Revealed back at WWDC 2023 in June, Apple's iOS 17 is quite an exciting new update. Designed to arrive around the launch of iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, it should make this year's launch a pretty big one.
From FaceTime and Messages updates to new ways to track your mental health and check in with friends after you get home, iOS 17 is forward thinking whilst giving updates to older apps and tech.
We think there's a good chance we'll see it around September so we are now mere weeks away. With lots of new features, here is everything you need to know about iOS 17 and how to make sense of some of its best new ideas.
iOS 17: New features
iOS 17: The Phone app just got prettier!
“With iOS 17, we’ve made iPhone more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on every day,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Phone, FaceTime, and Messages are central to how we communicate, and this release is packed with updates we think our users are going to love."
iOS 17 brings Contact Posters to the Phone app, which allows you to customize your contact photos so they look similar to the wallpaper on your Lock Screen. This means that incoming calls look better than ever before with customizable fonts and colors. Contact Posters will also be available in all third-party calling apps.
iOS 17: Live Voicemail
iOS 17 also brings Live Voicemail to the iPhone. This means you can see a real-time transcript as someone leaves a voicemail, with the ability to pick up the phone while they are in the process of doing so.
The Phone app will also instantly decline spam calls. Apple has made sure to focus on the privacy aspect of Live Voicemail, so the Neural Engine on your iPhone is handled on-device and is completely private.
iOS 17: Improvements to Messages
FaceTime has some much-needed improvements, with the ability to leave audio and video messages when someone doesn't pick up your call. You can also leave reactions in the app with gestures, such as hearts and a thumbs-up.
iOS 17: Live Stickers & More
iMessage has an all-new sticker experience that allows you to create Live Stickers from your own photos, alongside being able to create GIFs from these.
There's also a redesigned menu for when you're selecting apps within iMessage, swipe right to quick reply, and a Check-In feature that can help let family and friends know where you are, and how long you'll be from your destination.
iOS 17: NameDrop and better AirDrop
iOS 17 also brings more functionality to AirDrop on your iOS device in a few ways, with the first allowing you to 'tap' another iPhone to share contact details. This is called NameDrop, and it also works with Apple Watch. You can also use the same 'tap' gesture for SharePlay so you can watch movies, listen to music, or play a game easier than ever before.
iOS 17: Autocorrect and Dictation just got more intelligent
Updates to Autocorrect with what Apple are calling "a transformer language model" improves the experience and accuracy of typing on your iPhone. You'll now receive predictive text recommendations as you type making text entry faster than ever. Dictation also has more accuracy thanks to a new speech recognition model
iOS 17: StandBy makes your iPhone charging stand awesome
With the always-on display that's featured in iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, the lock screen has become more useful than ever, especially with the redesign back in iOS 16.
But with iOS 17, it goes one step further with StandBy, which gives you a full-screen experience of showcasing widgets on your iPhone when it's charging and in landscape mode.
This can be perfect as a nightstand, and you can also personalize StandBy with a range of clock styles, photos, and apps as it's available to developers.
Journal helps your mental health
Apple also announced some new features for tracking your mental health. You can log how you're feeling within the Health app and it will give you some helpful advice on what it's calculated over a certain time.
There's also a new app called Journal - which isn't available in iOS 17 for now, but Apple says it's going to be released later this year. If you've ever used Day One on iOS, this is essentially the first-party equivalent, allowing you to document your life and check in with how you're feeling in your daily life.
You'll be given Suggestions for when you don't know what to write about, and they will be intelligently curated from recent activity. A Suggestions API will be available to developers so third-party applications can be integrated seamlessly into Journal.
iOS 17: Everything else
Safari now allows you to add profiles - so you can create one for work, and one for personal use, so your bookmarks and passwords will be separate. Siri can also read out a webpage for you, so if you're visually impaired, this could be a great help.
You can also lock private windows in Apple's web browser with FaceID, and set different search engines for public and private windows.
Control Center adds a 'ping my Watch' option, so if you've misplaced it, pressing this will sound a loud alarm from it, allowing you to find it.
