A Detailed Look at iOS 17’s Features

iOS 17 at a look

iOS 17 was formally launched on September seventeenth, however we have been utilizing it since July 12 when the general public beta grew to become accessible. Meaning we have been utilizing it for nearly 5 months now, and we’re assured in saying that iOS 17 does not introduce any main options to the system.

Nonetheless, as we talked about in our overview of the brand new OS model, it marks a major shift in Apple’s strategy to person expertise, emphasizing extra human-like interplay with expertise.

The replace is environment friendly and discreet, enhancing the iPhone expertise with out being intrusive. Constructing on the privacy-focused App Monitoring Transparency characteristic launched in iOS 14.5 and the customization choices of iOS 16, iOS 17 additional empowers customers with options like NameDrop for simple contact data trade and interactive widgets for simplified each day duties.

These developments goal to make the system an efficient device with out overcomplicating or dominating the person’s life, fostering a aware and fewer device-dependent life-style​.

iOS 17 New Options

This information on iOS 17 options will highlight the main enhancements within the new iPhone software program. We’ll additionally information you on how you can activate these options as soon as you’ve got downloaded the most recent working system model. Let’s delve into what iOS 17 has to supply with out additional delay.

New accessibility options

iOS 17 introduces a number of accessibility options from Apple, aimed toward enhancing the expertise for customers with cognitive disabilities. These embrace choices like excessive distinction and huge textual content buttons, stay speech-to-text conversion throughout calls, the power to create a customized synthesized voice, and extra functionalities.

A number of of the brand new options in iOS 17 will prolong to Apple’s different working programs, together with iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. These enhancements are tailor-made to not solely help people with numerous disabilities, but additionally their supporters and people searching for a extra tailor-made expertise with their Apple units.

Discover My privateness updates

Apple additionally introduced modifications coming to its AirTags trackers to forestall their utilization for malicious intents, like stalking. The corporate introduced with Google a typical set of options that may warn customers when an undesirable tracker is following them.

The Discover My monitoring community may even help sharing objects between profiles, permitting, for instance, kinfolk to trace down one another’s baggage. In line with Apple, a single AirTag might be shared with as much as 5 folks.

Revamped FaceTime, Messages, and Cellphone apps

Beginning with the best way you talk with the world, the Contact Posters characteristic provides a brand new layer of customization to caller ID and profiles, with the choice to personalize photographs, font, and coloration, with memoji help. Posters not solely present up in cellphone calls, but additionally on third-party apps supporting the callKit API.

How one can use the Contact Posters characteristic on the iPhone:

The FaceTime app obtained a welcome improve by permitting you to depart an audio and video message at any time when a contact does not reply a name. Additionally, calls will likely be spiced up with stay reactions that may be activated with gestures. Oh, yet another factor: FaceTime (with Continuity Digicam) will likely be supported on the Apple TV 4K, displaying the video name on the tv.

The Messages app, in the meantime, acquired a redesign with a bunch of latest options, permitting customers to slender search outcomes with filters, get a “Catch up” shortcut to the last-read message on a chat or group, and extra.

Audio messages can have the choice to have a transcription, additionally performed on the system. One other new characteristic, Test In will permit contacts to know when you have got arrived at house or one other vacation spot. A detour can set off a notification to a pal or relative.

How one can use the Test In characteristic on the iPhone:

The redesign may even place shortcuts to third-party apps beneath the + button. Stickers, in the meantime, will likely be revamped with the choice of making Stay Stickers to rework photographs into stickers.

And never solely will stickers be accessible in third-party apps, however customers will have the ability to react with stickers, equally to how emojis work, with a brand new drawer on the keyboard for fast entry.

How one can ship animated Stickers on the iPhone:

Stay voicemail with real-time transcription

In iOS 17, the cellphone calls app has been enhanced to transcribe voicemails in real-time utilizing the Stay Voicemail characteristic, with all processing occurring on the system.

On earlier iPhones, voicemails provided textual content and visible transcription. Nonetheless, Stay Voicemail shows the transcription on the receiver’s name display because the message is being left, offering fast choices to reply or finish the decision and showcasing a Contact Poster if accessible.

Throughout this beta section, the characteristic is accessible solely within the USA and Canada, and works with out provider help.

How one can use the Stay Voicemail characteristic in your iPhone:

NameDrop

AirDrop acquired an improve with NameDrop, utilizing iPhones and even an Apple Watch. By inserting the units close to one another, Contact posters show every person profile to ease contact data sharing. In the identical proximity gesture, customers can begin a SharePlay session on appropriate apps.

How one can use the NameDrop characteristic on the iPhone:

Enter upgrades

The keyboard app additionally acquired some love on iOS 17. Autocorrect will have the ability to appropriate extra grammar errors, with a neater approach to revert corrections. Apple guarantees higher resilience towards errors, whereas dictation will help the Neural Engine to enhance on-device dictation accuracy.

New Journal app for particular moments

Utilizing machine studying, photographs, exercises, areas, music, and extra might be introduced in a cohesive means as a multimedia reminiscence. Because the title suggests, you may as well add private notes to journals. Consider it as a turbocharged model of the sensible photograph albums, with options designed to enhance customers’ well-being. At this level, the app remains to be not accessible on Apple Retailer.

