Apple has recently rolled out iOS 17 to all compatible iPhone models following the latest update from Apple. The company has incorporated a range of modifications across the operating system, encompassing both user-facing features and visual enhancements. During Apple’s WWDC 2023 event in June, iOS 17 was unveiled, bringing forth some significant features that will be exclusively available in forthcoming iOS updates. To discover the full list of what Apple has introduced in the initial iOS 17 release, you can explore the comprehensive changelog.
Table of Contents
iOS 17 Changelog
iOS 17 was introduced by Apple, featuring interactive widgets, a new StandBy Mode tailored for all iPhone models equipped with an Always-On display, the addition of NameDrop, and much more. Additionally, Apple has made comprehensive improvements to the entire platform, as evidenced by the iOS 17 changelog. To delve deeper into the specifics, we have included the changelog below for your convenience.
Phone
Contact Posters let you customise how you appear on other people’s devices when you call them with a customised poster
Messages
Stickers iMessage app brings all your stickers into one place including Live Stickers, Memoji, Animoji, emoji stickers, and your third-party sticker packsLive Stickers can be created by lifting the subject from photos or videos and stylising them with effects like Shiny, Puffy, Comic, and OutlineCheck In automatically notifies a family member or friend when you arrive at a destination safely and can share helpful information with them in case of a delayAudio message transcription is available for audio messages you receive so you can read them in the moment and listen laterSearch improvements help you find messages faster by allowing you to combine search filters such as people, keywords, and content types like photos or links to find exactly what you are looking forSwipe to reply to a message inline by swiping to the right on any bubbleSingle-use verification code cleanup automatically deletes verification codes from the Messages app after using them with AutoFill in other apps
FaceTime
Leave a video or audio message to capture exactly what you want to say when someone does not pick up your FaceTime callEnjoy FaceTime calls on Apple TV by using your iPhone as a camera (Apple TV 4K 2nd generation and later)Reactions layer 3D effects like hearts, balloons, confetti, and more around you in video calls and can be triggered with gesturesVideo effects allow you to adjust the intensity of Studio Lighting and Portrait mode
StandBy
Full-screen experience with glanceable information like clocks, photos, and widgets designed to be viewed from a distance when the iPhone is on its side and charging in places such as your bedside table, kitchen counter, or deskClocks are available in a variety of styles, including Digital, Analogue, Solar, Float, and World Clock, with elements you can personalise like the accent colourPhotos automatically shuffle through your best shots or showcase a specific album you chooseWidgets give you access to information from a distance and appear in Smart Stacks that deliver the right information at the right timeNight Mode lets clocks, photos, and widgets take on a red tone in low lightPreferred view per MagSafe charger remembers your preference for each place you charge with MagSafe, whether that’s a clock, photos, or widgets
Widgets
Interactive widgets let you perform actions, like marking a reminder as complete, directly from the widget by tapping it on the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or in StandByiPhone widgets on Mac enable you to add widgets from your iPhone to your Mac desktop
AirDrop
NameDrop lets you exchange contact information with someone new by bringing your iPhones close togetherNew way to initiate AirDrop allows you to share content or start a SharePlay session over AirDrop by bringing your iPhones close together
Keyboard
Improved autocorrect accuracy makes typing even easier by leveraging a powerful transformer-based language model (iPhone 12 and later)Easier autocorrect editing temporarily underlines corrected words and lets you revert back to what you originally typed with just a tapEnhanced sentence corrections can correct more types of grammatical mistakes when you finish sentences (iPhone 12 and later)Inline predictive text shows single and multi-word predictions as you type that can be added by tapping the space bar (iPhone 12 and later)
Safari and Passwords
Profiles keep your browsing separate for topics like work and personal, separating your history, cookies, extensions, Tab Groups, and favouritesPrivate Browsing enhancements include locking your private browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocking known trackers from loading, and removing identifying tracking from URLsPassword and passkey sharing lets you create a group of passwords to share with trusted contacts that stays up to date as members of the group make changesSingle-use verification code AutoFill from Mail autofill in Safari so you can log in without leaving the browser
MusicShare
Play makes it easy for everyone to control and play Apple Music in the carCrossfade smoothly transitions between songs by fading out the currently playing song while fading in the next so the music never stops
AirPlay
Intelligent AirPlay device list makes finding the right AirPlay-compatible TV or speaker even easier by showing your devices in order of relevance, based on your preferencesSuggested AirPlay device connections are proactively shown to you as a notification to make it even more seamless to connect to your preferred AirPlay devicesAutomatic AirPlay device connections are made between your iPhone and the most relevant AirPlay-compatible device, so all you have to do is tap Play to begin enjoying your content
AirPods
Adaptive Audio delivers a new listening mode that dynamically blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to tailor the noise control experience based on the conditions of your environment (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)Personalised Volume adjusts the volume of your media in response to your environment and listening preferences over time (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)Conversation Awareness lowers your media volume and enhances the voices of the people in front of the user, all while reducing background noise (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)Press to mute and unmute your microphone by pressing the AirPods stem or the Digital Crown on AirPods Max when on a call (AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation) or AirPods Max with firmware version 6A300 or later)
Maps
Offline Maps allow you to select an area you want to access and search and explore rich information for places to download for use when your iPhone doesn’t have a Wi-Fi or mobile signalEV routing improvements give you routes based on real-time EV charger availability for supported chargers
