You can now check in with a friend or family member when you arrive at a destination. If for some reason you lose time on the way to this destination, the system will try to contact you. If you don’t respond, it will share location data, battery level, and cell service status with your loved one. Apple says this data is end-to-end encrypted. You can press the “+” sign to find this feature in an iMessage conversation and then tap Further until you see Check in.
When someone shares their location with you in iMessage, you’ll now be able to see them directly in the conversation without having to leave the app. If they send an audio message, you’ll see the transcript immediately below, which is helpful if you can’t hear it right away.
As for FaceTime, you can now leave a video or audio message for anyone who doesn’t answer your call (about time!). FaceTime is also coming to Apple TV and you can use your iPhone as a camera. During the call, you can create augmented reality reactions, such as confetti, hearts, or fireworks, with certain hand gestures. You know, in case the person is bored of your normal reactions.
Batch Edit Photos
If you want all your vacation photos to look the same, you can now batch edit a bunch of photos and videos in one go. To do this, open a photo on your Photos app and press Edit. Make any changes you want and then save the photo. Press the three dots icon at the top right and tap Copy editsthen go to the next photo, tap the three dots icon and press Paste edits. Once you’ve copied your edits, you can select any number of photos and paste them together, giving your photo collection a cohesive look right away.
sticker mania
Apple is putting a big emphasis on stickers in iOS 17, to the point that they are now built into the emoji keyboard, making them more accessible in third-party apps. Last year’s iOS 16 brought the ability to crop a subject from any image you capture by simply tapping and holding it, and now you can turn them into your own stickers for serious meme potential. You can add effects to these stickers and even create Live Stickers with Live Photos. Create embarrassing friends stickers on demand. Truly, we are on the best timeline. You can also react to individual message bubbles with a sticker.
iPhone on standby
Google Pixel phones have a feature that turns them into a smart display when placed on one of Google’s wireless chargers. Apple goes even further with StandBy. This allows any iPhone to become a more usable display while charging in landscape mode. You can have it display the clock (with different clock layouts available), photos from your library, or interactive widgets. If you specifically place it on a MagSafe charger, your iPhone will remember your preferred view. Be sure to check out our guide to the best 3-in-1 Apple chargers if you want to take advantage of this feature.
Before iOS 17.1, anyone using an iPhone with an always-on display (iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max) would have to tap the screen every time they wanted to turn off the feature. Now Apple has added a little more customization. When you go to Settings > Support > Showyou can choose between Automaticallywhich will turn off the screen when the iPhone is not in use and the room is dark. after 20 secondseither Never.
Better autocorrect
You late Do you hate Apple autocorrect? You’re not alone. The company is finally improving it. Autocorrect now uses a “transformative language mode” for better word prediction. It fixes more types of grammatical errors than ever before, and you can see predictive text recommendations as you type (you can also turn this feature off), just like you’ll find using Gmail’s Smart Compose. These improvements also extend to voice dictation, which uses a new voice recognition model that supposedly makes it more accurate.
New communications security features
Photography: apple
Apple’s Communication Safety feature, which helps prevent children from seeing nude images in iMessage, has expanded its reach in iOS 17. Now, it brings these protections to other services and apps on iOS, from AirDrop and Contact Posters to FaceTime messages and Live Stickers. It also works with video content. Adults can also take advantage of the feature as it can blur sensitive videos and photos and let you choose whether to view them. Apple maintains that all image and video processing for these protection features happens on your device and nothing is sent to Apple.
Transfers from the air
If someone is sharing high-resolution media with you and the transfer will take some time, you don’t need to stand next to them and wait for the transfer to complete. You can zoom out and the files will be sent over the Internet.
Recovery arrow
When you join a chat with dozens of new messages, you can now tap a new “refresh arrow” to jump to the first new message. That way you won’t have to waste time scrolling to find it.
iMessage contact key verification
Apple originally announced this feature last year and it’s finally here. With Contact Password Verification you have the option to verify who you are messaging to avoid communicating with someone posing as a friend or family member. Users will receive a contact verification code that they can then compare with the person they are texting to ensure the codes match.
A new diary app
Photography: apple
There’s a new app on iOS called Journal and, as the name suggests, the idea is to write down your thoughts and memories. You can add photos, audio recordings, and music to your journal entries and even set goals. Apple says Journal uses on-device machine learning to suggest times to write about throughout the day. You can read more about it here.
Improved autocomplete for PDF files
If you frequently work on PDF files, you’ll be excited to use this feature. The software uses machine learning to identify fields in a PDF so you can quickly add details, and the Notes app now also lets you organize, read, annotate, and collaborate on PDF files.
Health app
Apple lets you track your daily mood in the Health app, with access to depression and anxiety screenings typically found in clinics (and other resources). Additionally, if you’re using Apple’s Screen Time feature for your kids, there’s now a Screen Distance tool that will use the TrueDepth camera to encourage kids to move further away if they hold the phone less than 12 inches from their face for an extended period. . . Apple says this can help reduce the risk of myopia and reduce digital eye strain in adults. Plus, the Health app is finally available on iPad. Can use siri to ask questions related to the Health app, such as “What is my blood oxygen?” or “How much sleep have I gotten this week?”
Airplay Hotel
Apple brings AirPlay to hotel rooms. You can simply scan a QR code from the TV to share videos, photos and music from your device on the big screen. Apple says it is starting with IHG Hotels & Resorts brands.
Photography: apple
apple music
In addition to songs, you can now mark albums and playlists as favorites. You will then have the ability to filter those favorites based on category.
Any song you select as a favorite will also be added to a Favorites playlist. There’s also a new focus filter that will automatically turn off listening history. That way, you won’t have to worry about certain songs showing up in Recently Played or affecting future song recommendations. It’s a useful feature if you frequently use the Music app to play songs for your kids and don’t want to mess up your algorithm.