Apple had their annual highly anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference on the 5th of June, where they announced the latest iOS 17 update for the iPhones. During the event, they claim that this update makes the iPhone “more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on everyday.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the update.Â
Firstly, the iOS 17 will only be compatible with the iPhone SE (2nd & 3rd generation), XR, XS, 11, 12, 13 and 14 series.Â
The iOS 17 will feature the following:
- Personalized Contact Posters
One of the features of this update is the ability to customize how you appear on others’ screens when you call them. You can now personalize the full-screen calling card using photos, emojis and more.
- Journal App
This new app will build on the Memories feature in your Photos app and provide a unique way to document special moments. Users can now journal their experiences using text, location, photos, music, etc.
- StandBy Lockscreen
This takes inspiration from the Apple Watch. This feature allows users to place their phones in landscape mode on a nightstand and see the time – like an alarm clock. You can also shuffle through your photos, see live activities, and display widgets.
- Live Voicemail
You can get transcribed text on your lock screen in real time as someone leaves a voicemail for you. This allows you to decide whether you want to pick up the call or not.
- Video Voicemail & Reactions on Facetime
This update also lets you leave a video message (like it’s a voicemail) if you call someone and the recipient doesn’t pick up. Also, you can add reactions and effects during Facetime calls.
- iMessage Features
iMessage now has more valuable improvements, such as “Catch-up”, an arrow to automatically scroll to the last seen message. Users who prefer reading over listening can now view a text transcript for audio messages.Â
Also, users can now swipe to reply to specific messages in the conversation. iMessage also now comes with a live location-sharing feature and live stickers, where users can tap and hold on an object in any photo and save it as a sticker.
Some additional features include an improved AirDrop, offline maps, improved private browsing with Safari, collaborative playlists on Apple Music, assistive access, live speech and many more. Apple says that more features will become available as the official launch approaches.
In the meantime, they have already started distributing a test version for developers and are set to release a public beta test version soon ahead of the official release in September, which should also launch with the still unannounced iPhone 15.
Now, this is one update we definitely can’t wait for!