What’s new in iOS 17 and when is it coming to your iPhones [top 10 features]

Apple just concluded its WWDC 2023, making a host of exciting announcements and product launches. From new and powerful Macs to path-breaking Vision Pro, Apple outdid itself, yet again. But for the masses, the excitement around iOS 17 is real.

Apple has unveiled iOS 17 for iPhones at the WWDC 2023, which comes with a major overhaul and a long list of new and exciting features. Before we get to that, the bigger question is when will it come to your iPhone.

The public release of iOS 17 will happen in the fall, alongside the launch of the iPhone 15 series. But the developer beta of iOS 17 is available to Apple Developer Program members. The public beta will be available next month. As for who will get it, all iPhones from iPhone X and later will get the free update this September.

iOS 17: What’s new?

With iOS 17, your iPhone will be more personal and intuitive. Here’s how.

“With iOS 17, we’ve made iPhone more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on every day,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Phone, FaceTime, and Messages are central to how we communicate, and this release is packed with updates we think our users are going to love. We’ve also reimagined AirDrop with new ways to share, autocorrect gets even better, and we’re introducing all-new experiences with Journal and StandBy, plus so much more. We can’t wait for everyone to try it.”

Let’s dive deeper.

Contact Posters: This is an exciting one. Phone app gets personalised Contact Posters, which will give your incoming calls a complete makeover. From eye-catching typography and font colors to choosing photos and Memojis, callers will come to life on your iPhone. What’s greater is that Contact Posters will be supported on third-party calling apps like WhatsApp, too.

Live Voicemail: This feature will let you see real-time transcription of someone leaving a voicemail. Users can also pick up the call while the caller is leaving their message. The live-transcriptions are handled on device and remain private. Spam callers won’t get till Live Voicemail as they will be instantly declined.

FaceTime: Audio and video messages can be left for callers who aren’t available. There are now more ways to express with Reactions such as hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, rain and more.

Messages: Photos can now be transformed into emoji stickers and also create Live Stickers using preset animations. Many features make iMessage engaging, such as improved Search, swipe to reply, location updating in real-time in a conversation, automatic transcription of audio messages, and Check In.

NameDrop: Sharing contacts is easier than ever. Just by bringing two iPhones closer, NameDrop lets users share contact information seamlessly. This works between iPhone and Apple Watch, too. The same gesture also works to share content like music, movie or game.

StandBy Display: StandBy is a new feature that gives glanceable information on a full screen, which is designed to be used when the iPhone is at a distance. StandBy supports Live Activities, Siri, incoming calls and larger notifications.

Journal: iOS 17 brings new app called Journal, which allows users to journal their life. It uses on-device machine learning and personalised suggestions to log user’s journal entry.

AirPods: Exciting new feature called Adaptive Audio comes to AirPods with iOS 17, which redefines audio experience together with Personalised Volume, and Conversation Awareness. It also has Automatic Switching and call controls for easier use case.

Maps: Apple brings offline maps, which can be downloaded for specific areas to navigate even in areas without network coverage.

Health: There are new mental health features, where users can log their daily moods and momentary emotions and see how it is contributing to the state of mind. Users can easily access depression and anxiety assessments often used in clinics. There’s also safe distance feature, which reduces risk of myopia in children.

Siri: Just say Siri and command. Once activated, users can give multiple commands without needing to reactivate.