Top 10 iOS 17 Features

Apple unveiled iOS 17 at WWDC 2023 and with iOS 17 releasing today (September 18, 2023), here are the top 10 iOS 17 features.

1) Standby Mode:

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In iOS 17, there's a new charging mode that transforms your iPhone into a smart display when it's plugged in. This mode provides a full-screen view with quick information like the date, time, incoming calls, and notifications. Essentially, it makes your iPhone more useful when it's charging and not actively in use.

With iOS 17 StandBy mode, you can customize what appears on the screen. You can display your favorite photos, widgets, Live Activities, Smart Stack, and more. This means you can check things like sports scores and weather updates.

2) NameDrop:

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It is a new Airdrop feature that makes it super easy to share your contact info with new people you meet at events, conferences or parties. All you have to do is bring your iPhones close to each other, and you can quickly swap phone numbers, email addresses, and even posters without typing anything in manually.

NameDrop also works between an iPhone and an Apple Watch. If two people have iPhones, they can bring them close to each other to share stuff or even start watching a movie or playing a game together using SharePlay. And if you accidentally move too far away while sharing, iOS 17 will use the internet to finish the transfer.

3) Contact Posters:

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Contacts Poster in iOS 17 allows you to add emojis or pictures to your contact card to express yourself to certain contacts in a fun way. When you call someone, your special contact poster with emojis or images will take up the whole screen on their iPhone.

This feature in iOS 17 looks similar to the design of the lock screen in iOS 16, so you can make your contact posters look unique by picking colors, fonts, and other fun stuff. It's a cool way to make your calls more personal and expressive.

4) Live Voicemail:

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With this feature when someone leaves you a voicemail, you can see what they're saying in text right away as they speak. This happens on your device, and it's super secure, so your privacy is safe.

This feature is handy, especially when you're in an important meeting. You can quickly decide whether to answer the call or not based on the text of the voicemail. It's all about making things easier for you.

5) New iMessage app:

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iOS 17 brings some cool updates to the Messages app. The app looks more modern, and there's a handy menu that expands when you tap it. This menu makes it easy to access iMessage apps, and you can even rearrange or get rid of them if you want to keep things neat.

Searching for stuff in your messages is also simpler with Search Filters. You just type the name of the person you're looking for and your question, and the Messages app will find what you need quickly.

Another new feature in iMessage is Catch Up. It helps you see the latest messages you haven't read in a chat. When you open a chat with unread messages, you'll see an arrow pointing to the last unread message, so you can easily catch up on the conversation.

6) Check In:

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Check In is a handy iMessage feature that lets you share your current location and how you're doing with your family and friends. It can even let your family know when you've safely reached your destination, which can relieve a lot of worry. Plus, it can tell them if your cell service is good or if your phone's battery is running low. This is especially helpful when you're traveling in the early morning or late at night. So, with the iMessage check-in feature on your iPhone

7) Facetime audio and video messages:

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When someone missed your facetime call they could only see a notification of the missed call but now you can record and leave a custom audio or video message if someone doesn’t pick up your FaceTime call. You can also add some fun to your FaceTime calls by using reactions like hearts, balloons, and fireworks to express yourself.

A significant FaceTime improvement is that it now works with Apple 4K TV. This means you can use FaceTime on your big home TV screen. You can start a FaceTime call right from your Apple TV 4K, or you can begin on your iPhone and then switch to your TV.

8) Siri:

In iOS 17, you can call Siri by just saying "Siri" instead of "Hey Siri." This makes it faster to activate Siri compared to older iOS versions. Plus, Siri in iOS 17 can understand multiple commands in a row without needing you to pause in between. It's all about making your interactions with Siri smoother and quicker.

9) Interactive Widgets:

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In iOS 17, you can interact with widgets without being redirected to the related app. For instance, you can play music or control your lights directly from the widget. This makes it more convenient and efficient to use these features

Interactive widgets are available on the iPhone across the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and the new StandBy mode.

10) New Journal app:

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iOS 17 will introduce a new iPhone app called Journal later this year. This app helps you focus on the good things in your life and appreciate the small moments. It uses your phone's smarts to suggest moments you might want to write about in your journal.

You'll get personalized suggestions based on what you've been up to recently, like your activities, photos, workouts, and places you've visited. And don't worry, you can lock the app to keep your entries private. Journal is super safe because it uses your phone's processing power and encryption to make sure your thoughts and memories stay just for your eyes – not even Apple can peek at them.

iOS 17 Supported devices:

These are the devices which are compatible with iOS 17.

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