Apple listed no significant new features in the official iPadOS 17.3 release notes beyond Apple Music playlist collaboration and a handful of bug fixes.
The new features in iPadOS 17.3 include the ability to collaborate on playlists in the Music app with your friends and family (and react to songs with emoji), along with the new Unity wallpaper in celebration of Black History Month.
Stolen Device Protection, a new anti-theft feature from Apple that iOS 17.3 brought to the iPhone, is unfortunately unavailable in iPadOS 17.3.
Release notes: What’s new in iPadOS 17.3?
The full iPadOS 17.3 release notes are right ahead. You can also view the changelog in Apple’s support document which details improvements in the iPadOS updates.
This update introduces a new Unity wallpaper to honor Black history and culture to celebrate Black History Month. This release also includes enhancements to Apple Music and other features, bug fixes and security updates for your iPad.
Lock Screen
● New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
Music
● Collaborate on playlists allows you to invite friends to join your playlist, and everyone can add, reorder and remove songs
● Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist
iOS 17.3 security patches and fixes:
● AirPlay hotel support lets you stream content directly to the TV in your room in select hotels
● AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID
The security contents of iPadOS 17.3 are detailed on Apple’s website. The update patches over a dozen security vulnerabilities, including in WebKit that Apple says may have been exploited. Some features are region or language-restricted. To see what’s available in which country, visit the iPadOS Feature Availability page.
watchOS 10.3, macOS Sonoma 14.3 and other OS updates
Aside from iPadOS 17.3, the Cupertino tech giant launched a series of other updates for the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod on January 23.
The most significant improvement in iOS 17.3 is Stolen Device Protection, a crucial security feature designed to protect you from the latest attacks that Joanna Stern has thoroughly investigated and reported in The Wall Street Journal.
macOS Sonoma 14.3 includes the ability to collaborate on Apple Music playlists with others, plus an expanded warranty coverage section in System Settings listing AppleCare and warranty information for all devices associated with your Apple ID.
Just don’t expect any shiny new features in tvOS 17.3 and the HomePod Software Version 17.3 as those are minor updates focused on bug and security fixes.