Apple Unveils iOS 17| A Major Update with Revamped Communication Apps, Enhanced Sharing, and New Experiences

Apple today announced iOS 17, a major update that brings significant improvements to the iPhone experience, including upgrades to communication apps such as Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. The update also introduces new ways to share with AirDrop, more intelligent text input, and all-new experiences with the Journal and StandBy apps.

“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. “We can’t wait for everyone to try it.”

Major Upgrades to the Phone Experience

The Phone app gets a fresh look with personalized Contact Posters, allowing users to customize incoming calls with eye-catching typography and font colors. Live Voicemail provides real-time transcriptions and enables users to pick up mid-message. The Neural Engine handles transcription on-device, ensuring user privacy.

FaceTime Enhancements and Extension to Apple TV

FaceTime now supports audio and video messages, as well as Reactions, making calls more expressive. The update extends FaceTime to Apple TV 4K, allowing users to initiate video calls directly from the device or hand off calls from an iPhone.

Messages Revamp

Messages receives significant updates, such as new emoji and Live Stickers, a sleeker design, and more powerful search filters. The app also introduces Check In, an encrypted feature that notifies selected contacts when a user safely arrives at their destination.

AirDrop and NameDrop for Easier Sharing

AirDrop introduces NameDrop, enabling users to share contact information or content by simply bringing their iPhones or Apple Watch devices together.

More Intelligent Input with Autocorrect and Dictation Improvements

Autocorrect and dictation receive updates to improve accuracy and speed for users, leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning language models and speech recognition.

StandBy: Glanceable Information While Charging

StandBy displays glanceable information when the iPhone is on its side and charging, perfect for nightstands, kitchen counters, or desks.

Journal: A New Way to Practice Gratitude

Journal is a new app that helps users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling, with personalized suggestions intelligently curated from recent activity. The app is designed with privacy in mind, using on-device processing and end-to-end encryption.

Enhanced Privacy and Security

Safari now offers advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection for Private Browsing, ensuring greater security both online and on the device. Private Browsing also locks when not in use, allowing users to keep tabs open without compromising privacy.

For secure password and passkey sharing, iCloud Keychain now supports end-to-end encrypted sharing with trusted groups. This feature allows group members to add and edit passwords, keeping them up to date.

Health and Well-being Additions

The Health app introduces new mental health features, allowing users to log daily moods, access depression and anxiety assessments, and find regional resources. The Screen Distance feature in Screen Time encourages users to reduce digital eyestrain by holding their device farther away from their face.

Maps, AirTag, and Apple Music Improvements

iOS 17 adds offline maps in the Maps app, providing turn-by-turn navigation and other features without an internet connection. Maps also include thousands of trails in US parks and real-time charging information for electric vehicle drivers.

AirTag now supports sharing with up to five people, allowing friends and family to track items in Find My. This feature also works with other Find My-compatible accessories.

Apple Music introduces Collaborative Playlists and SharePlay, allowing passengers in a car to control music from their devices, even without an Apple Music subscription.

AirPlay and AirPods Enhancements

AirPlay now offers on-device intelligence for easier content sharing and will soon be supported by select hotel televisions, beginning with IHG Hotels & Resorts brands.

AirPods receive new features such as Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and Conversation Awareness. Improvements to Automatic Switching and call controls make AirPods even more user-friendly.

Home App, Reminders, and Visual Look Up Updates

The Home app now allows users to view up to 30 days of activity history for various home security systems and adds Matter-compatible lock features.

The Reminders app features an improved grocery list that automatically groups items into categories, with customizable preferences.

Visual Look Up is now available in paused video frames, allowing users to identify objects and lift subjects from photos and videos.

Siri, Photos, and Privacy Updates

Siri can now be activated by simply saying “Siri” and supports multiple consecutive commands. The People album in Photos uses on-device machine learning to recognize more photos of users’ favorite people and pets.

Privacy updates expand Communication Safety to cover video content and include a new Sensitive Content Warning feature for adult users.

Accessibility Enhancements

Assistive Access, Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point and Speak are new accessibility features designed to help users with cognitive disabilities, nonspeaking users, and users with visual impairments.

The public beta of iOS 17 will be available next month at beta.apple.com. Feature availability may vary by region, language, and device. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios-17-preview.