Apple releases iOS 17.6.1 for iPhone with ‘important bug fixes’ – 9to5Mac

As expected, Apple is rolling out iOS 17.6.1 for iPhone users and iPadOS 17.6.1 for iPad users today. Apple says the updates include bug fixes, including a fix for an issue related to Advanced Data Protection. Head below for the details.

What’s new in iOS 17.6.1?

Apple’s release notes for iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1 say: “This update includes important bug fixes and addresses an issue that prevents enabling or disabling Advanced Data Protection.”

Advanced Data Protection is an optional feature that expands end-to-end encryption to a number of additional iCloud services, including iCloud device backups, Messages backups, Photos, and much more.

Apple says that the Advanced Data Protection bug in iOS 17.6 affected a small number of users. If a user attempted to turn Advanced Data Protection on and it failed, they were presented with a clear error message so they were aware the change failed.

If a user attempted to turn the feature off and it failed, the interface would show that the feature had been turned off, but it was still active on iCloud. After installing iOS 17.6.1 and macOS 14.6.1, these users will be prompted to go to Settings and verify that they still wish to disable Advanced Data Protection.

This means users affected by this bug were never led to believe they had more security than they actually had.

iOS 17.6 was a minor update for iPhone, released last month. The update included a number of bug fixes and security improvements. It also introduced a new “Catch Up” feature in the TV app, which uses machine learning to generate a series of clips of highlights for MLS matches.

It’s easy to get distracted by the iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 beta cycles, but it’s important to remember that the vast majority of iPhone users are still running iOS 17.

You can update your iPhone to iOS 17.6.1 by heading to the Settings app, choosing General, then choosing Software Update. The build number for today’s update is 21G93. It’s available for any iPhone capable of running iOS 17.

Apple has also released iOS 16.7.10 for older iPhone models. This update, build number 20H350, includes bug fixes and other improvements.

In addition to these updates for iPhone and iPad users, Apple is also rolling out macOS Sonoma 14.6.1.