Apple will soon begin to roll out the iOS 17.6 update for eligible iPhone users. The iOS 17.6 beta update was released by the company on July 16 for testing purposes. The iOS 17.6 is believed to be the last update before iOS 18 makes its debut for the public with the launch of iPhone 16 that is rumoured to take place in September. Here's a sneak peek into the features of iOS 17.6: 

New Catch up feature for live sports 

The sports enthusiasts can find the new Catch Up option in the TV app to catch important highlights of the live game. This feature will allow users to look at important moments of the live match by swiping left and right on the Key Plays carousel. It will be available to users during the game from the player controls option. 

 Alerts for unknown international senders

The iPhone users will now get alerts about messages sent from unknown international senders. The new updated ChatKit of iOS 17.6 will display ?this message is from unknown international sender,? instead of ?the sender does not belong to your contact list.? This will enhance security and give more information to users on the potential senders. 

Schedule news with Live Activity in News App

The new iOS 17.6 lets users schedule live activity on the News app. Now users can schedule live activities like elections in advance. Live Activities feature came into existence in iOS 17.2 and went through minor updates in iOS 17.5.

?Siri & Dictation? menu renamed to Siri

The ?Siri & Dictation" menu has been renamed to ?Siri? in the new iOS 17.6 update. The users will find the ?Siri? option in the list of apps tab in settings. After selecting it, the users will be given the ?Ask Next Time Or When I Share" option. If the user selects it, they will have to choose between ?Allow Once," "Allow While Using App," and "Don't Allow,? options, whenever they ask Siri location-oriented questions. This would be repeated if they choose the Allow Once option. 

Find My support updated for Apple Pencil Pro

The new iOS 17.6 update will make it easier for users to locate their Apple Pencil Pro with enhanced Find My support features. The Find My feature allows users to know the last location of their lost Apple Pencil pro with the help of precision finding. 

Apple Card to display new alert messages

The Apple card users will see an alert regarding the locking of their Apple card accounts on the dashboard if it detects filing for bankruptcy or other other discrepancies. This alert would also be available on Apple Pay soon. Earlier the users were informed about the reason behind locking of Apple card accounts from the customer support. 

Bug fixes and security updates 

Last but not least, iOS 17.6 will have minor bug fixes and updates for enhancing security. Though Apple doesn't disclose the fixed bugs, it will introduce security updates when iOS 17.6 is made publically available. 

How to download and install iOS 17.6 beta update

Step1: Create a data backup before downloading beta softwares of iOS. Go to Finder sidebar, select your device from locations, create backup and select manage backup to archive backup. 

Step 2: Visit the website of apple development center and put your apple id to log in. 

Step3: Go to the software update option in the general settings and choose Beta Updates. Select iOS 17 Developer beta option. 

Step 4: Revisit the software update option and see iOS 17.6 beta download begin. 

Step 5: If you couldn't download the iOS 17.6 update, quit and try all the steps of the settings app again. 

It should be noted that these steps will work if you are using iOS 16.4 or later versions. If not, then you will have to update to the latest versions before taking these steps. 

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