W wireless charging without the need for a MagSafe-branded charger.
iOS 17.2 is available for the same range of iPhone models as iOS 17. These include flagship iPhones going back to 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR as well as the second- and third-generation iPhone SE. To download it, head into the Settings app, then hit General, Software Update, and follow the instructions to install it. Rollouts of these updates can sometimes be staggered, so you may need to wait for a notification icon to appear on the Settings app to know that it’s available for your device.
