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iPhone users who don't care for Apple Intelligence can stay on iOS 17

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Sep 11, 2024, 3:04 AM

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iPhone users who don't care for Apple Intelligence can stay on iOS 17

Apple will be giving iPhone users the option to stay on iOS 17.7 instead of updating their handsets to the iOS 18 release candidate that will be pushed to the public this coming Monday.

Besides the latest and greatest iOS 18 that brings Apple Intelligence and other goodies to the iPhone, Apple has also posted an iOS 17 update in the form of 17.7 release candidate in the developer and beta testing channels.

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Apple did this with the iOS 16 update as well. When it released iOS 17, it gave iPhone users the option to stay on an iOS 16 branch that allowed them to enjoy security patches and bug fixes for a good while after iOS 17 was released, even on newer iPhones.

Eventually, only iPhones that can't run the newest iOS version started getting those patches, and something similar might be in store with the simultaneous iOS 17.7 and iOS 18 updates release on Monday, where iPhone and iPad owners will be able to pick which one to install from the device's setting menu.

On Monday, Apple will also be pushing out the retail iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, tvOS 18, and visionOS 2 update versions, too.

Besides greater app compatibility and the inevitable battery life hits or other kinks that will be ironed out with an iOS 18.1 update, staying on iOS 17 for now might be a preferred choice for those iPhone owners who don't really care about Apple Intelligence.

Despite Apple's stellar privacy and security records, some may be a bit uneasy to have generative AI sift through their data, no matter how secure and on-device those calculations are supposed to be.

Moreover, Apple is doing a staggered Apple Intelligence release with some features arriving next year, or not at all in certain regions like Europe or China, so users might want to take the wait and see approach of how Apple Intelligence will be rolled out and its first reviews out in the wild.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.