iOS 17.2 released with Journal app and ability to use action button to translate – iPhone

A notable addition in this update is Apple’s new Journal app. The app is designed to encourage users to record their life experiences. It achieves this by providing prompts derived from each user’s phone data and also provides the ability to record spatial videos.

The magazine was first introduced at the WWDC developer conference last June. The app focuses primarily on health and wellness and is designed to encourage users to meditate and reflect on both important and trivial events in their lives. Initial experience with the beta version of the app revealed a somewhat simplified interface. However, the app’s unique feature is its ability to find ‘Moments’ using your phone data. This data could be the places you’ve visited, the photos you’ve taken, or even the workouts you’ve completed. Based on these moments, the app can make suggestions for writing.

Apart from this, the app also supports spatial video recording. This feature was announced in conjunction with the launch of the iPhone 15 in September. Spatial video recording works by recording material from the phone’s main and ultra-wide cameras simultaneously, resulting in 3D video. Although you may initially find limited use for these shots, they are actually intended for display in Apple’s upcoming mixed reality system, Vision Pro, which is expected to be released early next year.

In addition to the above, iOS 17.2 also brings other new features such as the ability to use the iPhone 15 Pro’s action button to translate phrases either by voice or by text input. In the case of voice input for a phrase that needs translation, the new feature makes it easier to chat with someone who speaks another language. Still, the new iOS also introduces new weather widgets and adds new features to the Messages app. One such feature is the convenient follow button that allows users to quickly jump to the first unread message in a conversation. Additionally, the update expands Qi2 support to the iPhone 13 and 14 and appears to offer faster 15W wireless charging without the need for a MagSafe-certified charger.

iOS 17.2 is compatible with the same line of iPhone models as its predecessor, iOS 17. This includes flagship iPhones dating back to the 2018 iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models, as well as the second and third generation iPhone SE. Traditionally, to install an update, users have to go to Settings, choose General, then Software Update by following the relevant on-screen instructions.