After the big release which was iOS 17.5, which came out on Monday, May 13, the following Monday saw an update which came out so quickly, it’s pretty much unprecedented. Apple iOS 17.5.1 landed on Monday, May 20. Should you install it, or give it a miss?
Apple iOS 17.5.1 is here.
Please note, I’ll be updating this post in a week, on Tuesday, May28, so please check back for the final verdict.
Who Is It For And How Do You Get It?
This speedy update obeys the rules that apply for other iOS 17 releases. It works with all iPhones launched in 2018 or later. That means iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus, iPhone XR, plus all models of the following series: iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14 and the latest iPhone 15. It also includes the iPhone SE second-and third-generation phones.
What It’s About
This update is all about one thing: fixing a problem that arose from the release of iOS 17.5. It saw some users experiencing an uncomfortable effect: photos which had been deleted on both the iPhone and iPad, often as long as years before, had started popping up again. Apple described this as being a rare phenomenon. It looks like it may have occurred because when you delete an image on a device, it’s not actually overwritten until the space is needed. So, in a re-indexing or other procedure, photos could pop up out of nowhere. There may be other bug fixes being put into place, but it’s the Photos issue which is front-and-center.
Apple iOS 17.5.1 Security
Apple has not confirmed a single security issue in this update, which suggests that it’s purely about the Photos problem.
Initial Reactions
Reactions have been largely positive, recognizing that Apple hasn’t been surreptitiously keeping copies of your photos anywhere, it’s just that they’ve been loitering on-device, unseen until this new update. As one user on Reddit explained it, “There is no grand conspiracy, it’s just the way storage in our devices work.”
Apple iOS 17.5.1 Initial Verdict: Upgrade
While there are concerns about issues which haven’t been solved, there is no evidence yet of any new problems being introduced. If you didn’t experience the zombie image bug, as I didn’t, installing looks safe enough, and if you did, then upgrading is a priority.
I’ll be revisiting this story each day in the coming weeks to come up with final thoughts on Tuesday, May 28.