Apple has released the iOS 17.4 update for eligible iPhones, which introduces a bunch of new features, including new emojis, Apple Music, and podcast-related capabilities. While most prominent features, such as app sideloading, third-party payment gateway and setting third-party web browsers as the default, are limited to the European region, the update also adds a new battery-related feature to the iPhone 15 series, making it easy to monitor the battery health of an iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Pro (review). iPhone 15 series users can now monitor aspects like charge cycle count, manufacturing, and activation date of the battery. Besides, it offers usual details like battery health and maximum capacity of the battery. Apple, in an official documentation recently, confirmed that the batteries used on the iPhone 15 series can last longer than the batteries featured on the previous generation iPhones. While the iPhone 14 and previous generation models are designed to retain 80 per cent of the charge capacity after 500 charge cycles, the batteries used on the iPhone 15 series can retain the same 80 per cent battery capacity even after 1000 charge cycles, according to the company. This should mean the iPhone 15 series can run longer, for years, without requiring a battery replacement. To check the battery charge cycle of your iPhone 15 series, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. From the same menu, you can also get details like battery health, capacity, and manufacturing/first use date of the battery. Over the years, especially post-battery gate controversy, Apple has introduced a lot of new battery-related features for iPhones, which include the ability to limit the battery charge per cent to 80 to reduce overcharging, and there is also an optimized battery charging option, which smartly charges the battery (based on user routine) to reduce battery ageing. Prominent iOS 17.4 features available in India Other highlights of the iOS 17.4 update include the introduction of new emojis such as mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads. The update also enables iPhone users to "peel, resize, and stick any emoji to the conversation to react to a message or send as an inline response" within the Messages app. On top of that, you can also add an emoji or a sticker to your photos via the in-built editing options (using the markup option) on the Gallery app. If you are an Apple Podcast user, the iOS 17.4 update also enables automatically generated transcriptions, available in English, French, Spanish, and German languages. Similarly, users can also tap on a specific part of the transcript to play from that point. The iOS 17.4 update also makes music recognition a lot easier. With this update, users can quickly add the identified song to their playlist via Apple Music (which requires a subscription). The update also comes with the enhanced stolen device protection feature, which makes it difficult to log out of an Apple ID on an iPhone. Lastly, the update also adds a new Siri capability with a new option to announce messages when you receive them in supported languages. iOS 17.4-supported devices iOS 17.4 update is available for 24 devices, starting with the iPhone XS. However, depending on the model, the feature set might vary. Here is a complete list of iPhones that support the iOS 17.4 update. iPhone XS iPhone XS Max iPhone XR iPhone SE Gen 2 iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone SE Gen 3 iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max
