iOS 17.1.1 Quietly Fixed An Annoying Bug on My iPhone

Apple’s iOS 17.1.1 update quietly fixed an annoying Spotlight issue I ran into on the previous version of iOS 17.

Earlier this month, I wrote about an extremely annoying bug affecting Spotlight search on iOS 17.1. The bug may have been present on previous versions of iOS 17, but it became prominent on iOS 17.1.

To recap, the bug that caused Spotlight’s search bar to float all over my iPhone’s screen, leaving me unable to use the search box to look for apps, news, photos, and more.

Given that I hadn’t seen widespread complaints about the issue, or any reports really, I was unsure if new iOS 17 software would remedy the problem.

Earlier this week, I crossed my fingers and downloaded iOS 17.1.1 onto my iPhone 12 Pro. And after a few days with the software, I’m happy to report the bug is gone. Spotlight search functions normally and I should have fewer gray hairs moving forward.

Something else I’ve noticed is that Spotlight seems faster overall. While I didn’t see anyone else grumbling about my search bug, I have seen iPhone users say Spotlight felt sluggish on iOS 17.

Now I’m not saying iOS 17.1.1 is the answer to everyone’s prayers, but there’s a chance an upgrade could help. So if you’ve had an issue with Spotlight on iOS 17.1, or another version of iOS 17, think about making a move.

All of this goes back to what I’ve told readers, friends, and family numerous times over the years. While an iOS update might not list a fix in the change log, new software often fixes unlisted problems. Intentionally, or unintentionally.

iOS 17.1.1 is available to download right now for all iOS 17-powered iPhone models and it will be followed by a new iOS 17.2 milestone upgrade in December.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 17.1.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 17.1.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, and you missed older versions of iOS 17, think about installing Apple's iOS 17.1.1 update right away.

iOS 17.1.1 doesn't have any known security patches on board. However, if you skipped an older version of iOS, you'll get fixes from the updates you missed when you upgrade.

iOS 17.1 brought 18 security fixes to iPhone. It addressed issues within Weather, Status Bar, WebKit, and more.

iOS 17.0.3 brought two patches for two security issues Apple identified within the software. If you want to read about the patches, head here.

iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple.

In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages.

It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them.

There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks.

Apple's also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.

The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves.

If you skipped older versions of iOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.1.1 update as well.