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Apple will debut iOS 17 as not-so-new in a few months iPhone 14 and select older phones. The update is intended to bring changes to Apple’s first-party apps and improve the operating system overall.
Although competitor Google has already released Android 14 For testing (and a little teasing about what it’s going to be about), Apple usually keeps a low profile on what to expect from the latest iOS until its debut at WWDC (its annual developer conference), often held in June each year . Select additional features will be revealed with the launch of iPhone 15later this year, probably in September.
It will be a while before we get more details on iOS 17, but we have an idea of what the next version of iOS could be like, and below you can read what we already know, as well as a short wish list of what we’d like to see of the new update when it finally breaks cover.
As more rumors and reports emerge with details worked out, we’ll be updating this article, so check back regularly for more details.
iOS 17: In a nutshell
- What is it? The next big update for iOS – the operating system of the iPhone
- When is it coming out? Expected to fall in mid-September
- How much does it cost? It will be a free upgrade
- Which phones are supported? Still unknown. Probably the iPhone XS and newer
Release date of iOS 17
iOS 17 is expected to be released in mid-September, coinciding with the expected launch of the iPhone 15. Before that, Apple will debut iOS 17 at WWDC in June. The dates for WWDC have not yet been released, but we expect the announcement to come sometime in the next few weeks.
Shortly after WWDC, Apple will release two beta versions of iOS – a developer preview and a public version. The public beta is often reliable enough to use on a daily phone for about a month or two after the program launches.
Expected features of iOS 17
When it comes to iOS 17 features, we can be reasonably sure that we won’t see many big additions, such as: B. the lock screen or the widget upgrades for the home screen that came with previous versions.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – who’s a pretty reliable leaker on Apple – the company is letting iOS and macOS take a backseat this year while it keeps working his new mixed reality headset. That means there will be some new features, but not as many as usual; with the company shifting focus to a new and potentially exciting product category.
“Apple’s focus on the xrOS operating system — along with iOS 16 issues — has also cost it some new features in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the next major iPhone and iPad software updates. This software, codenamed Dawn, may have fewer major changes than initially planned,” Gurman said in his Power-On Newsletter (opens in new tab).
Apple’s iOS updates often include improvements to first-party apps, including Music and News. The news app is reportedly due for a redesign this year, but details are scant at this point. As far as big changes to things like notifications go, the company doesn’t typically overhaul its UI in the same way that Google does every few years, but there are still a few changes we’d like to see.
iOS 17 feature wish list
Super Siri
ChatGPT is taking the world by storm, and Google and Microsoft have responded quickly. Apple set the world on fire with the introduction of Siri alongside the iPhone 4S, but the digital assistant has yet to realize its full potential. As generative AI models become more popular, the large and highly engaged iPhone user base would give Apple an edge over its competitors if it launched its own GPT-based chatbot.
Improved notifications
This special request comes by default – and isn’t granted – with every Apple update. The company has worked to slightly tweak iOS notifications each year, but they’re still terribly mediocre. There’s limited notification bundling or quick reply support, and actionable notifications are still few and far between compared to Android.
Every year we hope Apple updates the Notification Center – and every year Apple does the equivalent of a smiley band-aid on a gash. Sometimes Apple likes to do things its own way, and that’s okay; In this case, however, it’s time the company swallowed its pride and did the job.
RCS support
RCS or Rich Communication Services is Gain popularity on Android phones. It essentially turns plain SMS messages into the equivalent of more modern apps like iMessage or Facebook Messenger. Well, it’s not necessary for Apple to get RCS working on iPhones, but it would be better than the plain old SMS we currently have.
You can see when someone writes, get read receipts, send larger files, and more. It’s an emerging standard – much like USB-C – and in countries where texting via the Messages app is more common than via WhatsApp or Telegram, there’s no downside to updating the Messages experience for everyone, as iOS users who prefer not to enable iMessage for one reason or another also uncompromisingly rely on the additional functionality of RCS.