September 18, 2023
Update
iOS 17 is available today.
iOS 17 makes iPhone more personal and intuitive with major updates to communication apps. Standby, a new way to experience your iPhone while it’s charging; Easy sharing with AirDrop; And smarter input that improves typing speed and accuracy. iOS 17 is available today as a free software update.
Incoming calls will get a big improvement
The Phone app is essential to the iPhone experience, and it receives a major update that makes important calls more prominent. Personalized contact posters give users a new way to express themselves by customizing how they appear when calling known contacts, including third-party calling apps. Contact posters can be personalized with beautiful treatments for photos, emojis and eye-catching typography and font colors.
Live Voicemail provides a real-time recording of someone leaving a voice message, and allows users to pick up their message as the caller leaves it. Powered by Neural Engine, live voicemail transcription is hosted on the device and remains private. By enabling Unknown Caller Mute, unknown numbers are automatically forwarded to direct voicemail, and calls deemed spam by carriers are automatically rejected.
New ways to enjoy FaceTime
Users can now leave a video or voice message on FaceTime to capture 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 laser beams that can be activated with simple gestures, and also with supported third-party video conferencing apps, such as Zoom and Webex by Cisco.
FaceTime now features an incredible 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 their iPhone and hand it to Apple TV, or start a FaceTime call directly from their Apple TV. With Center Stage, users stay perfectly positioned even as they move around the room.
More ways to stay connected with messages
Messages adds new features that make it easier to use and more fun when connecting with the people who matter most.
With search filters, the search will be more powerful and accurate; Voicemails are automatically transcribed for users to read instantly or listen to later; Responding inline is as easy as swiping on a text bubble; And the new expandable menu provides easy access to all iMessage apps, giving messages a sleeker look.
Users now have another way to customize their messages with new stickers that add the ability to create live stickers by taking subjects from photos. Interesting effects can be added to stickers, bringing them to life and giving users a way to be creative.
Check in, a useful feature built into Messages allows users to notify a family member or friend when they arrive safely at their destination. Once a user logs in, their contact will be notified immediately upon arrival. Important information such as device location, battery level, and cell service status are temporarily shared with the designated contact in a secure and confidential manner if they do not make updates to their destination.
Standby makes it more useful when the iPhone is charging
StandBy is a new full-screen experience with at-a-glance information that can be viewed from a distance while the iPhone is by its side and charging. StandBy is perfect on a desk, nightstand or kitchen counter, and can be personalized to display a variety of clock styles, favorite photos or gadgets, including the Smart Stack, to display the right gadgets at the right time. StandBy also displays full-screen live activities, Siri results, incoming calls, and large announcements. With the always-on display, StandBy stays on to show important information, and in night mode, StandBy adapts to low light, so clocks, photos and gadgets have a beautiful red tone. When using a MagSafe charger, StandBy remembers the user’s preferred view for that MagSafe charging dock.
Easy sharing with AirDrop and NameDrop
AirDrop makes sharing with friends, family and colleagues easier than ever. NameDrop, a new AirDrop feature, allows users to easily share their contact information, including their contact poster, by grouping their iPhone devices together. With the same gesture, users can share content or launch SharePlay to listen to music, watch a movie or play a game while nearby. And later this year, AirDrop will add the ability to continue transfers over the Internet when a user leaves AirDrop range.
General updates autocorrect and glossary
Autocorrect receives a comprehensive update with the new Transformer Language Model, the most advanced on-device machine language model for word prediction – improving user experience and accuracy every time you type. Sentence-level auto-correctors can fix more grammatical errors, and the redesigned design better supports typing by temporarily underlining corrected words and letting users undo them with a tap. In-line predictive text helps complete sentences faster, while Dictation’s new speech recognition model delivers improved accuracy.
Reflecting on life’s moments with a journal
Journal is a new iPhone app that helps users reflect on everyday situations and special events in their lives. Personalized suggestions can be intelligently generated from the user’s recent activity, such as photos, people, places, sports activities and more, to prompt the user’s journal entry, and scheduled notifications help build a journaling habit. With the ability to lock the app, on-device processing, and end-to-end encryption, Journal is built to protect user privacy and ensure that no one — including Apple — can access user entries. With the new Journal Recommendations API, developers can add journal recommendations to their apps. The Journal app and Journal Suggestions API will be available in a software update later this year.
