Apple have announced iOS 17 which upgrades communication experiences through Phone, FaceTime, and Messages, makes AirDrop easier, and provides input improving speed and accuracy of typing, along with introducing Journal, and StandBy.

Craig Federighi, Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering said, “With iOS 17, we’ve made iPhone more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on every day. Phone, FaceTime, and Messages are central to how we communicate, and this release is packed with updates we think our users are going to love. We’ve also reimagined AirDrop with new ways to share, autocorrect gets even better, and we’re introducing all-new experiences with Journal and StandBy, plus so much more. We can’t wait for everyone to try it.”

Some major upgrades include personalised Contact Posters in Phone allowing users to customise how they appear, Live Voicemail which allows users to see real-time transcipts of voicemails, and the ability to answer while the voicemail is being left.

FaceTime can now support audio and video messages for someone not available, and now have Reactions, including hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, and more that are activated through simple gestures. FaceTime can also extend to bigger screen using Continuity Camera, and can begin a call from Apple TV. Centre Stage is a new feature that can be used for perfect framing.

Messages have gained new stickers, along with the ability to create Live Stickers, and add effects to bring them to life. There is also a new drawer in the keyboard to put all stickers in one place. An expandable menu has been added, a new catch-up arrow can indicate where a user last left a conversation, and users can reply by swiping a text bubble. The location will update in real time if the location is shared, and audio messages can be transcribed automatically.

Other additional features include the following:

  • Safari adds greater protection for Private Browsing, both from trackers as a user browses, and from people who might have access to a user’s device. Advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections go even further to help prevent websites from tracking or identifying a user’s device. Private Browsing now locks when not in use, allowing a user to keep tabs open even when stepping away from the device.
  • For easier and more secure password and passkeys sharing, users can share passwords with a group of trusted contacts. Everyone in the group can add and edit passwords to keep them up to date. Since sharing is through iCloud Keychain, it’s end-to-end encrypted.
  • The Health app offers new mental health features. Users can log their daily moods and momentary emotions; see what might be contributing to their state of mind; and easily access depression and anxiety assessments often used in clinics, plus resources available in their region.³ Additionally, increasing the distance the device is viewed from can help children lower their risk of myopia and gives adult users the opportunity to reduce digital eyestrain. Screen Distance in Screen Time uses the TrueDepth camera to encourage users to move their device farther away after holding it closer than 30 centimetres from their face for an extended period of time.
  • 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. Maps also makes it easier than ever to discover thousands of trails in parks across the United States.
  • AirTag can be shared with up to five other people, allowing friends and family to keep track of an item in Find My. Everyone in a group will be able to see an item’s location, play a sound, and use Precision Finding to help pinpoint the location of a shared AirTag when nearby. This also works with all other Find My network accessories.
  • Apple Music introduces Collaborative Playlists that make listening to music with friends easier than ever before, and SharePlay in the car allows all passengers to easily contribute to what’s playing.⁴ Listeners can control the music from their own devices, even if they don’t have an Apple Music subscription.
  • Sharing content using AirPlay is even easier with on-device intelligence now learning a user’s preferences. AirPlay will also work with supported televisions in hotels, allowing users to easily enjoy their favourite content on the TV when travelling. Built with a foundation of privacy and security, this capability will be available before the end of the year in select hotels, starting with brands from IHG Hotels & Resorts.
  • AirPods receive powerful new features, including Adaptive Audio, Personalised Volume, and Conversation Awareness, that redefine the personal audio experience. Plus, improvements to Automatic Switching and call controls make AirPods even easier to use.
  • The Home 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. Additionally, two popular HomeKit lock features — tap to unlock and PIN codes — are now available for Matter-compatible locks, providing even more ways to connect the home.
  • Reminders features a grocery list that automatically groups added items into categories to make shopping easier. Users can change how the items are grouped and the list remembers their preferences.

  • Visual Look Up is now available in paused video frames. Now users can identify food, storefronts, signs, and symbols, and lift individual subjects from photos and videos.
  • Siri can be activated by simply saying “Siri.” Once activated, users can issue multiple commands in succession without needing to reactivate the assistant.
  • In Photos, the People album uses on-device machine learning to recognise more photos of a user’s favourite people, as well as cats and dogs.
  • Privacy updates include the expansion of Communication Safety beyond Messages to help keep kids safe when sending and receiving content via AirDrop, Contact Posters, a FaceTime message, and when using the Photos picker to choose content to send. It also expands to cover video content in addition to still images. A new feature, Sensitive Content Warning, helps adult users avoid seeing unwanted nude images and videos. As with Communication Safety, all image and video processing for Sensitive Content Warning occurs on-device, so Apple does not get access to the content.
  • Accessibility updates include Assistive Access, a customisable interface that helps users with cognitive disabilities use iPhone with greater ease and independence; Live Speech, which gives nonspeaking users the option to type and have their words spoken in person, or on phone and FaceTime calls; Personal Voice, which gives users at risk of speech loss the option to create a voice that sounds like theirs; and Point and Speak, which helps users who are blind or have low vision read text on physical objects by pointing.

It is currently available for developer betas, and public betas will be available next month, with an official release expected for later this year.