iOS 17 is available today

September 18, 2023

to update

iOS 17 is available today

iOS 17 makes iPhone more personal and intuitive with major updates to calling apps; Standby Mode, a new way to experience iPhone while charging; Easier sharing with AirDrop; And smarter input that improves typing speed and accuracy. iOS 17 is available today as a free software update.

Incoming calls get a big upgrade

Essential to the iPhone experience, the Phone app is receiving a major update that makes important calls even more distinctive. Custom contact stickers provide a new way for users to express themselves by customizing how they appear when connected to known contacts, including third-party calling apps. Contact stickers can be customized with beautiful photo treatments, emojis, typography colors and eye-catching fonts.

Live Voicemail provides a real-time audio transcription when someone leaves a voicemail, and gives users the opportunity to respond as the caller leaves their message. Thanks to the power of the Neural Engine, live transcription of your voicemail is processed on-device and remains private. With Silence Unknown Callers enabled, unknown numbers go directly to live voicemail, and calls identified as spam by carriers are rejected immediately.

New ways to enjoy FaceTime

Users can now leave a video or audio message on FaceTime to capture exactly what they want to say when the person they’re calling is unavailable. FaceTime calls become more expressive with reactions like hearts, balloons, fireworks, and lasers that can be activated with simple gestures, and are also available with supported third-party video conferencing apps, like Zoom and Cisco’s Webex.

FaceTime now features an amazing connected experience with Apple TV 4K. To see friends and family on the big screen, users can use Continuity Camera to start a FaceTime call on iPhone and hand it over to Apple TV, or start a FaceTime call directly from their Apple TV. With Center Stage, users stay perfectly framed even as they move around the room.

More ways to stay in touch with messages

The Messages app is adding new features that make it easier and more fun to use when communicating with the people who matter most.

Searching becomes more powerful and precise using search filters; Voice messages are automatically transcribed so users can read them immediately or listen to them later; Inline replying becomes as simple as swiping on a text bubble; The new expandable menu provides easy access to all iMessage apps, giving messages a sleeker look.

Users now have another way to personalize their messages with the all-new sticker experience, which adds the ability to create live stickers by lifting subjects from photos. Fun effects can be added to stickers, making them come to life and giving users a way to get creative.

Check-in, one of the important features built into the messaging app, allows users to notify a family member or friend when they arrive at their destination safely. After the user starts checking in, their contact will be automatically notified once they arrive. If they don’t make progress toward their destination, useful information, such as device location, battery level, and cellular service status, will be temporarily shared with the designated contact in a secure and private way.

Standby mode makes iPhone more useful while charging

StandBy is a new full-screen experience with quick information designed to be viewed from a distance while your iPhone is on its side while charging. Perfect on a desk, nightstand or kitchen table, StandBy can be customized to display a range of clock styles, favorite photos or gadgets, including Smart Stacks, which display the right gadgets at the right time. StandBy also displays live activities in full screen, Siri results, incoming calls, and larger notifications. With the Always-On Display, StandBy stays on to display useful information, and with Night Mode, StandBy adapts to low light, so watches, photos and gadgets take on a beautiful red hue. When using a MagSafe charger, StandBy will remember the user’s preferred width of the MagSafe charging dock.

Easier sharing with AirDrop and NameDrop

AirDrop makes it easier than ever to share with friends, family, and colleagues. NameDrop, a new AirDrop feature, allows users to exchange contact information, including their contact sticker, simply by bringing their iPhones together. With the same gesture, users can also share content or turn on SharePlay to listen to music, watch a movie or play a game while in close proximity. Later this year, AirDrop will add the ability to continue online transfers when a user steps out of AirDrop range.

Comprehensive updates to autocorrect and dictation

AutoCorrect receives a comprehensive update with a new Transformer Language Model, an advanced on-device machine learning language model for predicting words – improving the experience and accuracy for users every time they type. Sentence-level automatic corrections can fix more types of grammatical errors, and the updated design supports typing better by temporarily underlining corrected words and allowing users to go back with just one click. Built-in predictive text helps you finish sentences quickly, while a new speech recognition model in dictation provides improved accuracy.

Reflect on life’s moments with a journal

Journal is a new iPhone app that helps users reflect on everyday moments and special events in their lives. To help inspire the user to journal, personalized suggestions can be intelligently organized from the user’s recent activity, such as photos, people, places, workouts, and more, and scheduled notifications can help build a journaling habit. With the ability to lock the app, use on-device processing, and end-to-end encryption, Journal is designed to protect user privacy and ensure that no one — including Apple — can access user input. With the new Journal Suggestions API, developers will be able to add Journal Suggestions to their apps. The Journal app and the Journaling Suggestions API will be available in a software update later this year.

