Here it is, Apple revealed new features and improvements to the iOS 17 update during WWDC 2023. In contrast to the sweeping tweaks made in iOS 16, Apple has taken a more restrained approach in iOS 17, focusing on improvements in an incremental manner. Here are some of the most noteworthy updates and new features announced by Apple in the iOS 17 update.
Redesigned Phone app with contact stickers
With iOS 17, Apple has extended the lock screen customization introduced in iOS 16 to other parts of the system, such as the Phone app. One notable addition: the new caller screen, which lets you customize how someone's calling screen appears when they call you, by adding a photo or memoji with your name across the entire calling screen. You can manipulate photos or memojis and add visual effects, filters, or lighting. This processing makes the images more unique and beautiful, in addition to the ability to choose font types and colors.
Call screens will also be available for third-party calling apps, such as WhatsApp or Telegram. This feature makes the communication experience more expressive and creative.
This personal contact card is now part of your profile, and can be easily shared with others using the new sharing functionality available in iOS 17. This custom creation will then appear on other people's iPhones when you contact them.
New features in the Messages app
Apple has not improved its iMessage application for a while, but there are new changes in the iOS 17 update, as follows:
Search Filters
Search filters feature in Messages, is a feature that makes searching in the Messages app more powerful and accurate, this new feature allows you to add filters in the search tab after typing a specific “TAG” with simple words, you can insert additional words in the search after a specific tag that can be Contact name or message title. For example, if you are looking for a specific message within a specific chat, you can use the “:messages in” or “messages in:” filter. For more clarification:
Let's say you have a long conversation thread with your friend, and you want to find a specific message related to a dinner reservation. In the past, searching for this message required scrolling through several messages in a conversation. However, with the search filters introduced in iOS 17, you can now search more efficiently.
By opening your friend's conversation, and clicking on the search bar, you can type in a keyword related to your dinner reservation, such as the name of the restaurant or the date of the reservation. As you type, you'll see the search results appear below the search bar.
To narrow the search results further, click on the “Messages in:” filter that appears below the search bar. A list of options will appear, allowing you to select a specific conversation to search in. Click on the chat or conversation related to your dinner reservation. And search results will be shown with messages related to your keyword only in that specific chat.
With the Messages in: filter, you can select the chat or conversation you want to search, eliminating irrelevant search results from other conversations and allowing you to locate the desired message more efficiently. This can save time and effort when searching for specific messages in the Messages app.
Check In feature in messages
The Check In feature in the Messages app lets you tell your contacts your current location and expected time of arrival at your destination. And if you run into problems, useful information is shared with your contacts, like device location, battery level, and cellular service status. Any information shared is fully encrypted.
You can use this feature when you send or receive a message from someone new, or when you join a group chat.
To send a Check In, tap the share button at the bottom of the message screen, then choose Check In from the options menu.
You will see a map showing your location, destination and expected arrival time. You can change this information or add a comment before you submit it.
To receive Check In, press the message containing a map and sender information. You'll see an interactive map showing the sender's location, destination, and expected arrival time. You can also reply to the message or share it with others.
NoteYou need iMessage turned on and iCloud sharing to use Check In.
Insert stickers in messages
You can insert new emoji stickers as well as create Live Stickers by separating objects from images and adding effects to them. Stickers are now all in one place for easy access.
New arrow Catch Up to go back to the top of the messages
In a conversation, you will find an arrow called “Catch Up”, and once you click on it, it will take you to the beginning of the conversation, to the first message.
Swipe to reply to messages
In the iOS 17 update, you can simply swipe on the message to reply to it, like in similar messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and others.
Voice messages are typed
The feature is really cool that voice messages will be translated into typed words automatically. The feature has been present in Android since Pixel 4.
The location included in the Messages app
Location sharing just got even more exciting in iOS 17, as there's a whole new layout for how you share locations in Messages. Embedded location allows you to share real-time location in messages so that other recipients can check your location.
These are not all the most important features of the iOS 17 update that Apple announced at the WWDC 2023 developer conference, and we will soon provide you with the rest of these features.
The iOS 17 developer beta is available starting today, and a public beta version will be available next month at beta.apple.com. The new update will be available to everyone this fall for iPhone Xs or later.
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