Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was developing a new system that would allow its employees to install software updates. on sealed iPhones without removing them from the box. By releasing the first developer beta of iOS 17.2 on Thursday, 9to5Mac was able to confirm the system's existence.
Apple can now wirelessly update sealed iPhones
According to Gurman, the new system is being designed so that Apple can update sealed iPhones over the air to deliver them to customers with the latest software available. The company has reportedly decided to invest in this system after being forced to release the first update to iPhone 15 models to fix a serious bug during installation.
Interestingly, the iOS 17.2 beta SDK comes with the latest The Xcode 15.1 Beta version largely confirms this message. There are three new back-end platforms: FactoryOTALogger, FactoryOTANetworkUtils and FactoryOTAWifiUtils, which allow firmware updates over the air OTA using a dedicated external device.
This is consistent with what Gurman reported, as the journalist described the system as “a proprietary tablet-like device that a store can stack iPhone boxes on.” This feature is not intended for end users and is clearly marked as internal in the codes seen by 9to5Mac. In the future, this will allow Apple to avoid major day one mistakes by installing iOS updates on sealed iPhones.
This system could also be useful in helping Apple restore the firmware of iOS devices without the need for a cable. In recent years, Apple has been working on new technologies to help users recover devices like the Apple Watch and Apple TV when they get stuck because the devices can't be connected to their computer.
More about iOS 17.2
iOS 17.2 adds some new features for Apple Music subscribers, such as shared playlists and a new playlist “Favorites”, which is automatically created based on the songs you have marked as favorites. The update also includes a Journal app, a new Translate option for the Action button, and several new widgets on the home screen.
The update is now available to developers as a beta version and is expected to will be released. by the end of the year.
- iOS 17.2 beta 1: here are all the new features and changes.
- iOS 17.2 adds another feature to the action. button on iPhone 15 Pro.
- Apple introduces iMessage Contact Key verification in iOS 17.2 beta.
- iOS 17.2 beta includes all-new Journal app; here's how it works
- iOS 17.2 allows users to turn off Apple Music listening history when Focus mode is on
