Terrific customization, impressive refinements, and enhanced security features
Apple’s iOS 17 is a feature-packed update to Cuperinto’s mobile operating system, but don’t expect revolutionary changes to your iPhone. Instead, iOS 17 offers numerous convenient changes, big and small. Significant additions, like a new Standby mode and customizable Contact Posters, steal the show. However, AirDrop, Messages, Notes, Safari, voicemail, security, and numerous other features get notable enhancements that result in an impressively polished, useful, and entertaining iPhone experience. For its many improvements, iOS 17 earns our Editors’ Choice award for mobile operating systems.What iPhones Can Run Apple iOS 17?
As with previous iOS releases, some older iPhones are incompatible with the latest version of the operating system. With iOS 17, iPhone X and older devices are left out in the cold (though they’ll still receive iOS 16 updates). If you want to download iOS 17, you must own an iPhone XR, XS, SE (second generation or later), or newer handset. Check out our story on how to get iOS 17 for download instructions.Major New Features in iOS 17
iOS 17 has many substantial features that offer fresh ways to customize and use your iPhone. We’ll explore the biggest new additions here, starting with Standby.
Standby is a cool new mode that your iPhone enters when you place it horizontally on a dock or stand. Think of it as a « nightstand mode. » In Standby, the screen displays several useful widgets, including music, weather, stocks, and multiple clock and calendar displays. Swiping left on the display launches Photos.
Standby also detects light in your room, adjusting the iPhone’s screen. If it’s dark, Standby’s usually white widgets adopt a soft, red color scheme. The glowing red font and dark screen make for a fantastic bedside display. In addition, you can set your iPhone to detect motion and automatically activate the display. You can disable Standby in Settings, but it’s such a convenient new feature that you likely won’t want to go without it.
With the iOS 17.1 update, Standby now lets you adjust when the display turns off—a feature available on iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. You can set the display to turn off automatically, after 20 seconds, or never. In Automatic mode, the display powers down when your room is dark and the iPhone isn’t in use. It’s a useful option, especially if you find your iPhone’s glowing clock face distracting.
Contact Posters is a new feature that lets you customize your contact card. This lets you tweak the contact photo, color scheme, and font style you want to appear when calling other people. Although relatively simple, customizing a contact card is extremely satisfying. You can never have too much personalization.
Widgets are now dynamic, so you can interact with apps without opening them. Widgets have been a core feature on Android phones for years, so it’s nice to see Apple competing in the same field. With iOS 17’s widgets, you can finally play and pause Apple Music or other media straight from the home screen.
If you have a favorite contact saved as a widget, you can call or message that person from there instead of opening the Contacts or Phone apps. These are great additions, but not all widgets have this level of interactivity; Contacts, Home, Music, News, Podcasts, and Safari are the current handful that offer this level of functionality. That said, we can expect more first and third-party widgets to follow suit now that iOS 17 is widely available.
Overall, customization in iOS 17 has improved this year, though there are still a few shortcomings we would like to see addressed. For instance, the unique multilayered Lock Screen photo effect introduced in iOS 16 is still somewhat finicky and doesn’t work with as many photos as we would like. Likewise, the dynamic Widgets are an awesome new addition, but they’re only usable on the home screen. This limitation keeps your iPhone’s presentation slick and stylish, but at the cost of some functionality. Sharing Is Caring
With iOS 17, you can share files, contacts, or photos via AirDrop by bringing your iPhone near another iPhone. Previously, you had to select the media you wanted to share, and then the device you wanted to share it to (Android 14 has similar functionality with Nearby Share). The functionality is much improved in iOS 17, as it doesn’t require you to open a menu to search for devices. You simply tap your iPhone with another iPhone—or lay them on top of one another—to initiate a file transfer.
