CNN
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iPhone users: Today is the day to update to Apple’s latest operating system, iOS17, and unlock a slew of new features that promise to make the iPhone experience more personal and intuitive.
Apple first unveiled iOS17 at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in early June, but you may have missed some of the details as the tech giant also unveiled its much-anticipated Vision Pro mixed reality headset on the same day.
Starting Monday, iPhone users can update to iOS17 by clicking the Software Update section of the phone’s Settings app. Of course, many users have made a habit of backing up important photos or files before downloading the latest software update – or waiting for the second version to be released (probably in the coming weeks) if they’re worried about any bugs that might come. with the first version of a new generation mobile operating system.
Here are some of the buzziest and most anticipated new features that iPhone users can expect from iOS17.
Live voice messages and FaceTime video messages are here
One of the most popular new features, called Live Voicemail, transcribes a caller’s message in real time, allowing iPhone users to decide whether to ignore or accept the call while the other person is still on the line leaving their message.
Unknown numbers go straight to live voicemail when you have the “Mute Unknown Callers” setting turned on.
Additionally, FaceTime will now also allow users to leave video messages if someone doesn’t answer the video call.
With iOS17, Facetime calls will also be more expressive – with reactions such as hearts, balloons, fireworks and other effects that can be activated with simple gestures.
Another update that may take some getting used to is just saying “Siri” to activate Apple’s voice assistant instead of “Hey Siri.”
Dropping the word “Hey” from Siri’s trigger phrase is meant to create a more natural way to activate the assistant. In addition, Siri will also be able to better handle back-to-back requests once activated.
For example, instead of asking, “Hey Siri, how tall is Shaquille O’Neal?” and “Hey Siri, how old is Shaquille O’Neal?” You should be able to say, “Siri, how tall is Shaquille O’Neal?” Followed by: “How old is he?”
The new NameDrop feature in iOS17 makes it easier than ever to exchange contact information with a new friend. iPhone users can simply bring their iPhones closer to each other as they would AirDropping and share names and contact posters.
The Contact Poster update is another new feature that iPhone users have been talking about. This allows iPhone users to design their own image to be displayed during calls. The update, which lets users choose their own caller ID photo, will give iPhone users a more consistent look no matter who they’re calling, Apple said.
iPhone users will also be able to customize their contact card “poster” with a photo or memoji of their choice.
Autocorrect is also getting a comprehensive update, Apple said, with a transformer language model — or “the most advanced on-device machine learning language model for word prediction.” according to the company.
This updated design better supports typing and offers sentence-level autocorrect that can correct more types of grammatical errors. iPhone users will also now receive predictive text recommendations right as they type, making adding whole words or completing sentences as easy as tapping the space bar.
The new iOS keyboard will also learn your habits over time, such as correcting words you frequently misspell and leaving words you’ve intentionally added with your thumb. As Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software, said in June: I just want to type a tricky word, the keyboard will learn it too.”
New StandBy mode, Diary app and much more
iOS17 also introduces StandBy, a new full-screen experience with clear information designed to be viewed from afar while iPhone is on its side and charging. For example, when charging your iPhone on a nightstand or table, you can customize the display to include a clock, favorite photos, or most used widgets.
A new Apple Journal app that aims to help users reflect and practice gratitude through the daily practice of journaling will also be available in a software update later this year.
And there’s much more: Check out the nifty stuff from Apple 17 page guide on all the latest features coming to iOS17.
