iOS 17: Everything you need to know about new options, release dates, and more

iOS 17 was formally introduced at WWDC, marking Apple’s greatest annual software program replace for iPhone customers. This yr, iOS 17 packs new options for Messages, FaceTime, and widgets. Head beneath for a roundup of our protection, new options, particulars on betas and release dates, and more.

iOS 17 betas

As of June, iOS 17 is on the market to developer beta testers solely, however there’s a giant change to the developer beta testing course of this yr. In earlier customers, iOS developer betas had been solely out there to registered builders who paid $99/yr. 

For iOS 17 this yr, Apple is making betas out there to anybody who indicators up for a free developer account. No $99 annual subscription required. 

That being stated, we suggest continuing with warning. Apple says these are “developer” betas for a purpose. The iOS 17 beta has various bugs, efficiency points, and may have a big effect in your battery life. Just as a result of the iOS 17 developer beta is on the market free of charge doesn’t imply you ought to run to set up it. 

Sometime this month, nonetheless, Apple will release a public beta for iOS 17, which can nonetheless comprise bugs and quirks however to a lesser diploma than the developer betas.

When will iOS 17 be launched to everybody?

After beta testing has wrapped up, Apple will release iOS 17 to most of the people. Based on precedent, this can occur someday in September. Here’s a rundown of earlier iOS replace release dates in September:

• iOS 16: September 12, 2022
• iOS 15: September 20, 2021
• iOS 14: September 16, 2020
• iOS 13: September 19, 2019 
• iOS 12: September 17, 2018

As you can see, Apple is fairly in step with its iOS release schedules. That’s why we anticipate iOS 17 to comply with the identical sample and be launched someday in mid-September.

iOS 17 supported units

Notably, iOS 17 requires the A12 Bionic chip or newer. This signifies that the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus – all of which had been first launched in 2017 – gained’t get the replace this yr. Here’s the total rundown of iOS 17 supported units:

• iPhone XS and XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 12 and 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 13 and 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd and third gen)

What’s new in iOS 17?

With the boring stuff out of the best way, let’s dive into among the new options in iOS 17. Apple touts that the objective of iOS 17 is to make your iPhone “more personal and intuitive,” and it has a wide selection of new options to accomplish this.

iOS 17 features a new function known as “Contact Posters,” which lets you customise how your profile seems when you work together with different iPhone customers. You can arrange your Contact Poster to embrace profile images, particular typography and font colours, and a lot more.

For FaceTime audio and video calls, Apple has added help for voicemails for the primary time. So if you name somebody, you can go away a message for them to clarify why you had been calling. And after they name you, they will go away their very own voice mail.

Also for FaceTime, Apple has added a range of new Reactions. This consists of issues like hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, and rain. These results will be activated by sure gestures and are additionally suitable with third-party apps.

iOS 17 additionally packs enhancements to AirDrop. For instance, NameDrop is a new AirDrop function that lets you to share your contact particulars with one other iPhone or Apple Watch person by merely bringing your units shut to one another. Additionally, by putting two iPhones close to each other, you can interact SharePlay for issues like video, music, and video games.

AirDrop additionally now helps tapping two telephones collectively to switch different content material from one machine to the opposite, together with images, movies, and recordsdata. Additionally, later within the yr, AirDrop will introduce the flexibility to begin transferring massive recordsdata between two intently positioned telephones, with the completion of the switch taking place by way of iCloud.

The Music app has been revamped with help for collaborative playlists and cross-fade (in the end). In CarPlay, the Music app now consists of SharePlay help to let anybody in your automobile have a say in what’s at the moment taking part in (if you’re courageous sufficient to permit such a factor).

Another tentpole change in iOS 17 is a main revamp of autocorrect, which Apple says will lastly let you say what you “ducking” need to say. Powered by machine studying, the new autocorrect system learns from the best way you sort, makes it simpler to appropriate errors, and even auto-fills your phrases and sentences as you’re typing. Dictation has additionally been upgraded with a new speech recognition mannequin “to make it even more accurate,” Apple says.

StandBy is likely one of the most notable adjustments for iPhone customers this yr. When you place your iPhone horizontally on a charger, it’s going to present a new customized sensible show type interface with glanceable widgets for issues just like the time, calendar, alarms, and more.

For followers of Home Screen widgets, iOS 17 features a large replace with help for interactive widgets. This means you can now work together immediately with widgets themselves, somewhat than having to be taken immediately to the app itself. For instance, you can work together with play and pause controls for the Music app widget proper in your iPhone’s Home Screen. In conjunction with this, Apple has additionally added Home app widgets for the primary time as nicely.

iOS 17 consists of various Accessibility upgrades, resembling Assistive Access. This is a new customizable interface that makes it simpler for customers with cognitive disabilities to use their iPhone. Personal Voice offers customers liable to speech loss, resembling these with ALS, the flexibility to create a voice that appears like theirs. Live Speech is a new function that provides nonspeaking customers the choice to sort and have their phrases spoken in particular person, in cellphone calls, or in FaceTime calls.

The Messages app in iOS 17 can be getting a significant enhance with new options for stickers, reactions, and more.

