Should I Upgrade to iOS 17?

If your iPhone can run it, iOS 17 is worth it for the security updates alone but, with iOS 18 on the way soon, you might be better off just waiting for that

By

Sam Costello

Updated on June 11, 2024

The latest version of the iOS operating system that runs on the iPhone is iOS 17. It introduces interesting and useful new features, and it doesn't cost anything, but should you update to iOS 17? This article examines the reasons to upgrade, what models are compatible, and why you might want to wait.

Should I Update to iOS 17 or Should I Wait?

When deciding whether to update to iOS 17, weigh the risks against the benefits. Happily, there are very few risks. The biggest is early releases of new versions of iOS can sometimes be buggy, so it's often wise to wait until a few updates have been released.

As of this writing, there have been numerous updates to iOS 17; the most current version is iOS 17.5.1. Given that, you can assume it's pretty stable so don't skip the upgrade just for stability reasons.

Why Upgrade to iOS 17

The primary reasons to update to iOS 17:

It's free. It won't cost you anything other than a bit of time to get iOS 17 and all its features on your phone. That's pretty compelling.
NameDrop and Contact Posters. Sharing your contact information with other iPhone users is as simple as tapping phones together, thanks to NameDrop. You can share stylishly designed contact info with Contact Posters.
Live voicemail transcription. With iOS 17, you can send a call to voicemail and then read a transcription of the voicemail on your lock screen. If you want to talk to the person, you can interrupt the voicemail and join the phone call.
Updated security and privacy. Every new iOS version brings numerous security and privacy enhancements and fixes. In our opinion, the importance of these changes alone is enough to justify an upgrade.

Bottom line: If your phone is compatible, you should almost certainly update to iOS 17. There's very little downside, and you get a lot.

Reasons Not to Update to iOS 17

There's only one reason to avoid updating to iOS 17. If your phone is one of the older models on the list in the next section, putting the latest software on older hardware could make the phone slower.

That won't happen in all cases, but it might. It's unlikely the phone would become unusable, but it could be bothersome, depending on the impact.

If you upgrade to iOS 17 and then want to go back to iOS 16, you can downgrade iOS (the article is about iOS 14 and 15, but the basic concepts apply to iOS 16 and 17).

Here's something else to consider: iOS 18 is being released in September 2024 when we expect the new iPhone to be released (iPhone 16). If you haven't upgraded to iOS 17 yet, you might want to just skip it and move to 18 when it becomes available.

Ready to upgrade your iOS? Get step-by-step instructions on how to update iOS on iPhone.

Is My iPhone Compatible with iOS 17?

Unlike other software updates, there are no system requirements (processor, memory) for the iOS 17 update. Whether you can update it or not depends on what iPhone model you have. If your model is listed here, it can be upgraded to iOS 17.

iPhone 15 / iPhone 15 Plus / iPhone 15 Pro / iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14 / iPhone 14 Plus / iPhone 14 Pro / iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13 / iPhone 13 mini / iPhone 13 Pro / iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12 / iPhone 12 mini / iPhone 12 Pro / iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11 / iPhone 11 Pro / iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XR / iPhone XS / iPhone XS Max
iPhone SE 2nd Generation / iPhone SE 3rd Generation

If your phone isn't compatible with iOS 17, that means it's more than a few years old, and it might be time for an upgrade. Get our guidance in making that decision in our Should You Upgrade Your iPhone? article.