iOS 17 Released: A More Personal & Intuitive OS

Published in

Loop Tech

11 min readSep 18, 2023

Apple is one of the best companies to rely on regarding software improvements for your mobile devices via software updates. We typically refer to iOS as Apple’s most used operating system, especially when referencing the iPhone. Every year, Apple consistently releases several major software updates for your iPhone and at least one generational update. The generational update is typically released alongside the next generation of iPhones Apple introduces each year. This year is no different, as we see the official release of iOS 17 being brought to the public via an OTA (Over-the-Air) update. We are, however, seeing that more new features are being brought to older devices via software vs. being held for Apple’s newest hardware, something that we haven’t always seen in the past with iOS 16 and 15. With that said, let’s get into what new features you can expect from iOS 17 and how you can best utilize them to improve your user experience on your iPhone.

Check out what I believe to be the Top 5 iPhone Features! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTDHMl-r5jE

Disclaimer: Features referenced in this article may not be fully compatible with your device. If you find they do not work and you have an older device, you may need to upgrade your hardware to utilize some of the more advanced features of iOS 17. Also, some new features that Apple may advertise now or in the near future may reference device-specific features that are locked to the newest iPhone 15 lineup. This article will not reference those device-specific features for the iPhone 15 lineup.

At the time of writing this article, iOS 17 has been officially released by Apple. Below is a list of previous generation devices that are fully compatible with this newest version of iOS from Apple, and these devices will be eligible for the OTA update delivered via Apple’s software update servers. To manually check for this new update, unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app. Go to the “General” menu option and proceed to the “Software Update” menu. Here, you will see the latest software update available for your specific device, and if your device is compatible, you will see iOS 17 as an option for installation.

iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

Before updating your device, I strongly suggest that you back up your device to your personal computer or utilize the iCloud backup feature via the iCloud menu in the Settings app.

When iOS 17 is installed, here are some of the newest features you can expect to experience when using your iPhone:

Live Voicemail

Sometimes, when we receive a call, we can’t pick up the phone right away or would like to know what the call is regarding before wanting to pick up the phone. Before iOS 17, it was impossible to gauge the latter without picking up the phone and fully engaging in the phone call. Now, in iOS 17, we have a new feature called Live Voicemail! This new feature provides a live transcript of what the caller on the other end is saying via the voicemail menu after a call is placed. When you see this live transcript, you can still pick up the phone call while your caller leaves a voice message or disregard the call notification altogether.

I found this feature to be most helpful as it allowed me the option to get a bit more context as to the nature of the call and allowed me the option to either pick up the call or allow the user to leave a voice message that I could follow up on. I often used this feature over the past few months when in meetings or on bike rides. Were calls really that important for me to step out of a meeting or stop in the middle of a bike ride? Live Voicemail gave me the answer and allowed me to make that decision and pick up a call should it have been an emergency or an important matter that needed to be handled immediately.

Messages App

The Messages App in iOS 17 has been completely revamped to provide users with a more dynamic experience, allowing for faster, more efficient, and more enjoyable communication with their contacts. The search function of the Messages app has been completely overhauled to give you a much more detailed view of what you are searching for, and you can now apply filters for your search, saving you the headache of having to look through multiple message threads to find what you are looking for. You can also use the new Stickers feature to create live stickers from your photos or save your favorite stickers for your iMessage conversations or other app experiences elsewhere in the iOS 17 user experience. Those new Message features are great, but there are even more that I enjoyed using for the past few months, which I believe take your user experience to the next level!

Check-in is a Message app-specific feature that allows you to set up a notification for someone in your contacts, alerting them that you have arrived at your destination. Think of it like the new live feature from Uber that you can share with friends and family, giving them the peace of mind of where you are and when you reach your destination. You can use this feature as a short-term FindMy solution for your friends and family, or you can use it as an added tracking point for those who already have your location through the FindMy app. The intuitive characteristic of this feature is that if you stop progressing towards your destination, your phone will check in with you. If you don’t respond, it will share helpful information with those who have your Check-in, such as your current location, battery level, and cell service status. This makes the new Check-in feature a fantastic safety feature for users of iOS 17, and it would be highly recommended for use with children, spouses, or even close friends who might be traveling in unfamiliar areas or with unfamiliar people.

Audio Message transcriptions is another new message feature you don’t want to sleep on in the messages app. For me personally, this is a feature that I didn’t even know I needed. To be honest, I didn’t even think about it until now. I have always been used to holding up an audio message I might receive to my ear when in quiet environments or flat-out having to wait until I reach a private place. Now, I can get a transcription of whatever audio message is sent to me that I can quickly read and listen to when able. This is the same concept as voicemail transcriptions that we’ve had for years, but now it’s being brought to iMessage, allowing us to visualize those audio messages we might receive.

