Tech Tip – iOS 17 Exciting New Features Coming Soon
September is Apple iPhone month, and with that also comes the new operating system, iOS 17. Apple introduced key features in June during their World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) and showed off what these might look like for uses. Since then, developer and public betas have been available to begin testing and using the new features. A fair amount of information is available in articles or videos on YouTube to get previews if you’re interested.
Like most others, I am waiting until the final release, primarily due to limitations with work devices. I am cautious about having different operating systems on my various devices in case they do not work well together. But that hasn’t stopped me from looking forward to what is coming and reading or watching the aforementioned articles and videos.
So, what am I looking forward to most? There are a few standout features that I believe will be valuable for most uses when the new iOS becomes available later this month.
Standby Mode
Standby mode is a new feature that allows your phone to do new things when on a MagSafe charger in landscape mode. The value of this comes in two varieties. At night, I’d call this nightstand mode, allowing the clock to be visible and serve as a modern version of the bedside table alarm clock. The nice thing about this feature in this mode is that it uses an eye-friendly red color to reduce light emittance in the room and not to be a distraction. And it only activates when it senses motion around it. When you’re asleep, so is it. When you’re reaching for a sip of water and wondering what time it is, it’ll wake up and show you the time. Nice.
The other use I see for this is on the desk throughout the day. Not only can you keep your phone charged, but you can get a quick glimpse of what is happening. You can set up widgets to show your calendar, upcoming tasks, and the time. This only improves as third-party developers introduce their applications and widgets for this mode. It just feels so handy to be working on the computer, and glance over and see your next appointment, your next task, or a quick view of the time. You can quickly see what is happening whether you are always at your desk or have this on your desk when you swing by the office while on the sales floor.
Better Predictive Text and Autocorrect
The standout example for this was the autocorrect of a certain “bad” word to “ducking.” Now, it’ll learn that “ducking” may be your desired word. Hopefully, it goes beyond that. From what I’ve read and seen in videos, it will be significantly better. Apple boasts that this is part of their machine learning capabilities in action. Apple does not use AI as a term; rather, they talk about what can be done on device to protect your privacy.
If you’re like me, sometimes typing on the phone is rage-inducing. It is a wonder my phones have survived with some of the silly changes and autocorrects I end up with daily. I am eagerly awaiting this change for sure. Time will tell if it is as advertised. Fingers crossed.
Interactive Widgets
Apple introduced widgets in previous versions of iOS and iPadOS. But the use was limited since pressing on a widget would only take you to the app, not allowing you to do anything directly with the widget itself. Now, you’ll be able to see a task (for example) on a widget for your task manager and be able to mark it as complete right from the widget. No extra clicks, no additional steps, just a tap, and you’re done.
This should be handy for a multitude of applications. Immediate actions from the Home app to turn on/off lights, direct steps in Shortcuts, and I am sure there will be many more as developers update their widgets for their applications to use this new functionality.
Airdrop Improvements
If you are a big user of Airdrop in iOS, the ability to quickly transfer a file to another Apple user, then you’ll love these improvements. The most significant change is that you can start via AirDrop and complete via WiFi. So, if you begin a transfer and you end up having to step away from the person you were sharing with, you can, and the file transfer will continue via WiFi. This will make it much easier to begin that process and move on without waiting for large files to move to another person’s phone.
This also enables new features for contact sharing and what data moves from your phone to theirs. Again, this may have limited use cases, but this will be a huge time saver for both functions in many instances.
Live Voicemail and Video Messages
Remember the days when you could screen a message and decide whether you wanted to answer or not? That option went away with cell phones and voice messaging. Now it’s back. Apple will allow you to see a voice message being transcribed in real-time. You’ll know who called what the message is about and still have time to connect to the live call. I imagine this will startle plenty of people when it gets used later this fall.
In addition, you can now leave a video message for someone. Instead of the somewhat impersonal voice message, you can now show your face and emotions to those you’re leaving a message for. This may not be an every time process (certainly not for me), but for specific situations, I love the idea that I could share a video message, not just a voice message.
Offline Maps
Apple’s Maps have come a long way in the last several years. I generally use this as my default maps and guidance application now, and this new feature only enhances it. The ability to download certain areas for maps to be stored locally on the device and not rely on a cell connection is great. If you’re traveling to an unfamiliar place or someplace you know has poor cell service, having your map still be able to function is a must. Now, you can ensure you’re never without directions or a view of where you’re trying to go.
Those are certainly not all the new features in iOS 17, but those are some of the key highlights. I look forward to trying the final release versions and loading them onto all my devices. I’ll look closer at how we can put these new features, especially for iPadOS 17, in an upcoming Tech Tip.
What new features are you most excited about?
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