As widely expected and carrying on with its tradition of announcing a new iteration of iOS at the annual WWDC conference, Apple on June 5 announced iOS 17, a major release that upgrades the communications experience across Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. iOS 17 also introduces new experiences with Journal, an app that makes it easy for people to practice gratitude, and StandBy, a new way to view glanceable information when iPhone is set down and is charging.
Messages get significant updates with new iOS 17, including an all-new stickers experience with new emoji stickers and the ability to create Live Stickers by lifting subjects from photos. iPhone users can also add effects to Live Stickers that bring them to life, and a new drawer in the keyboard puts all of a user’s stickers in one place for easier access across iOS.
With the iOS 17, FaceTime now supports audio and video messages so when users call someone who is not available, they can share a message that can be checked later. FaceTime calls also get more expressive with Reactions such as hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, rain, and more. The new effects can be activated through simple gestures, and third-party video calling apps can take advantage of them as well.
The Phone app is "central" to the iPhone experience, and it receives a big update with personalised Contact Posters, providing a new way for users to express themselves. Users can customise how they appear, bringing a completely new look to incoming calls, and choose beautiful treatments for photos or Memoji, as well as eye-catching typography and font colours. Contact Posters will also be available for third-party calling apps, Apple said.
“With iOS 17, we’ve made iPhone more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on every day,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said in a statement.
“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.”
In a big update to Apple TV 4K, FaceTime now extends to the biggest screen in the home. Powered by Continuity Camera, users can initiate a video call directly from Apple TV, or start the call on iPhone and then hand it off to Apple TV, to see friends and family on their television. With Center Stage, users will have perfect framing even as they move around the room.