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   iOS 17.3 Stands Out from Other OS Updates with Stolen Device Protection

   Adam Engst

   Apple has triggered another large set of operating system releases, of
   which iOS 17.3 is the most notable thanks to its inclusion of the
   highly anticipated Stolen Device Protection feature (see '[1]Apple to
   Introduce Stolen Device Protection in the Upcoming iOS 17.3,' 14
   December 2023). iOS 17.3, iPadOS 17.3, and macOS 14.3 Sonoma also
   support collaborative Apple Music playlists, and watchOS 10.3 sports a
   new Unity Bloom watch face to celebrate Black History Month. Let's look
   briefly at each update:
     * [2]iOS 17.3: Along with the new [3]Stolen Device Protection, which
       you toggle in Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode, iOS 17.3 lets
       you invite friends to collaborate on playlists in Apple Music, add
       emoji reactions to collaborative playlist tracks, stream content to
       TVs in select hotel rooms using AirPlay, and see coverage for all
       your devices in Settings > AppleCare & Warranty. It also includes a
       new Unity wallpaper and crash detection optimizations for all
       iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models. We'll write more about Stolen
       Device Protection soon. iOS 17.3 also addresses [4]15 security
       vulnerabilities, one of which is a zero-day vulnerability in
       WebKit.
     * [5]iPadOS 17.3: As is often the case, iPadOS 17.3 tracks closely
       with iOS 17.3, offering the same changes apart from the
       iPhone-specific Stolen Device Protection and crash detection
       optimizations.
     * [6]macOS 14.3: Sticking to the party line, macOS 14.3 supports the
       collaborative playlists, emoji reactions in collaborative
       playlists, and the AppleCare & Warranty information in System
       Settings. It also addresses [7]16 security vulnerabilities,
       including the WebKit zero-day. [8]On the enterprise side, macOS
       14.3 fixes a bug that prevented Xsan volumes from failing to mount
       automatically, allows passwords to be changed successfully at the
       login window, improves reliability authenticating to an SMB print
       server, and improves reliability using single sign-on when using a
       proxy for associated domains traffic.
     * [9]watchOS 10.3: The watchOS 10 release notes page says the update
       'includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes' but details
       only the new Unity Bloom watch. I suspect nothing else is notable.
       watchOS 10.3 also addresses [10]12 security vulnerabilities.
     * [11]tvOS 17.3: Provides performance and stability improvements and
       addresses [12]nine security vulnerabilities, including the WebKit
       zero-day.
     * [13]HomePod Software 17.3: Provides performance and stability
       improvements.
     * macOS 13.6.4 Ventura: Addresses [14]10 security vulnerabilities,
       including the WebKit zero-day, and fixes a bug that could
       [15]prevent Xsan volumes from mounting automatically.
     * macOS 12.7.3 Monterey: Addresses [16]six security vulnerabilities,
       including the WebKit zero-day.
     * Safari 17.3: Addresses [17]four security vulnerabilities, including
       the WebKit zero-day.
     * iOS 16.7.5 and iPadOS 16.7.5: Addresses [18]nine security
       vulnerabilities, including the WebKit zero-day.
     * iOS 15.8.1 and iPadOS 15.8.1: Addresses [19]two security
       vulnerabilities, including an older zero-day the company fixed in
       subsequent versions of iOS and iPadOS last month (see '[20]Apple's
       End-of-Year OS Updates Add Promised Features, Security Updates,' 11
       December 2023).

   Overall, these updates aren't sufficiently compelling to warrant
   immediate updates. I recommend updating to iOS 17.3 soon if you want to
   turn on Stolen Device Protection or regularly stay in hotels that might
   support AirPlay. Otherwise, I encourage waiting a week to see if issues
   appear online and then installing to block the zero-day vulnerability.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://tidbits.com/2023/12/14/apple-to-introduce-stolen-device-protection-in-the-upcoming-ios-17-3/
   2. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213781
   3. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212510
   4. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213780
   5. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213780
   6. https://support.apple.com/en-us/109035
   7. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214061
   8. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213893
   9. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213782
  10. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214060
  11. https://support.apple.com/en-us/106336
  12. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214055
  13. https://support.apple.com/en-us/108045
  14. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214058
  15. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213327
  16. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214057
  17. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214056
  18. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214057
  19. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214062
  20. https://tidbits.com/2023/12/11/apples-end-of-year-os-updates-add-promised-features-security-updates/

   Hidden links:
  21. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/01/Stolen-Device-Protection-scaled.jpg

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