Additional features in iOS 17

• Profiles in Safari Continue browsing – such as History, Cookies, Extensions, Tab Groups and Favorites – separately for topics such as work and personal topics. Private browsing is now locked when not in use and adds greater protection, both from trackers while the user is browsing and from people who may have access to the user’s device.

• To make it easier and safer Password and passkeys Sharing Users can share passwords with a group of trusted contacts. Since sharing is done through iCloud Keychain, it is end-to-end encrypted.

• the health The app introduces new mental health features. Users can record their daily moods and momentary emotions; Find out what might be contributing to their state of mind; And have easy access to depression and anxiety assessments often used in clinics, as well as resources available in their area. Additionally, increasing the distance from which a device is viewed can help children reduce their risk of developing nearsightedness and gives adult users the opportunity to reduce digital eye strain. Screen distance in Screen time It uses the TrueDepth camera to encourage users to move their device away after holding it closer than 12 inches from their face for an extended period of time.

• Apple music It adds in-car SharePlay support, allowing all passengers to easily control music directly from their own devices, even if they don’t have an Apple Music subscription. Crossfade seamlessly transitions between songs, and later this year, users will be able to collaborate on playlists in Apple Music, making listening to music with friends easier than ever.

• Broadcast It gets even better as iPhone uses on-device intelligence to learn user preferences, and later this year, it will add support for hotel TVs, allowing users to easily enjoy their favorite content on their TV while traveling.

• Airpods Get powerful new features, including Adaptive Audio, Custom Volume, and Conversation Awareness, that redefine the personal audio experience. Plus, improvements to automatic switching and call controls make using AirPods even easier.

• the house The app adds the ability for users to view up to 30 days of activity history across door locks, garage doors, alarm systems and contact sensors.¹ Additionally, two popular HomeKit lock features — tap to unlock and PIN codes — will be available for Matter-compatible locks, providing more ways to connect to home.² Grid Forecast is a new widget in the Home app that shows when a customer’s electrical grid has cleaner power sources, so they can plan when to charge or turn on appliances.³

• maps Adds offline maps, so users can download a specific area and access turn-by-turn navigation, see their estimated time of arrival, find places in maps, and more while offline. The Maps app also makes it easier than ever to discover thousands of trails in parks across the US, and supports EV drivers with real-time charging availability information.

• Air sign It can be shared with up to five other people, allowing friends and family to track an item in Find My. Everyone in the group will be able to see the location of the item, play audio, and use precise search to help locate the shared AirTag when it’s nearby. This also works with all other Find My network accessories.

• Grocery lists in Reminders Group automatically added items into relevant categories to make shopping easier. Users can change how items are grouped, and the list remembers their preferences.

• Visual search Now available in paused video frames. Users can upload single or multiple subjects from the background of photos and videos, and select foods, storefronts, signs and icons.

• Siri It can be activated by simply saying “Siri”. Once activated, users can issue multiple commands sequentially without having to reactivate the assistant.

• the pictures It uses on-device machine learning to recognize individual cats and dogs in a people album, just like friends or family members.

• Privacy Updates include expanding communications security beyond messages to help keep kids safe when sending and receiving content via AirDrop, contact stickers, and FaceTime message, and when using the photo picker to choose content to send. It also expands to include video content in addition to still images. The new feature, Sensitive Content Warning, helps adult users avoid seeing unwanted nude photos and videos. As with Communications Security, all image and video processing to flag sensitive content is done on the device, so Apple can’t access the content.

• the App Store The Today tab is updated to deliver the most dynamic and personalized app discovery experience yet. Users can discover more great apps, games, and in-app events with new personalized recommendations and original stories based on their interests and preferences, as well as organized, easy-to-navigate sections.

• Accessibility Updates include Assistive Access, a customizable interface that helps users with cognitive disabilities use iPhone more easily and independently; Live Speech, which gives non-speaking users the option to type and speak their words in person, or via phone and FaceTime calls; Personal Voice, which gives users at risk of speech loss the option to create a voice that sounds like their own; and Point and Speak, which helps blind or visually impaired users read text on physical objects by pointing.

Availability

iOS 17 is a free software update available starting today for iPhone Xs and later. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios-17. Some features may not be available in all regions, languages, or all iPhone models. For more information about availability, visit apple.com/ios/feature-availability.

1. The ability to view up to 30 days of activity history in the Home app is available for homes using the new Home architecture and a HomePod or Apple TV that acts as a home hub.
2. Click to unlock will become available for Matter-compatible locks later this year.
3. Network forecasts will be available in the contiguous United States.

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