• The interface for iMessage apps has been overhauled with quick access to issues just like the digital camera, the Photos app, location sharing, GIFs, and more.
• Audio messages are actually transcribed mechanically, so you don’t have to hear to your pal ramble for 2 minutes.
• Stickers have been revamped, with Apple turning all emoji into Stickers and permitting you to create your personal Stickers utilizing your personal images. Stickers can be utilized in Messages, as Tapbacks, and a lot more.
• The Messages app consists of upgraded search performance with help for search filters.
• It’s simpler to reply to a selected message by swiping proper on it, as a substitute of long-pressing.

Apple’s sturdy set of options of managing two-factor authentication codes can be getting an improve with iOS 17. This yr, two-factor codes which might be despatched to Mail will even now help auto-fill. The Messages app will even now mechanically delete 2FA textual content messages.

Combining the options of Messages and Find My is a new function known as Check In, which Apple says is an “important feature for when a user wants to notify a family member or friend that they have made it to their destination safely.” When Check In is initiated, your pal or member of the family will mechanically be notified when you arrive at your vacation spot. If you’re not making progress to that vacation spot, iOS 17 will share data resembling your location, battery degree, and cell service standing with the opposite particular person.

Live Voicemail in iOS 17 lets you see the real-time transcription as somebody leaves a voicemail, together with the flexibility to choose up the decision whereas the particular person is leaving their message. Calls recognized as spam by carriers gained’t seem as Live Voicemail, and will as a substitute be immediately declined.

iOS 17 will even embrace a model new Journal app later this yr. Using the Journal app, Apple says that iPhone customers may have a new method to “appreciate life and preserve memories.” The Journal app in iOS 17 will use machine studying to create strategies of moments that you may need to bear in mind. The app will immediate you to journal primarily based on issues like images, music, exercises, and more.

Here’s a rundown of even more adjustments in iOS 17 for iPhone customers this yr:

• New options for Private Browsing, together with the flexibility to lock tabs behind Face ID or Touch ID.
• Passwords and passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain can now be shared with pals and household.
• Apple Maps is including offline maps help and real-time availability data for electrical automobile charging stations.
• The Health app now provides sturdy psychological well being options, together with the flexibility to log your day by day temper and momentary feelings.
• Screen Distance is a new function in iOS 17 that Apple says will assist scale back the danger of myopia for youngsters by ensuring children aren’t holding their units too shut to their faces.
• AirTags can now be shared with up to 5 different individuals. This additionally works with all different Find My community equipment.
• AirPlay is smarter and now makes use of on-device intelligence to study more about how you work together with AirPlay-enabled units. Apple can be working to increase the provision of AirPlay at lodges, beginning with a partnership with LG.
• The Notes app now provides inner-note linking, so you can hyperlink from one Apple Note to one other.
• Siri can now be activated by merely saying “Siri,” somewhat than “Hey Siri.”
• AirPods now provide Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, Conversation Awareness, and enhancements to Automatic Switching and name controls.
• Visual Look Up now works in movies, together with the flexibility to acknowledge new issues like meals, storefronts, indicators, symbols, and more.
• The Reminders app can now mechanically group objects that you add to your grocery record by classes, resembling fruits, greens, drinks, meats, and more.
• The Photos app can now acknowledge cats and canine as their very own particular person. For occasion, if you have two canine named Blake and Ruby, the Photos app will mechanically separate the images for every of them into their very own albums.

More protection of iOS 17

• iOS 17 drops the ‘Hey’ for Siri instructions, however right here’s how to disable it – 9to5Mac
• Personal Voice on iPhone: Set up in iOS 17 – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17 will add help for recurring funds to Apple Cash – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17: How to obtain and use offline maps with Apple Maps – 9to5Mac
• Apple provides pronoun fields with privateness focus to Contacts app on iOS 17 – 9to5Mac
• Download the new iOS 17 wallpaper proper right here
• iOS 17 provides real-time charging availability information for EV drivers – 9to5Mac
• Apple says it has fastened iPhone autocorrect with iOS 17 – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17 drops help for iPhone 8 and X
• Apple’s costliest AirPods miss out on Adaptive Audio, ‘Siri’ command, and more – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17 lastly makes it simpler to scan and faucet QR codes – 9to5Mac
• CarPlay in iOS 17: Apple Music SharePlay, design updates, new wallpaper – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17: Apple Notes provides a hard-to-find method to hyperlink different notes, wiki type – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17 DockKit API integrates digital camera apps with motorized stands
• Share passwords on iPhone: How to in iOS 17 – 9to5Mac
• Reminders in iOS 17 realizes it’s the very best purchasing record – 9to5Mac
• Hands-on: iOS 17 provides interactive widgets for the Home app – 9to5Mac
• iPhone Messages stickers: How to make and use them – 9to5Mac
• Ping My Watch comes to iPhone in iOS 17 – 9to5Mac
• How to auto delete iPhone verification codes – 9to5Mac
• iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma mechanically generates Apple ID passkeys, now out there on Apple․com and iCloud․com – 9to5Mac
• Five essential iOS 17 safety features coming to iPhone