Apple announced its iPhone 15 Series at its Wonderlust event, and those devices come with iOS 17 out of the box. The company has been testing iOS 17 for several weeks now and has started rolling out iOS 17 to its devices. The company has started rolling out the big annual iPhone update, and it will be available to anyone with an iPhone released in 2018 or later. To use the latest update, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new iPhone to access the latest software.
Apple iOS 17 and iPad OS 17
An update is available for many devices, including iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The update weighs about 6 GB, so please ensure your device has at least 20 GB of free internal storage. You can take a backup on your iCloud to free up some space.
A few new features have been introduced, such as Standby Mode, Improved AOD, NameDrop, Improved Fancy New Animation, Enhanced iMessages, and the ability to send video and audio via iMessage, among other features.
Additionally, there are some new app updates for AirDrop, Journal App, and Apple Music, and new wallpaper updates for customizing posters with photos, memos, and NameName. This update feels like a refined and polished version of iOS 16 without any rough edges. Apple is also releasing iPadOS 17 for the iPad, WatchOS 10 for the Apple Watch, and TVOS 17 for the Apple TV today.
Why You Should Install Apple’s Latest Update for the iPhone
If you have been wondering whether you should update your iPhone to the latest version, it does bring new features, which include several changes to voicemails, FaceTime, standby mode, and more. However, there are only a few reasons why you should wait for an update. Apple has been testing iOS 17 since WWDC23, and after multiple builds, the company is officially ready to launch, and it is said to be stable.
Apple has urged certain iPhone and iPad users to update their devices immediately. On top of that, there are some safety features, which include protection for sensitive videos and photos. Safety also extends to iMessage, including content from AirDrops, FaceTime, and third-party apps. Browsers also keep private tabs more secure by blocking trackers from loading pages and skipping tracking information from web addresses, which can be used to identify your device.
You can update iOS 17 to the latest version, which includes major bug fixes and security updates. Some users have reported that iOS 17 is causing their battery to drain faster than normal because it works in the background to index files. This is not common, and the patch to fix the issue should be available soon.
Also, some features may not be available immediately, so it is a good idea to update your device to use the new features, which include AirDrops for contacts, live voicemail transcriptions, standby mode, Siri, and more, including up-to-date data security protections. Apple is rolling out iOS 17 to everyone, and you can download the Developers and Public Beta of iOS 17 for a while to download and install this latest version.
How to Install iOS 17 and iPad 17
Before installing iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, ensure you have at least 60 to 70% battery life and are connected to a high-speed Wi-Fi or 5G network for reliable downloading.
- Open Device Settings and go to General.
- Â From there, tap on Software Update. You will see the option to download iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
-  If the update does not appear automatically, wait a few minutes to see if it appears.
-  Click on Download and Install to start the update immediately. Alternatively, you can choose Download Tonight if you prefer to update later.
-  After that, click on Update Now and accept the terms and conditions to start the installation. During the update, your iPhone will automatically restart several times, which is normal.
Note: The software update may have a drop-down menu that appears underneath to select iOS 17 or Beta. If you choose the pre-release software, your iPhone will automatically restart once it is installed.
The installation process may take some time, depending on your internet speed. After installing it, you must authenticate to start upgrading to iOS 17. Once finished, please also check your App Store to update your apps and restart your device to ensure a seamless user experience.
Under the hood, the inline keyboard has enhanced auto-correct and prediction features. In the future, we will share a guide for each upgrade to iOS 17.
List of Eligible iOS 17 Updates
- iPhone X Series
- Â Â iPhone Xs
- Â iPhone Xs Max
- Â iPhone 11 Series
- Â iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Â iPhone SE (2 Gen)iPhone 12 Series iPhone 12 Mini
- Â Â iPhone 12
- Â iPhone 12 Pro
- Â iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Â iPhone 13 Series iPhone 13 Mini
- Â Â iPhone 13
- Â iPhone 13 Pro
- Â iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Â iPhone SE (3 Gen)iPhone 14 Series
- Â iPhone 14 Plus
- Â iPhone 14 Pro
- Â iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Â iPhone 15 Series
- Â iPhone 15 Plus
- Â iPhone 15 Pro
- Â iPhone 15 Pro Max
Note: iOS 17 is not available for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or earlier.
List of Eligible iPad 17
- iPad Pro 12″ (2 Gen or later)
- Â iPad Pro 10.5″
- Â iPad Pro 11″ (1 Gen or later)
- Â iPad Air (3 Gen or later)
- Â iPad (6 Gen or later)
- Â iPad Mini (5 or later)
Features of iOS 17
Here are some important things you may want to try on the latest version of iOS 17. Here are the updates, which you can check by updating to iOS 17:
- Live Voicemail: You will be able to read the live transcription of the voicemail. This would be quite helpful when an unknown number calls you.
- Â Contact Poster: This will allow you to create your contact poster. The customization feature is quite similar to the lock screen.
- Â Check-In: This feature will let other people know that you have arrived at your place safely.
