Apple launches iOS 17 with all new features

Apple has launched redesigned contact cards, voicemail and videomail on missed Facetime calls. The updated iOS also presents a new feature called posters.

Apple’s annual developers’ conference kicked off on Monday late evening and in line with expectations, the iPhone maker has made a slew of announcements. Among the hardware and software launches, one of the most anticipated is the launch of iOS 17.

Apple has launched redesigned contact cards, voicemail and videomail on missed Facetime calls. The updated iOS also presents a new feature called posters. This feature displays contact pictures and information full-screen on the recipient’s iPhone when they are called. There’s also a new live transcription feature for voicemail that transcribes that caller’s message in real-time, giving the user an option to either answer the call or let it play out.

Another updated feature is ‘Check-In’, meant for people who check in on their friends and family when they walk or drive home. This sticker enables your loved ones to know that you have reached. This app also sends a prompt if there’s a delay in the designated journey of getting home.

Apple also announced transcriptions of voice messages, although that isn’t new to Android users as a similar feature is available on the Pixel 7 series. Another not new update for Apple has come in the form of sharing live locations, already available on WhatsApp. Stickers available on iMessage are also getting an overhaul, with the ability to add any emoji or photo cutout as a “sticker”.

Apple’s much-despised autocorrect also gets an update in the new iOS. The keyboard now relies on a new language model and has an easier shortcut for the user to go back to the original word that was written if misunderstood by autocorrect. (No more ducks or ducking?)

The company also announced NameDrop which seems similar to Airdrop but is for contacts. One can tap iPhones together to trade contact info. It makes it seem like deja vu, as it’s similar to Android Bump.

Apple announced a new app named, Journal. It automatically suggests moments that a user might want to commemorate in a journal entry. The entries in the app can include photos and activities, and it can schedule reminders to start writing. It has end-to-end encryption for security.

Apple iOS 17 also adds a new mode, StandBy. This mode is particularly for charging, it turns the screen into a status display with the date and time. It can also show information from Live Activities, widgets, smart stacks, and automatically turns on when the phone is in landscape mode while charging.

After months of speculation, Apple has also dropped hey from Siri’s trigger phrase – ‘Hey Siri’.