Apple seeded the release candidate for iOS 17.2 to developers Tuesday, signaling that beta testing for the upcoming operating system is almost over. The highlight of the update will be the new Journal app that Apple announced last summer.
The release candidates for macOS Sonoma 14.2, iPadOS 17.2, watchOS 10.2 and tvOS 17.2 were also seeded to devs Tuesday. The final versions are all expected to be publicly available to install on December 12.
iOS 17.2 and macOS 14.2 take penultimate step before release
Release candidates are what Apple used to call golden masters. They allow beta testers to try the final version of operating systems before they’re introduced to average users.
An advantage of RCs is that they give us a sneak peek at the release notes revealing what features Apple thinks are most important. The one for iOS 17.2 says, “This update introduces Journal, an all-new way to reflect on life’s moments and preserve your memories. This release also includes Action button and Camera enhancements, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.”
Apple first promised the upcoming Journal app back in June at WWDC23, as part of the announcement of iOS 17. The journal app uses on-device machine learning to help users chronicle important moments of their lives.
Journal is only for iPhone, so the release notes for macOS Sonoma 14.2 make no mention of the new app. Instead, they say, “This update introduces enhanced Autofill for PDFs and improvements to Messages and Weather. This release also includes other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.” The iPad release notes are almost identical.
The usual schedule is for release candidates to go to developers exactly a week before the full public release. Hence the prediction that Apple’s next OS updates will debut December 12.
