There’s a lot that’s new in iOS 17 but these are the seven things that will really improve how you use and enjoy your iPhone
Apple is about to release iOS 17 alongside the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro phones, but the best thing about iOS 17 is your iPhone will probably get it, too.
New versions of iOS tend to support iPhones from the previous four or five years, meaning if you have an iPhone XR or later you will be able to download iOS 17 and take advantage of all its cool new features – hardware permitting. The oldest phones may not get every last feature, even if they can get the update.
But aside from the Dynamic Island, a feature on the iPhone 14 Pro which Apple and developers have yet to truly make essential in my opinion, older iPhones will get a huge glow up from the new software version.
I’ve been playing around with the public beta version of iOS 17 on my main iPhone (shock, horror!) and at this stage it’s very stable. It doesn’t make me feel like I’ve got a brand new phone, but it runs well on my iPhone 14 Plus (no surprise!) and has added some of the best and most thoughtful new iOS features I’ve seen in a while.
Most are quality of life improvements, but some are playful enough to remind me that Apple used to make bright blue iMacs with handles and mice that looked like Day-Glo hockey pucks.
I like Android just as much as I like iOS, but after using the cool new tricks in iOS 17 I can glimpse anew into Apple’s beautiful walled garden; both the ease at which you can enter, and the difficulty of trying to leave once all the conveniences pile up.
Here are the seven best new features you’ll be able to get soon in iOS 17.1. Leave a FaceTime message
FaceTime is the best way to video call people with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, but if your recipient didn’t pick up, that used to be that. No more – you can now leave a message.
Yes, Apple misses voicemail, even though you certainly don’t. In iOS 17 you can leave a FaceTime message if the person you’re calling doesn’t answer.
This can be an audio or video message that when left appears in the recipient’s Recent list in the Phone and FaceTime apps. These messages can even be played back on an Apple Watch.
It’s a thoughtful addition by Apple, which as ever is looking to take a technology we used to all use in voicemail and make it more accessible, integrated, and useful in 2023 and beyond.
Also added in iOS 17 is the similar Live Voicemail, which displays the text of the message being left on your screen along with the contact picture, so you can decide if you want to pick up or not. A feature tailor made for millennials.2. Interactive widgets
Before you say, “Android did it first!”, I know. It did, and it did it well. But it’s still great to see interactive widgets on iOS 17.
