Home
iOS 17: Journal app, Standby mode, communication upgrades, and everything you need to know
Mac & Apple

iOS 17: Journal app, Standby mode, communication upgrades, and everything you need to know

August 7, 2023

 

First revealed during WWDC23 alongside macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17, iOS 17 is the latest mobile operating system update from Apple. It introduces plenty of user-requested features and welcome additions, making the best iPhones even better. These include an all-new Standby mode, interactive widgets, Safari enhancements, and much more. Below you will find all of the details you need to know about iOS 17, including its expected release date, compatibility, features, and more.

Does my phone support iOS 17?

iOS 17 drops support for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Newer iPhone models support this release, and you can view the full list below:

iOS 17 support

Source: Apple

When will iOS 17 be released?

iOS 17 beta is now available to registered developers and public testers. If you’re not interested in running beta software, you can get your hands on the stable release in the fall. iOS 17 will likely be released to the public sometime in September 2023.

How can I install iOS 17?

Right now, you can only install the beta version of iOS 17. If you’re interested in that, you can follow the steps in our dedicated guide. Otherwise, you’d have to wait for the stable release.

iOS 17: All the new features

Phone and FaceTime updates

iOS 17 Contact Poster

Starting with one of the notable introductions in iOS 17, this update overhauls the iPhone call screen, allowing you to personalize the photo and typeface. This makes phone calls even more personal, as each contact can express themself based on their preferences.

Another iOS 17 offer is the ability to read the transcript of an incoming voicemail live, allowing you to decide whether the call is worth picking up. And speaking of voicemail, you can now leave a video message if someone misses your FaceTime video call. You can also react with different elements when you’re in a FaceTime call, such as hearts and balloons.

Messages enhancements

Third-Party-Apps-Messages

Photo: Brady Snyder

Moving on to the Messages app, users on iOS 17 get to create Live Stickers that are accessible throughout different parts of the system, particularly where Markup is available. That’s not to mention that you can now quickly swipe on a message to reply to it and view other’s people’s live locations in an inline manner when they share it. Apart from that, the iMessage apps sheet gets a redesign, and users get to search for content using finer filters. And for those who can’t listen to a voice note, a transcription of the message is now included.

Sharing simplified

To call and message people, though, you typically need a phone number. Through iOS 17, you can now quickly share your contact card with another iPhone user through NameDrop. The feature is similar to AirDrop and requires no internet connection to work. And speaking of AirDrop, you can now walk away during an ongoing transfer, and iOS will rely on the internet to upload what’s rest of it and download it on the recipient’s device.

Journal app

Apple-WWDC23-iOS-17-Journal-prompts-230605_inline.jpg.large_2x

Source: Apple

iOS 17 introduces an all-new app that revolves around your memories and experiences. The app uses on-device smarts to compile different data types and come up with a report. These include photos you’ve shot on a certain day, in addition, to text you’re prompted to type. Those interested in Journal will have to wait for a future iOS 17.x update, though.

Standby mode

iOS 17 Standby mode

Standby mode is another welcome iOS 17 addition. When you place your iPhone in landscape orientation while it’s charging, the device will surface relevant information and widgets, including the time, photos, weather, calendar, and more. During night hours, Standby mode switches to a dimmer, red interface that is gentler on the eyes.

Tidbits

  • Autocorrect on iOS 17 is capable of predicting the rest of your sentence, and it should get better at learning from your typing style. That’s not to mention that Dictation should now detect your speech more accurately.
  • When using Private Browsing in Safari, you can now lock the tabs to keep prying eyes away. That’s not to mention that you can now separate work and personal tabs and rely on different sets of cached data and cookies for each.
  • Interactive widgets allow you to execute a certain action or task by tapping on the widget without needing to launch the dedicated app.
  • Apple Keychain gains sharing support with iOS 17, allowing you to share your passwords with people you trust. The feature is already available on some password managers, and this only makes Apple’s solution a more valid password storage option.
  • The Health app on iOS 17 has gained support for some new data types, including mood and vision. You can also now rely on the TrueDepth camera to receive alerts when you’re too close to the display.
  • iOS 17 finally brings offline support to Apple Maps, allowing users to download maps of certain areas and navigate through them without a connection.
  • AirTags and other Find My-enabled accessories can now be shared with other people, allowing you to keep track of items with other people at the same time.
  • Apple Music on iOS 17 finally supports collaborative playlists, allowing several subscribers to build a playlist together. That’s not to mention that non-subscribers can now control the music playback on a subscriber’s device through SharePlay on CarPlay.
  • AirPlay now uses on-device intelligence to learn from your habits, and it works more seamlessly at eligible hotels.
  • AirPods receive some major upgrades with iOS 17, such as a conversation detection feature, adaptive audio, and improved automatic switching between devices.
  • Just like Messages, Mail can now autofill one-time login codes, so you don’t have to leave Safari or enter the Mail app to authenticate.
  • Apple Home on iOS 17 adds a 30-day activity history of your door locks, garage locks, and more.
  • The Reminders app on iOS 17 gains a grocery shopping feature, allowing you to group similar items together automatically.
  • Siri can now be triggered by just saying Siri, rather than Hey Siri. You can also utter consecutive commands in a row without needing to trigger it over and over again.
  • The Photos app can now detect pet faces, not just human ones, in addition to detecting single subjects in frozen video frames.
  • Visual Lookup can now suggest relevant recipes after scanning a photo of a certain dish.
  • Apple’s Communication Safety feature expands beyond the Messages app to protect children from certain content shared through AirDrop and other means of communication.
  • Similarly, you could have iOS 17 blur incoming sensitive photos in apps like Messages and other services, such as AirDrop.
  • iOS 17 also introduces plenty of accessibility features, such as Personal Voice, which replicates your voice after a 15-minute training session.
  • Those on iOS 17 also get to use three new Memoji stickers.
  • The Fitness app on iOS 17 gets some love as well, with a redesigned Sharing tab and new, personalized workout plans for Plus subscribers.
  • Those paying for Apple News+ on iOS 17 also get daily crossword puzzles, in addition to the ability to listen to News+ Audio in the Podcasts app.

While iOS 17 is a relatively minor update, it certainly has plenty of small tweaks and introductions here and there. After all, Apple has been focusing its efforts on Vision Pro and watchOS 10, which arguably are significantly bigger and more exciting than the iPhone update. Ultimately, the Cupertino firm can’t provide major iPhone OS updates every single year, and we may have to wait for next year for a more significant release.