- Â Search Filter: Apple already has the best search filter. Now, you can do a more precise search in chat for specific friends.
- Â Roadside Assistant: This feature is available to users with recent phone calls made via satellite. It uses a satellite service called SOS.
- Â Location Sharing: You can now view and share locations in iMessage.
- Â Audio Message Update: You can pause recording an audio message and then continue recording it before sending it. You also have controls for 2x speed and can continue listening even if you quit the Messages app.
- Â iMessage Interface: It has improved with some message visuals and offers improvements, including swiping to reply. It also auto-removes OTP and now automatically confirms the number for 2FA login by pulling it from iMessage or Mail.
-  2FA: Another better 2FA improvement is that codes are sent via text message. It can automatically detect and save password-protected private browsing. However, it does not save web history but is protected and unlocked with Apple Face ID only.
-  Updated Sticker: You can now send live stickers, emojis, emojis, and emoji stickers, and this also works with third-party stickers. Create a sticker to use everywhere.
- Â Leave a message on Facebook: You now have the option to send a short video message so that others know why the person called you.
- Â Standby: This is a new full-screen experience that you can unlock by putting your device on the landscape, and it also has the feature to include custom widgets.
- Â Interactive Widgets: Previously, the widgets were not interactive, but now they are. You can check your to-do list, pause music, and perform other actions.
-  NameDrop: This is another AirDrop update that allows users to swap contact information with others.
- Â Autocorrect: It is getting better. Improved autocorrect with more accurate fixes to mistakes in English, French, and Spanish
-  Clock app: Now you can set multiple timers, meaning you can keep track of multiple things simultaneously, and everything else remains the same.
- Â Health App: You can check data such as sleep tracking, activity, and other information from first- and third-party apps.
- Â Safari Profile: Now, you can create profiles in Safari, which keep your browsing history, cookies, extensions, tab groups, and favorites separately based on the profile.
- Â Adaptive Audio: Updates work with AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), where they automatically adjust the noise level.
-  Siri: Previously, you needed to say “Hey Siri,” but now users can just say “Siri” to trigger Siri.
-  Look Up: You can search for things and find similar food recipes directly from the image.
- Â Business Card: The AirDrop feature will trade specific phone numbers, contact information, or email addresses with the user’s permission.
Tag Your Pet in Photos in iOS 17
The latest Photos app can now recognize your cats and dogs, which are part of your family. This functionality allows users to tag their pets as a part of the family, making it easier to find the best pictures of their pets.
You can easily find specific pictures and create a slideshow of your pets. However, auto tags are quite handy, but if you tag your tags, it makes the whole process much easier.
- Open the Photos app, then go to Albums from the bottom menu bar.
- Â Scroll to the bottom to find the People, Pets, and Place section.
-  Tap on the People & Pets album catalog and find the pet in your picture that you want to tag, whether it’s a person, pet, or place.
-  Give it a name at the top of the screen to insert your pet’s name.
- Â Tap on the triple-dot menu in the upper-right corner and choose Review Photos.
- Â There, you will find a small section of photos that iOS 17 believes are of your pets. Choose the images to confirm your selection and add them to your collections.
Note: Similar-looking cats may sometimes be grouped in the same album due to familiarity. Since this is the first iteration, give it some time to learn the difference between them when you take more photos of them individually.
Support for other pets is yet to come in the future. Currently, you can only tag cats and dogs. To use this feature, go to the album, and from there, you will have the option to check the profile. This feature is said to be quite similar to the Google Photos auto-tag feature.
Download maps on Apple Maps for offline use.
You can now download maps of specific locations for offline use. This feature has been missing on Apple Maps for a long time, but it has finally arrived. You can check out this guide on downloading offline maps on Apple Maps on iOS 17.
This feature makes it easier to view maps even when cellular connectivity isn’t available. If you have been using Google Maps, this feature has been available for years, and you can download offline maps similar to Apple Maps.
Including new capabilities to revolutionize navigation for outdoor adventures such as hikers, campers, skiers, and snowboarders. Users can download specific areas of maps to their phones and access them without an internet connection. To use saved maps for offline use, open the Maps app, tap on the user icon, go to Offline Maps, and then download a new map. You can download multiple maps offline, resize them, and manage them in the Offline Maps section of the Maps app.
- Update your Apple Maps to the latest version; with the first launch, it will prompt you with offline maps. Alternatively, you can tap on the user icon, choose offline maps, and download new maps to get started.
- Â Use the repositioning feature in Windows to choose the area of the map that you want to download. The storage required depends on the size of the map area you want to download.
-  Click on Download, and the map will start downloading. Once it finishes, you can start using the offline maps.
- Â There are many reasons to save maps offline on your device.
You can download more areas offline if needed, based on your plans. Search for the area you want to download, and it will appear in the Preview Window. After downloading the maps as offline maps, you can simply rename, resize, or delete them.
Furthermore, hikers can plan routes and track progress without the Internet. Not to mention, users can find nearby points of interest and confidently explore remote sites. Snowboarders can discover new trails, locate friends, and track their performance offline.