iPhone and iPad users round the world typically anticipate Apple’s iOS updates with eagerness, excited to see what their devices can do next. The newest major upcoming release will be for iOS 17. With their updated Operating System, Apple is set to introduce a host of exciting new features and improvements this fall.

Based on early reports, iOS 17 promises to deliver an even more intuitive and seamless user experience. There will also be big changes for Messages and sharing across phones.

So, let’s explore the latest innovations that Apple has in store for its users.

Instant Transcript of Voicemails

Just how excited do you get when you see you have a new voice mail? At this point, the answer tends to be ‘not very’ or ‘so-so,’ because going in and retrieving voice mails is inconvenient. With a system that lets you read them almost the moment they come in, it’s much easier.

With iOS 17, when you get a voicemail, you’ll see a transcript of the message on your screen. No more guesswork! What we’re waiting to see is how good the voice transcription will be. Often you must go back and listen to make full sense of the message – especially with some of the unique company names these days.

Personalized Contact Posters

Do you hate the picture of you that comes up every time you call someone?  You’ll now have power over how you look when you call others.

Apple is introducing personalized Contact Posters. You can customize how you’ll look when calling people with whom you’ve shared your poster. You can appear as your photo, a Memoji, and more. You can also add text and colors.

Leave a Video or Audio FaceTime Message

When you call someone on FaceTime and they’re not there, you’ll have better options. Instead of just leaving a missed call. FaceTime will support audio and video messages, like enhanced voicemails.

Now, even if the person doesn’t pick up, you can share an exciting visual in the moment by leaving it for them to watch later.

Even More FaceTime Enhancements – Reactions & Apple TV

Another cool enhancement coming to FaceTime are more expressive reactions. Some of the new ways to express yourself include:

Hearts

Balloons

Fireworks

Laser beams

Rain

and more

A FaceTime call can now also connect with AppleTV, so you can see friends and associates right from your large-screen television, as big as ever.

Stickers

You’re going to love this next feature if you’re a fan of stickers in messages, because they will be getting a big sticker enhancement in iOS 17, including new emoji stickers. You’ll also be able to create Live Stickers from subjects in photos.

You can also liven stickers up with effects. A sticker drawer is also going to be handily available to organize and store them all.

NameDrop & AirDrop for Easier Sharing

NameDrop will give you a quick way to share contact details. All you need to do is bring two iPhones together. It also works with an iPhone and Apple Watch. Music is included in the sharing, and NameDrop is also how you’ll share that cool new Contact Poster you made.

With AirDrop you can share files from one phone to another In just seconds.

Autocorrect & Dictation Just Got Smarter

Don’t you hate an autocorrect choice that makes you look like an idiot? Apple feels your pain and is introducing smarter autocorrection. This feature will get a machine learning language model upgrade. The update will help it predict text better to learn what you really meant to type.

Dictation will use a new speech recognition model to improve its accuracy, but as with the Voice Mail transcription, keep an eye on it until you’re comfortable that it’s relaying exactly what you said.

StandBy Screen Mode at a Glance

Even when your iPhone is charging across the room, the new StandBy feature gives users a full-screen experience with information shown big on the screen.

You can personalize the display with a full range of helpful views:

Clock styles

Favorite photos

Widgets (including Smart Stacks)

Live Activities

Siri

Incoming Calls

The Health App Now Has New Mental Health Features

The introduction of more mental health features into the health app enables users to log daily moods and momentary emotions. The goal is to help people see what contributes to their state of mind as well as easily accessed depression and anxiety assessments used in clinics.

Screen Distance in Screen Time will also assist with digital eyestrain. It will encourage a user to move their device farther away from their face. It will do this if users have held their phone closer than 12 inches over a certain period of time. It’s the iPhone equivalent of your mom telling you not to sit so close to the TV when you were a child.

The question is: will these improvements help make users into constantly self-examining mental hypochondriacs? A wise person once said, “Too much introspection is not healthy."

Frequently Asked Questions

What phones support iOS 17?

It's easier to list which iPhone models won't run the new iOS 17. Aside from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7, for which Apple already stopped providing feature upgrades with the release of iOS 16 last year, there are now three more iPhone models that won't run Apple's latest mobile operating system: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

Which iPhones are no longer supported in 2023?

iPhone 8 (Plus)

iPhone SE (1st generation)

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

iPhone 6(S) and 6(S) Plus

iPhone 5, 5S, and 5C

iPhone 4 and 4S

Older models

What is the difference between voicemail and voice message?

Perhaps the biggest difference between voicemail and voice messaging is one of intent. Voicemail is reactive – it’s the message you leave when someone doesn’t pick up the phone. Voicemail is an afterthought when a live conversation cannot be had.

On the other hand, Voice messaging is proactive. You are not dependent on the other party picking up the phone. Voice messaging is done with intent, just like texting. You know what you want to say or the information you want to ask for, so you send a note to the other person (or group of people) and wait for their reply. Not only does this give people way more freedom to think on things before responding, but voice messaging is also more inclusive for people who have different work styles or any disability that makes navigating the voicemail process more difficult than it already is.

Do mental health apps actually work?

According to an article published by Berkeley University in August: “Evidence of their efficacy is generally lacking. Some apps make ambitious claims regarding their effectiveness and refer to studies that supposedly support their benefits. In many cases, these claims are based on less-than-robust findings.”

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Get Help with Smartphone Tutoring, Security & More

iOS 17 is shaping up to be an exciting update for Apple users. It offers a range of new features and enhancements. Even more than we could fit into this article.

If you’re looking for help learning how to use your phone's features or enhancing security, give us a call.  We can improve your experience with one of the most important pieces of tech people use today. Their smartphone.

Give us a call, and let’s chat. It’s also a great opportunity to take advantage of our FREE network and Cybersecurity risk assessment.

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