Apple has just officially released the latest iOS 17.5 (and iPadOS 17.5) update to bring a small update for iPhone users.
update The iOS 17.5 brings several changes, such as a new offline mode for Apple News+, which essentially preloads the Today feed and News+ tab so users can read through it even without an Internet connection. There’s also a new “Quartiles” game in Apple News+, a spelling game that challenges players to form words by selecting syllable tiles. Apple News+ also has new scoreboard functionality for all the mini-games that have been added to the app, including the new Quartiles.
The update includes a new cross-platform tracking detection feature that will alert users to tracking devices moving with them, even tracking devices created and managed from an Android device via Find My Device by Google. This appears to be the final step in Google and Apple’s cross-ecosystem tracking integration.
However, the biggest improvement in this version is not available outside the European Union (EU) as iOS 17.5 will now allow users to download and install apps from the developer’s website, completely Skip distribution from the App Store if the user is located in Europe. Microsoft recently announced that it is building an Xbox store for iPhone and Android, and the SetApp store is already live. Apple doesn’t seem willing to roll out this option to more regions until forced to.
iOS 17.5 is now rolling out on iPhones, users can install it by going to Settings > General > Software Update.