If you’ve got an iPhone tucked in your pocket, you’re in for a real treat. That’s because Apple has just revealed the latest batch of features set to arrive on your handset later this year.
Dubbed iOS 17, the new operating system transforms your iPhone into a bedside clock, transcribes your voicemails, and offers all-new customisation for your contract photo. The free upgrade, which will likely roll out to iPhone owners in September, was revealed during a packed WWDC developers conference, which also saw the arrival of a new 15-inch MacBook Air.
With the latest iOS update, Apple has primarily focused on how you make calls and send text messages. How retro.
First up, iOS 17 introduces Contact Posters, which allow you to customise the image that appears on-screen when you have an incoming call or FaceTime video chat. Like the revamped Lock Screen introduced last year, Apple allows you to customise the typeface and colour. This redesign will also appear in the Contacts app.
You can quickly send over your stylish new Contact card using AirDrop. But this new feature also works when tapping an iPhone with an Apple Watch.
AirDrop has also been tweaked so that photos, videos, and other files will continue to send even if you walk outside of range. Apple will continue sending the remaining files (at full resolution) over the internet, with everything encrypted. In theory, that means you should never see a failed AirDrop transfer ever again.
If you regularly miss calls, iOS 17 promises to be a worthwhile update.
Using AI, Apple will offer live transcriptions of voicemails – so you can decide whether it’s worth interrupting what you’re doing to answer the call. FaceTime users can now leave a voicemail video message.
iMessage also enjoys a few nifty updates, including a new Check In feature that recognises when someone has asked you to tell them when you arrive home or set-off and will prompt you to keep them in the loop if you’re running late.
Stickers have also been reworked, so you can quickly convert the brief video clip included with Live Photos into animated Stickers to react to messages within iMessage.
And there’s good news for WhatsApp fans too, as Apple is opening up Stickers – a feature that’s been locked to iMessage for years – to third-party apps.
Apple says it’s tweaked the underlying AI that powers its keyboard to make autocorrect more accurate than before. That’s ducking good news, as far as we’re concerned.
Predictions will be shown in-line for the first time and when autocorrect kicks in, you’ll see the previous, uncorrected word in a small bubble above the word. If you tap the bubble, the change will be reverted, and the AI will learn for next time.
Apple says the new algorithms will tailor recommendations based on your idiosyncrasies, so you can expect to see your favourite replies suggested by the iOS 17 keyboard soon.
iOS 17 brings a brand-new Journal app, which lets you save geographical location, photos taken on a certain day, and even the Apple Music songs played on your trip – with a single tap! You can also write down your thoughts, which are all end-to-end encrypted before being stored in the cloud. Apple says it won’t be able to access your Journal entries.
StandBy is the latest improvement to the Lock Screen. It transforms your iPhone into a nightstand, with a large clockface. StandBy can automatically shuffle through your latest photos, like a Google Nest Hub.
Rich widgets with information on your calendar, sports scores, and weather. For iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, the always-on display means your handset will truly feel like a smart home display when it’s sat beside you on your (home) desk or bedside table.
If previous years are anything to go by, iOS 17 will launch in September.
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