Offline Maps in Apple Maps finally arrives, so if you're going to a place with terrible internet coverage, this can help you find your way if you get lost.
iMessage can transcribe audio messages sent within the app, making it much easier to see what's been said if you're in a busy area and you won't be able to hear it.
System Settings are available in Spotlight - this means that you can drag down on the home screen, and search for a setting to switch Wi-Fi on for example.
iOS 17 will let you know if you're too close to your iPhone's display, recommending you to give yourself and the device some space to help your eyesight.
Which iPhones will get iOS 17?
iOS 17 will be available on all of Apple's current best iPhones, from iPhone XS to iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, as well as the upcoming iPhone 15. Apple has dropped support for iPhones with the A11 Bionic chip, such as the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
When will iOS 17 be available?
The iOS 17 developer beta and Public Beta are both available, while the official release of iOS 17 is likely to be in September alongside iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, although Apple has given a vague release date of "Fall 2023".
How can I get iOS 17?
- Make a backup of your iPhone
- Head to Apple’s public beta website
- Sign in to your Apple ID
- Tap iOS, swipe down, and tap enroll your iOS device
- Swipe down and tap Download Profile
- Tap Allow to download the profile
- Open Settings and tap Profile Downloaded at the top
- Tap Install
- Read the consent agreement, then tap Install again
- Your iPhone will prompt you to restart
- After your device reboots, head to Software Update in Settings and Install the iOS 17 public beta
How to use iOS 17's best new features
Apple is fixing autocorrect
Autocorrect is an incredibly impressive tool but can sometimes get things wrong. This has resulted in many choosing to turn it off entirely. If you want a reason to turn it back on you may want to know how Apple is fixing autocorrect.
How to make iOS 17 Contact Posters
Being a great new way to customise your phone calls and an easy way to know who is calling from a distance, contact posters are worth setting up for anyone you get calls from regularly.
How to log your mental health with iOS 17
Coming with some pretty decent built-in mental health check systems, if you use your phone a lot, it's worth figuring out how to track your mental health. Even if you don't think you need help, it's good practice for when you might.
How to use multiple timers at once on iOS 17
If you really need to make sure you wake up in the morning or need a little help in cooking multiple things at once, setting a few timers is a good way of doing so.
How to use NameDrop on iOS 17
NameDrop is a fantastic way of keeping in touch. Through simply putting two phones together, you can add each other to your contacts and have the ability to talk to them in mere seconds.
How to use StandBy on iOS 17
StandBy is the best way to get something out of your phone while it is charging. Being able to add your own widgets and customise your music, videos, and more on the fly — it's one of iOS 17's best features.
How to leave a FaceTime video message on iOS 17
With iOS 17, you can leave a video message when someone misses a FaceTime request. This means that you can capture where you are when calling and can leave a quick note in case you forget why you called. It's a nice little feature that is nice when you want to show off something urgently.
How to use Check In on iOS 17
Being particularly great on nights out or on long trips, iOS 17's Check In function gives you a little peace of mind. Being somewhat automated, you will never need to manually send that check in text again.
How to turn GIFs into live Stickers in iOS 17
Live stickers are a bit more versatile than traditional GIFs. Live Stickers are more dynamic and can be placed on top of other things whereas as a GIF is a much more rigid sequence of images. If you make a bank of live Stickers, you can do quite a lot with them.
How to set up Safari profiles on iOS 17
Like Google Chrome's profile system, individual Safari Profiles have their own settings, history, and more. This means that if you do work from your phone, you can split your work and home Safari apart to fully separate the two.
One more thing... iOS 17 is a minor but important evolution for iOS
iOS 17 looks to build on the 'productivity' theme that Apple has been going for since iOS 14 with the return of widgets. This year, instead of one big headline feature, it's a grab bag of useful little ones, which are bound to appeal to a lot of users.
From StandBy mode to improvements in Safari and iMessage, it's going to be useful to everyone, especially once iPhone 15 arrives.
