iOS 17.4.1 available to iPhone users and you should update now

Published Mar 21st, 2024 1:16PM EDT

Image: José Adorno for BGR

Apple has just released iOS 17.4.1 to iPhone users. This update comes a few weeks after Cupertino seeded iOS 17.4 to everyone. At this moment, Apple doesn’t share much about what’s changing with this version, except that it brings bug fixing, general improvements, and security updates.

Over these past few days, users have reported their iPhone batteries excessively draining, some crashing issues, and other minor bugs. Although it doesn’t seem widespread, Apple decided to release iOS 17.4.1.

It’s possible that iOS 17.4.1 will also bring a critical security fix. BGR will update the story once Apple highlights what that could be.

Interestingly, this update comes after a major iOS release. With iOS 17.4, Apple had to open up its system in Europe for alternative app stores, third-party payments, and even the default browser. Here are some of the changes made for European users:

• Marketplaces – or alternative app stores: Users in the EU can choose to download apps in alternative app stores as long as they meet Apple’s criteria for customer experience, support, and fraud prevention, among other changes.
• Default browser options: EU users can choose a new default browser from a list of the most downloaded browsers on iOS devices just after they update to iOS 17.4.
• NFC third-party access: Banks and third-party payment services can be offered for European iPhones.
• Web apps are back: It’s almost not a feature. When Apple started testing iOS 17.4, the company said it was removing web apps for European users. By the end of the beta cycle, Cupertino said it won’t remove this feature, so nothing is changing.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

And for global users, Apple brought changes, such as:

• Gaming app changes: Users can now take advantage of streaming gaming apps, such as GeForce NOW. These developers can offer games inside their own apps.
• Messaging with Siri: Siri can read incoming messages in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and more.
• New emojis: Over 28 new emojis are available with iOS 17.4. You can discover them here.
• iPhone 15 battery lasts longer: Apple says that the iPhone 15 can hold at least 1,000 complete cycles with up to 80% of total battery life, compared to 500 cycles of its predecessors. In addition, there’s a new Battery setting that shows the cycle count of your iPhone, when the battery was manufactured, and when it was first used.
• New iMessage protocol: iMessage is also being upgraded with iOS 17.4 with a new post-quantum cryptographic protocol that improves end-to-end secure messaging. You can learn more about it here.

That said, it makes sense why something might be broken with this version and why Apple released iOS 17.4.1 to iPhone users now. In addition, the company is seeding iPadOS 17.4.1 and visionOS 1.1.1.

We’ll update the story if we discover anything else on iOS 17.4.1.

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.