More features in iOS 17
- Profiles in Safari Keep browsing – separate for topics like history, cookies, extensions, tab groups and favorites – like work and personal. Private Browsing now locks when not in use and adds even more protection, as you browse, from followers and people who have access to the user’s device.
- For easier and more secure Password and passkeys Sharing, users can share passwords with a group of trusted contacts. Sharing is through iCloud Keychain, so it’s end-to-end encrypted.
- of Health App offers new mental health features. Users can record their daily mood and momentary mood; See what can contribute to their state of mind; And they often have easy access to depression and anxiety assessments used in clinics and resources in their region. In addition, increasing the viewing distance of the device allows children to reduce the risk of myopia and for adult users to reduce digital eye loss. Screen distance in Screen time It uses the TrueDepth camera to encourage users to move their device closer than 12 inches in front of them.
- Apple Music It adds in-car SharePlay support, allowing all passengers to easily control music 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.
- AirPlay iPhone will get better at using on-device data to learn about user preferences, and later this year it will add support for TVs in hotels, allowing users to easily enjoy their favorite content on TV while traveling.
- AirPods Embrace powerful new features, including adaptive audio, personalized voice and conversational awareness, that will redefine the personal audio experience. Additionally, improvements to auto-switching and call controls make AirPods easier to use.
- of at home The app adds the ability for users to view up to 30 days of activity history on door locks, garage doors, alarm systems and contact sensors.1 Additionally, two popular HomeKit lock features – tap to unlock and PIN codes – are available for Matter-compatible locks, providing more ways to connect the home.2 Grid Forecast is a new tool in the Home app that shows when a customer’s electrical grid has clean energy sources, so you can plan when to charge devices or run appliances.3
- Maps It adds offline maps, so users can download a specific location and access turn-by-turn navigation, view their destination estimates, find locations in maps, and more offline. Maps makes it easier than ever to find thousands of trails in parks across the United States, and supports electric vehicle drivers with real-time charging availability information.
- Ertag It can be shared with up to five other people, allowing friends and family to track an item in Find My. Everyone in a group can see an item’s location, play a sound, and use precision tracking to help determine where a shared Earthtag is nearby. This also works with all other network accessories.
- Grocery details at Reminders Automatically group added items into related categories to make shopping easier. Users can change how items are sorted, and the list remembers their preferences.
- Look up It is currently available in still video frames. Users can capture individual or multiple subjects from the background of photos and videos and identify food, storefronts, signs and symbols.
- Siri It can be activated simply by saying “Siri”. Once enabled, users can issue multiple commands in succession without having to re-enable the assistant.
- Photos It uses on-device machine learning to identify individual cats and dogs in people’s albums, just like friends or family members.
- Privacy Updates include expanding communication security beyond messages to help keep kids safe when sending and receiving content with AirDrop, including contact posters, FaceTime messaging, and selecting content to send using the Photos selector. It will also expand to cover video content in addition to portraits. A new feature, Sensitive Content Warning, helps prevent adult users from viewing unwanted nude images and videos. As with communications security, all image and video processing occurs on the device with a warning for sensitive content, so Apple won’t access the content.
- of App store The Today tab will be updated to provide the most flexible and personalized app discovery experience. Users can discover more great apps, games, and in-app events based on their needs and preferences with newly curated recommendations and original stories, as well as helpfully curated and easy-to-navigate sections.
- Accessibility Updates include Assistive Access, a customizable interface that helps users with cognitive impairments use iPhone with greater comfort and independence. Live Speech gives non-speaking users the ability to type and speak their words in person or over phone and FaceTime calls. Personal Voice, which allows users at risk of speech loss to create a voice that sounds like them; and Point and Speak, which helps users who are blind or have low vision to read text on physical objects by pointing.
Availability
iOS 17 is a software update available starting today for iPhone X 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.
- The ability to view up to 30 days of activity history in the Home app is available for homes with the new Home architecture and running a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub.
- Tap to Unlock will be available with Matter-compatible locks later this year.
- The grid forecast is available in the United States.
Press the contacts
Nadine Hajja
Apple
nhaija@apple.com
Tanya Olkova
Apple
tolkhovaya@apple.com
Apple Media Helpline
media.help@apple.com
