Apple’s debut of iOS 17 is going to change how you call, text and glance at information on your iPhone. iOS 17 brings updates to FaceTime, Messages and the phone app to make your iPhone feel more intuitive and personal. Apple revealed iOS 17 last month during its Worldwide Developers Conference.
Last year’s software update, iOS 16, introduced the ability to edit or “unsend” messages you send via iMessage; Apple Pay Later; a major overhaul to the lock screen; revamped notifications; and Live Activities. These additions didn’t all come out at once and were actually scattered over the course of smaller iOS software updates throughout the year.
We can expect the same for iOS 17, which will likely be released just before the rumored iPhone 15 goes on sale.
Contact Posters
Contact Posters aim to make your contact cards more compelling.
Last year we got customizable lock screens in iOS 16. This year, iOS 17 has a similar change for your iPhone’s contact cards, to make them look more eye-catching. Contact Posters are beautiful treatments for contact photos and emoji paired with slick-looking fonts that show up when you get calls and for other services on your phone where you communicate and share.
You can customize your Contact Poster similar to how you personalize your lock screen. Pick a photo, font and color and that’s it.
AirDrop gets easier to use
iOS 17 brings an overhaul to AirDrop. You just need to bring your iPhone close to someone else’s to share a Contact Poster, photos, videos or kick off a shared activity using Share Play. Of course, being Apple, there’s a word for sharing your Contact Poster with someone new: NameDrop. What’s nice, is that you can choose what contact info is shared. NameDrop works between iPhones or with an Apple Watch, too. It reminds me of “bumping” a contact in the early days of the iPhone.
Standby turns your iPhone into an Amazon Echo Show
iOS 17 adds an attractive screen that shows photos, widgets and info when your iPhone is charging.
One of the biggest additions in iOS 17 is for when your iPhone isn’t in your hand. When your iPhone is on its side while MagSafe charging, you get a new full screen experience with glanceable information. The feature is called Standby and mimics what many smart home devices can do, such as the Amazon Echo Show.
The new screen shows the time, photos, widgets and Live Activities; nearly all of which can be personalized. It’s a bit of a cross between the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display and nightstand mode on the Apple Watch.
iOS 17 brings a new Apple app called Journal that creates personalized suggestions to inspire writing. These suggestions are curated from information on your iPhone, like photos, location, music and workouts.
Journal gives you the option to select a moment, like “morning visit, Ocean Beach,” and start writing. You can also schedule notifications to remind you to write and get new prompts. You can flag important moments so that you can reflect on them later.
Live Voicemail
Live Voicemail lets you preview a transcription in real time as a voicemail is being recorded.
Another new talent iOS 17 has involves your voicemail. When someone calls you and leaves a message, you’ll see a live transcription in real time as they speak. The new service is called Live Voicemail and it kind of feels like the days of answering machines, when my dad would screen a call. For Live Voicemail, you’ll see the voicemail right on your screen so you can decide whether to step out and take the call. The feature is powered by your iPhone’s neural engine in order to preserve your privacy. Live Voicemail seems identical to Call Screen on Google Pixel phones which isn’t a bad thing.
FaceTime messages
iOS 17 will let you record a video message in FaceTime. It’s a heavily requested feature that will ensure you can document and share important moments, even if someone misses your call.
Messages Check In
Watch this: Apple Reveals iOS 17
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But wait, there are more iOS 17 features
As is typical with WWDC, there are a lot more additions and improvements to iOS 17 than Apple showed during the keynote. Some notable highlights include:
- Triggering Siri by just saying, “Siri” instead of “Hey, Siri”
- Download offline maps in the Maps app
- New profiles for Safari and your passwords
- Auto retrieval of one-time verification codes from the Mail app
- Interactive widgets (which was featured in-depth during the iPadOS portion)
iOS 17 will be out in full this fall and work on the iPhone XS, XR and newer, including the 2020 iPhone SE.
