If you have an iPhone tucked in your pocket then there’s good news coming your way later this year. Apple has just unveiled its all-new iOS 17 operating system and it comes packed with features aimed at improving the user experience.
This latest and greatest software, which should be officially pushed out to devices this September, has just been shown off at the US firm’s WWDC Developers Conference at its HQ in Cupertino California and there’s plenty to be excited about.
Changes in this upcoming release include a bunch of updates to Apple's popular apps including Phone and Messages.
Apple is introducing something called Personalised Contact Posters which pop up when you make a call. These can be fully customised to suit your tastes with colours and font adaptable. It basically means when you ring friends, you chose what pops up on their screen.
Apple is introducing Live Voicemail to its Phone app which gives users the ability to see real-time transcription as someone leaves a voicemail, and the opportunity to pick up while the caller is leaving their message.
Another app that is changing is Messages with this popular service now getting something called Check In. This sends an instant text when you arrive home safely so friends know you are OK or raise the alarm if they don't hear from you. The look of Messages has also been updated to make things appear more simplistic. Instead of having a whole list of Apple services above where you type, these are now behind a separate menu - giving you more space and making things appear less cluttered. Finally, Live stickers are also being introduced to make adding them to texts look more fun and interactive by lifting subjects from photos.
AirDrop has long been a popular way of sharing files but Apple is now refreshing things via an update called NameDrop which makes it super simple to share telephone numbers with others. Simply bring two phones together and things can be swapped at the touch of a button.
Another nice bonus is an improved iOS 17 Lock Screen that allows users to easily see data such as weather and calendar appointments when the device is in landscape mode. That’s something not currently possible and makes the iPhone feel like a mini smart home display when it’s sat on your desk.
Along with that update to the Home Screen, there’s the addition of a new Journal application which does what it says on the tin. It’s basically an improved way of making notes and jotting down your thoughts directly on the device.
iOS 17 is currently just in its initial phase of release - it's unlikely to be available until September.
“With iOS 17, 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. “Phone, FaceTime, and Messages are central to how we communicate, and this release is packed with updates we think our users are going to love. We’ve also reimagined AirDrop with new ways to share, autocorrect gets even better, and we’re introducing all-new experiences with Journal and StandBy, plus so much more. We can’t wait for everyone to try it.”
