Last week, Apple rolled out iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1, a swift follow-up to the 17.4 release earlier this month.
So, what exactly does this update include?
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The bottom line is that we don’t know, as Apple isn’t saying much about what’s inside. The release notes offer the standard mention of “bug fixes and security updates,” as well as urging users to install the latest version.
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Strangely, even Apple’s dedicated page for outlining the security content of updates is oddly devoid of details this time around. Apple only teases us with a note of “details coming soon.”
This is reminiscent of the iOS 17.2.1 update that Apple released in late 2023, another update with very little information associated with it.
Digging around, I’ve found that this update fixes an issue where an iPad might not be able to scan QR codes and the annoying bug where the alarm doesn’t go off. I’ve also noticed that AirDrop seems to be a lot faster and more reliable, as connecting my AirPods seems to be quicker and the connection more stable.
As far as battery life and performance are concerned, things seem to be about the same as before.
Regarding the inevitable “should you install this?” question, my answer is yes. Not only might it turn out to contain security fixes, but there doesn’t seem to be much downside to applying it.