StandBy: A wise show mode for the lock display

Rumors proved proper about even additional changes to the lock display. Whereas iOS 16 introduced a design change with a bunch of customization choices and widgets, iOS 17 can remodel your iPhone whereas docked into a sensible show when docked to a charger, not not like an Amazon Echo Present, Google Nest Hub, or the defunct Fb Portal.

The characteristic will current large clock widgets, climate, calendar schedules, sensible house instructions, Siri entry, or a collection of photos. Moreover, customers with a number of chargers can customise the Stand By characteristic to every of them, for an much more personalised expertise. 

How one can use StandBy characteristic on the iPhone:

Stolen Machine Safety

Added within the later model of iOS 17 consists of the brand new safety characteristic referred to as Stolen Machine Safety. It is an added layer of safety primarily for stolen iPhones with uncovered or compromised passcodes. It removes the passcode because the fallback safety measure and as a substitute requires Face ID or Contact ID as verification when accessing delicate data and altering very important settings contained in the iPhone.

The characteristic is turned off by default and it is advisable it’s best to allow the characteristic. Here is a information on how you can allow the characteristic in your iPhone:

Sideloading of apps and third-party fee choices

One of many largest modifications occurred in iOS 17.4 with Apple lastly permitting sideloading of third-party apps and app shops to iPhones in Europe beneath the authorised Digital Market Act.

Other than permitting customers to put in apps and marketplaces, builders can even set fee choices and make the most of NFC for tap-to-pay aside from Apple Pay. Moreover, customers can even set a default third-party browser.

Different iOS 17 modifications

Spatial video recording on the Apple iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max.
Transcript on the Podcasts app.
Learn incoming messages by way of Siri in several language.
Qi2 wi-fi activation within the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.
Battery well being standing.
Expanded batter well being settings.
Higher non-public looking on the Safari browser.
Passwords and passkeys might be shared securely with a contact or group via the iCloud Keychain.
Apple Music subscribers will have the ability to share and edit collaborative playlists.
The Maps app will supply the choice to retailer offline maps, with the saved information accessible for navigation, place location, and estimates for time of arrival.

The Dwelling app will save as much as 30 days of exercise historical past of appropriate units corresponding to locks, alarms, and sensors.
Reminders will group comparable objects robotically, hopefully making it simpler to seek out associated groceries whereas buying.
Siri will likely be triggered with out saying “Hey”.
The Pictures app will have the ability to create albums for pets, and guarantees improved folks detection.
The Well being app will add options to enhance psychological well being, with entry to native assets.
Additionally on the well being subject, the Display screen Distance characteristic will use the TrueDepth digital camera to recommend viewing the cellphone a bit additional away to scale back eye pressure.
AirPods will help Adaptive Audio, Customized quantity, and Dialog Consciousness options to customise audio settings and enhance chatting with folks round you.
Visible Look Up—used to establish indicators, meals, locations, and symbols—will likely be accessible on paused video frames, as a substitute of solely photos.

iOS 17 Launch Date and Availability

iOS 17 was introduced on June 5, at WWDC 2023, with a showcase of among the new options in growth for the working system. Apple began distributing a check model for builders instantly after the occasion and launched a public beta check on July 12. The official launch began on September seventeenth.

How one can obtain and set up iOS 17 in your iPhone

The iOS 17 replace will likely be robotically despatched to your iPhone. All you need to do is obtain and set up the brand new model. It’s strongly suggested to create a backup of your information earlier than continuing. Listed here are the steps in abstract:

Again up your iPhone: It is essential to again up your information to iCloud or your laptop earlier than putting in a brand new model. You could possibly lose your information within the occasion of an issue throughout the set up course of.
Open the Settings app.
Choose Normal.
Go to Software program Replace.
You will notice a message concerning the new iOS 17 replace.
Faucet Obtain and Set up on the accessible model. If prompted, enter your passcode.
When prompted, faucet on Set up Now to finish the set up.
Your iPhone will restart to finish the set up. As soon as it restarts, observe the on-screen directions to start out utilizing the iOS 17.

Record of iPhones Suitable with iOS 17

After dropping help for 3 iPhone fashions in iOS 16, Apple was somewhat bit extra conservative with regards to iOS 17 help in previous iPhone generations. 

The 2023 working system is obtainable for the iPhone XS/XR fashions and newer, launched in 2018 with the A12 Bionic SoC, dropping the iPhone X and iPhone 8 fashions from iOS 17 compatibility. Test under all of the iPhone fashions appropriate with iOS 17:

iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Professional
iPhone 15 Professional Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Professional
iPhone 14 Professional Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Professional
iPhone 13 Professional Max
iPhone SE (2022) (third era)
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Professional
iPhone 12 Professional Max
iPhone SE (2020) (2nd era)
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Professional
iPhone 11 Professional Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR

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iOS 17 present model

Apple’s cellular software program, together with all variations of iOS 17, is consistently evolving. This desk offers the latest iOS 17 variations together with replace particulars, protecting bug fixes, safety enhancements, and potential new options.

And there you have got it. Now inform us, what’s your favourite iOS 17 characteristic? Please tell us within the feedback under.

Article up to date in April 2024 with further details about the most recent variations of iOS 17.