Apple just announced the unveiling of the iPhone 15 and the launch of iOS 17. With many exciting new features on the horizon, let’s dive into the top 10 features that are set to arrive with iOS 17.
- Interactive Widgets: Ever since the introduction of widgets in iOS 14, users have eagerly awaited interactive widgets. Finally, with iOS 17, you can perform actions like checking off reminders and controlling media playback (play, pause, skip, and fast forward) for podcasts and music right from your widgets. It’s a long-awaited addition that makes widgets even more useful.
- Contact Posters: One of the standout features of iOS 17 is the ability to customize how your contact information appears on your friends’ iPhones when you call them. You can even create custom contact posters for friends, including those with Android devices. These posters can be created similarly to custom lock screens and will also be visible during calls from other apps.
- Check-In: For safety-conscious individuals, iOS 17 introduces a “Check In” feature. This feature allows you to notify your friends and loved ones when you’ve safely arrived at your destination. If there are delays, you can update your arrival time. In case of emergencies, your friends and family will receive notifications along with your current location, route, battery status, and cellular connection.
- Messages App Improvements: The Messages app receives several enhancements in iOS 17. Notably, it offers improved search capabilities with search filters for easier message retrieval. In group chats, a “catch up” arrow helps you quickly jump to the first unseen message, and you can now swipe to reply. Additionally, voice messages are transcribed for convenient reading.
- Location Sharing: Location sharing is now directly integrated into conversations, making it easier to share your location with friends and family when needed.
- Live Voicemail: iOS 17 introduces “Live Voicemail.” When receiving calls from unknown numbers, you can send them directly to voicemail, and the caller’s message will be transcribed. This feature helps you avoid unwanted calls and decide whether to return the call.
- FaceTime Messages: FaceTime gets a new feature that allows you to record and send messages if the recipient doesn’t answer your call. This feature is perfect for sharing real-time moments or simply saying hello.
- Contact Sharing: Sharing contact information with other iPhone users becomes more seamless. You can choose which information to share, whether it’s a business number, personal number, or email. Changes made to your contact poster will be reflected in shared contact information.
- AirDrop Improvements: AirDrop now allows you to continue transfers on Wi-Fi or cellular even if you move out of the AirDrop range before the transfer is completed.
- AI-Powered Keyboard: The keyboard in iOS 17 uses AI to enhance autocorrect and prediction while typing. It includes sentence-level autocorrection, word and sentence suggestions, and easy corrections by tapping on the corrected word.
Additionally, iOS 17 introduces “Standby,” a feature that provides glanceable information when your phone is charging on its side. You can access the time, calendar, photos, widgets, and even live activities. At night, it turns red to avoid disturbing your sleep.
With these exciting features and some honorable mentions like being able to drop “Hey” before Siri commands and offline map support in Apple Maps, iOS 17 promises to be a significant update. While many of these enhancements build upon existing features, they are sure to improve the overall user experience on iPhones. We hope to see some under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes as well.
What are you most excited about in iOS 17? Share your thoughts in the comments, and if you found this article helpful, please like and subscribe for more content.