AirDrop

AirDrop has been a feature we’ve had for quite some time on the iOS platform. It allows you to send and receive documents, pictures, and other file types to/from other users with Apple devices. This year, Apple is enhancing this handy tool within iOS and allowing us to share contact information when tapping our iPhone to another user’s iPhone. This feature is called NameDrop, and you can customize this feature to share only the names, numbers, emails, and other contact information that you want to share when using this feature with others. In a world where business cards are becoming obsolete and repeating numbers and names to people gets annoying when sharing contact information, NameDrop makes it so much easier to share contact cards with others by just tapping your phones together. In addition to NameDrop, you can also use the tap functionality to share other items, such as documents, photos, files, and websites, with nearby individuals. This will make for a much more seamless AirDrop sharing experience, and Apple also plans to bring AirDrop file transfers over the internet “later this year.”

Maps

The new Maps app in iOS 17 brings a new feature we’ve sought for years. That new feature is Offline Maps, allowing users to download specific areas of a map to be used when data or cell service isn’t available. I spend quite a bit of time in the mountains on the weekends or sometimes, even during the week, and find myself without cell services for specific stretches of road. In those situations, I sometimes want to navigate to a particular destination, and I find myself waiting several minutes for a map to load or eventually give up and wait until I reach a place with cell service. Now, with Offline Maps, I can download specific map areas that I use or know I will be using and can utilize those offline maps to navigate to where I want to go without using cell service. Not only can I get simple directions, but I can also get turn-by-turn directions for driving, cycling, or even walking!

Another fantastic addition to the Maps app is adding electric charging station networks as destinations. As I own an electric car, I find this feature to be most helpful in mapping out my stops when I’m using my iPhone for navigation and accessing real-time charging station availability for when I need to stop to charge. This new feature will make charging stops a breeze for those who drive an electric car using CarPlay or their iPhone as a navigation device.

StandBy

We don’t need to have our phones in hand at all times, but sometimes, it’s nice to take a peek at what’s on screen that’s important to us. StandBy is a new feature that will allow us to set our phones down but still get notifications and essential device information when needed. StandBy is activated when your phone is charging and in a horizontal position. Think of it as an excellent nightstand feature or wireless charging stand feature, allowing you to still access Live Activities, photo albums, music controls, and other cool features of iOS without having to unlock your device. When using this feature, I used it primarily as a nightstand tool to have time, date, and weather information for when I woke up. I also found it useful for a workplace tool to reference the time and to-do tasks that needed to be completed before the end of the day. Overall, I see StandBy as a feature that encourages us to set our phones down yet still gives us access to pertinent information we may need to reference when working or waking up from sleeping. As of today, App developers haven’t released official widgets to be published for this new feature, but be on the lookout for some of your favorite apps to develop widgets for this new StandBy feature, allowing you more customization options on what you can see on your StandBy screen.

FaceTime

Voicemails or “video-mails” are now a thing! You can now leave a video or audio message to whoever missed your FaceTime call. This is an excellent new way to communicate for those who utilize the FaceTime app regularly and want to send video messages as a substitute for when someone cannot pick up your FaceTime call. You can use Facetime-specific video features such as Portrait Mode, Studio Light, and Live Emoji when recording these videos. Should the receiver have an Apple Watch, they can view this message on their wrist instead of opening up their phone. This feature has been highly requested for quite some time now, and it’s nice to see Apple bringing it to iOS 17!

Another cool FaceTime feature that I’ve found helpful is FaceTime on AppleTV. You can now hand off FaceTime calls from your iPhone to your Apple TV or start a FaceTime call directly from your Apple TV device. This allows you to communicate in “full screen” viewing utilizing your much larger TV screen paired with the cameras on your iPhone. In my opinion, this would be great for when a group of people get together and want to place a FaceTime call; that way, they can all see the individual(s) on the other end of the call.

Keyboard

When I first read about the keyboard “improvements,” I was intrigued because Apple claimed that not only would Auto-Correct be more accurate, based on my typing mannerisms, but I would also have better and faster text predictions inline as I was texting. After utilizing this new keyboard experience in my daily workflow for the past four months, I can confirm that Auto-Correct is significantly less annoying because it’s way more accurate, and inline text predictions positively affect my typing experience. I also noticed that loading different keyboards or keyboard plugins works a bit more seamlessly because there is less noticeable lag when switching keyboards.

Now, I could go on and on about each new feature, how it works, and how I have used it in my personal experience. I assure you that would be a significantly long read. Instead, I’ll give you a list of the new features that Apple has featured in iOS 17, and you can go through the list when you update. The above features are simply my most noticed features when using iOS 17 and ones that I could provide a detailed experience in using. Several more essential features are found in iOS 17, and I highly encourage you to try them all!

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