Apple revealed its long-awaited iOS 17 operating system update at WWDC on Monday. The operating system, which is set to arrive around its usual fall launch date, will offer the following fixes and changes:
Calls and Messaging: This will introduce Contact Posters for Apple’s Phone app as well as third-party calling apps. It provides a new lock screen image for contacts, which appears when they phone. If users can’t or don’t want to take a call right away, iPhones on compatible carriers will as ever take a message via the regular Visual Voicemail feature. However, now a further Live Voicemail will display a real-time, on-screen transcription of the message as it is being left. It’ll also be possible to leave both audio and video messages over FaceTime.
Apple TV Integration: Using the Continuity Camera feature on iPhone, users “users can initiate a video call directly from Apple TV, or start the call on iPhone and then hand it off to Apple TV, to see friends and family on their television.”
FaceTime: FaceTime will include a greater range of Reactions, “such as hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, rain, and more.”
Messages: The forthcoming Messages app will feature a Catch-Up arrow, which takes users to the first unread message of a conversation. The app will also include in-line responses for threaded conversations, as well as additional sticker features, which offer a new app drawer to get the sticker elements you want to use. Another major new addition is a safety feature that, if a user chooses to allow it, will let selected friends or family automatically be notified that the user has got home safely. “In cases when they’re having trouble getting home, are delayed, or have a low battery,” iOS 17 can also send notifications “such as the location of the user.”
AirDrop and NameDrop: NameDrop is a new element of AirDrop that allows users to exchange contact information by holding their iPhones near each other. The NameDrop feature will also reportedly work with Apple Watch, although not until an update later in 2023. In cases where users are transferring large items but have to depart out of Wi-Fi range, AirDrop will continue the transfer over the Internet.
Intelligent Input: This functions as an improvement to the existing iOS autocorrect feature, and offers a new transformer language model added for the keyboard, making it more accurate. Sentence level autocorrections will now deal with grammatical mistakes, as well as typing ones, and can revert them if necessary.
Journal: This can offer a means of recording what the user did, but can also combine with other iOS elements such as Find My and location services to work out who the user visited or spent time with, and where they went. This then provides a prompt for users to work from for their journal entry, alongside other data points like music played throughout the day. Apple has stated that given iOS’ end-to-end encryption and on-device processing, a journal can be readily locked.
Stand By: This allows an iPhone to show a clock interface when the iPhone is charging and locked. Glanceable widgets, notifications, and smart home notifications and controls will be usable from the mode.
Siri: Apple has stated that it’s shortening the Siri activation phrase from “Hey, Siri” to “Siri”. The updated feature will also work with back-to-back commands, so that a user can ask a series of questions without having to stop to repeat the “Siri” trigger word each time.
Accessibility: Prior to WWDC, Apple confirmed that iOS 17 would include a number of accessibility features and changes that would be seen with the update. The key accessibility changes announced were Live Speech and Personal Voice, Live Speech allowing users to type out statements to be read aloud during phone and FaceTime calls, as well as in-person meetings. The Personal Voice feature allows users to create a version of their voice, which is used in Live Speech. Other features included Assistive Access to help users with cognitive disabilities to navigate the interface, and an update to Detection Mode in Magnifier called Point and Speak that can read out text labels a user points to with their finger.
Apple has stated iOS 17 will require an iPhone XS or later to install and run.
A public beta is expected later this year, although Apple did not specify as to exactly when one would be released.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider