Apple unexpectedly re-releases the latest iPhone update

Apple has just released iOS 17.6.1, the latest software update for the iPhone. If you're feeling déjà vu, there's a good reason for that. Because Apple released iOS 17.6.1 back on August 7. But now there's a new edition with a new build number, but still referred to as iOS 17.6.1. What's going on, you might ask. Here's what we know.

It's been almost two weeks since the first version came out and it was stable and effective. As you may know, my recommendation was that you should update your iPhone accordingly.

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The update was released with notes from Apple that it included bug fixes. Additionally, and here's the kicker, Apple's notes say, it “addresses an issue that prevents you from turning Advanced Data Protection on or off.” This is an important feature because Advanced Data Protection is part of iCloud and protects data with end-to-end encryption.

All well and good, but reissuing the same update is rare for Apple. And when it does, it's usually a day or two after the original release. That's almost two weeks later, as 9to5Mac points out. The new version contains the same notes.

The original version had build number 21G93, the new one is 21G101. It's not clear who will see this update: if you downloaded the earlier update and now look in the Software Update section of the Settings app, you won't be provided with a new update, but will see a message saying your iPhone is up to date. If you haven't updated, you'll see the new version.

So what does all this mean?

Well, there have already been hints that Apple is working on another iOS 17 version, iOS 17.6.2. This suggests that the new, second version of iOS 17.6.1 is a very small update. If it were larger, this would be iOS 17.6.2.

There is no official statement from Apple as to why there is a new version, what it contains, or anything else.

It's worth noting that Apple also re-released the iPad version iPadOS 17.6.1 and also released new updates for watchOS and tvOS. If this strange situation becomes clearer, I'll update this post, so please check back.

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