Siri
Option to say “Siri” in addition to “Hey Siri” for an even more natural way to make requestsBack-to-back requests can be issued without needing to reactivate Siri in between commands (iPhone 11 and later)
Visual Look Up
Expanded domains in Visual Look Up help you discover similar recipes from photos of food, Maps information from photos of shopfronts, and the meaning of signs and symbols on things like laundry tagsMultiple or single subjects can be lifted from the background of photos and videos and placed into apps like MessagesVisual Look Up in Video helps you learn about objects that appear in paused video framesVisual Look Up for subjects in photos enables you to look up information about objects you lift from photos directly from the callout bar
Health
State of Mind reflection allows you to log your momentary emotions and daily mood, choose what factors are having the biggest impact on you, and describe your feelingsInteractive charts give you insights into your state of mind, how it has changed over time, and what factors may have an influence, such as exercise, sleep, and mindful minutesMental health assessments help you understand your current risk of depression and anxiety and if you might benefit from getting supportScreen Distance leverages the TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to encourage you to increase the distance you view your device to reduce digital eye strain and can help reduce the risk of myopia in children
Privacy
Sensitive Content Warnings can be enabled to prevent users from unexpectedly being shown images containing nudity in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, and FaceTime messagesExpanded Communication Safety protections for children now detect videos containing nudity in addition to photos that children may receive or attempt to send in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime messages, and the system Photo pickerImproved sharing permissions give you even more control over what you share with apps, with an embedded photo picker and an add-only Calendar permissionLink tracking protection removes extra information from links shared in Messages, Mail, and Safari Private Browsing that some websites use in their URLs to track you across other websites, and links still work as expected
Accessibility
Assistive Access distills apps and experiences to their essential features in Phone and FaceTime, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music, including large text, visual alternatives, and focused choices to lighten the cognitive loadLive Speech lets you type what you want to say and have it be spoken out loud in phone calls, FaceTime calls and for in-person conversationsPersonal Voice enables users who are at risk of losing their voice to privately and securely create a voice that sounds like them on an iPhone and use it with Live Speech in phone and FaceTime callsPoint and Speak in Magnifier Detection Mode uses an iPhone to read text out loud on physical objects with small text labels, such as keypads on doors and buttons on appliances
This release also includes other features and improvements:
- Pets in the People album in Photos surfaces individual pets in the album, just like friends or family members
- Photos Album widget lets you select a specific album from the Photos app to appear in the widget
- Item sharing in Find My allows you to share an AirTag or Find My network accessory with up to five other people
- Activity History in Home displays a recent history of events for door locks, garage doors, security systems, and contact sensors
- Shopping Lists in Reminders automatically group related items into sections as you add them
- Inline PDFs and document scans in Notes are presented full-width, making them easy to view and mark up
- New Memoji stickers in Keyboard include Halo, Smirk, and Peekaboo
- App Shortcuts in Spotlight Top Hit offer you app shortcuts to your next action when you search for an app
- Redesigned Sharing tab in Fitness provides highlights of your friends’ activities, like workout streaks and awards
- Email or phone number sign-in lets you sign in to your iPhone with any email address or phone number listed in your Apple ID account
- New drawing tools in Freeform include a fountain pen, watercolour brush, ruler, and more to create expressive boards
- Crash Detection optimisations (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max)
Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For more information, please visit this website:
https://www.apple.com/uk/ios/ios-17
Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPhone models. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
iOS 17 Release Notes
Here are the comprehensive release notes, changelog, and a consolidated list of features for iOS 17, tailored for iPhone and iPad users.
Apple has unveiled its much-anticipated iOS 17, packed with a plethora of exciting new features. Apple has graciously shared the entire list of changes and improvements included in this significant update, which you can peruse right here.
Apple’s release notes provide a comprehensive overview of what’s fresh, ranging from standout features to those that you might not find a use for. Among the highlights is the introduction of Live Voicemail, a feature that transcribes a caller’s message in real-time, displaying it directly on your iPhone.
Another notable addition is Contact Posters, a feature that takes over your iPhone’s entire screen when a new call comes in, allowing users to customize its appearance. Apple elaborates, “You can now personalize your caller identity with a custom poster featuring various treatments for photos, Memoji, and your name. When Name & Photo Sharing for Contacts is enabled, your Contact Poster will be automatically shared with your contacts.”
Arguably the most significant addition is StandBy. When enabled, StandBy transforms your iPhone into a clock, photo viewer, or widget-rich information display, provided it’s charging and in landscape mode.
All of these exciting features and more are now accessible through the iOS 17 update. We highly recommend installing it at your earliest convenience and diving into Apple’s complete changelog to get the full scoop on what to anticipate.
Discover More:
- iOS 17: How To Fix Stuck On Preparing Update Error
- iOS 17: How To Fix Software Update Failed Error
- iOS 17: How To Fix WiFi Not Working Or Connecting
- iOS 17: How To Fix Battery Drain Issue
- iOS 17: Fix Could Not Activate iPhone Activation Error After Update
- iOS 17: How To Fix No Service After Upgrade
- iOS 17: How To Use SharePlay With CarPlay
This is all, folks. As you can see in the iOS 17 changelog and release notes, Apple has implemented changes in almost all aspects of the operating system. You can check out each feature for yourself as well.
