Apple

5 Things to Know About the iOS 17.0 Update

Published

7 months ago

09/20/2023

Apple’s pushed the first version of iOS 17 to iPhone users.

iOS 17.0 is out of beta and available to download provided you own an iPhone that’s compatible with the company’s new operating system.

iOS 17 supports the iPhone XS and newer iPhone models which means the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus remain on iOS 16.

The first iOS 17 update brings a long list of changes to iPhone including new features, enhancements for older features, and security patches. It’s a major update and one that most iPhone users should install today or at some point in the near future.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything you need to know about Apple’s iOS 17.0 update for iPhone.

Table of Contents

In this walkthrough we’ll outline iOS 17.0’s changes, offer some thoughts about the software’s performance, detail iOS 17.0 problems, highlight the iOS 17 jailbreak status, and more. We’ll start with some thoughts on iOS 17.0’s performance.

Quick iOS 17.0 Review

If your iPhone’s currently running iOS 16.6.1, you’ll see the smallest iOS 17.0 download size, around 3GB. Unless your device is really low on storage, you won’t have to make room for the download.

The iOS 17 download size depends on your iPhone model and the version of iOS it’s currently running. If your iPhone is running a really old version of iOS, you may see an even bigger download. That’s because iOS 17.0 brings the changes from any updates you skipped.

The iOS 17.0 installation process will probably take awhile given its size so you’ll need to remain patient. For more about the iOS 17.0 download and installation, check out our walkthrough.

We’ve been using iOS 17.0 on an iPhone 12 Pro for a few days now and here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance thus far:

Battery Life & Connectivity

iOS 17.0 battery life is stable right now
Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
Bluetooth is working normally
GPS and cellular data are also working properly

App Performance

Third-party apps including Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are all working fine
First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also running well

Speed

iOS 17 feels fast and we haven’t experienced any abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If you’re dealing with bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 16, you might want to install the iOS 17.0 update on your iPhone today.

If you need help making a decision about an upgrade, check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 17 right now.

iOS 17.0 Problems

iOS 17.0 went through an extensive beta stretching from June to September. We haven’t noticed any major problems, but the operating system is causing problems for some iPhone users.

The current list of iOS 17.0 problems includes abnormal battery drain, Bluetooth issues, Wi-Fi issues, installation issues, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, and more.

If you run into a problem with iOS 17.0, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 17 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and some tips that could help fix battery life issues.

Apple’s currently signing on iOS 16.6.1 which means you can drop your iPhone’s software back to the previous operating system if iOS 17 starts causing problems. You can’t downgrade to any iOS software older than iOS 16.6.1.

For more about the downgrade process, check out our guide.

iOS 17 Features

iOS 17.0 is an extensive update. It has a ton of new features and enhancements on board. That being said, it doesn’t bring every feature Apple’s confirmed for iOS 17. Some features will arrive in milestone (x.x) upgrades like iOS 17.1 down the road.

Here’s the full iOS 17 change log:

Phone

Contact Posters let you customize how you appear on other people’s devices when you call them with a customized poster
Live Voicemail displays a live transcription as someone leaves a message and allows you to pick up the call

Messages

Stickers iMessage app brings all your stickers into one place including Live Stickers, Memoji, Animoji, emoji stickers, and your third party sticker packs
Live Stickers can be created by lifting the subject from photos or videos and stylizing them with effects like Shiny, Puffy, Comic, and Outline
Check In automatically notifies a family member or friend when you arrive at a destination safely and can share helpful information with them in case of a delay
Audio message transcription is available for audio messages you receive so you can read them in the moment and listen later
Search improvements help you find messages faster by allowing you to combine search filters such as people, keywords, and content types like photos or links to find exactly what you are looking for
Swipe to reply to a message inline by swiping to the right on any bubble
One-time verification code cleanup automatically deletes verification codes from the Messages app after using them with AutoFill in other apps

FaceTime

Leave a video or audio message to capture exactly what you want to say when someone does not pick up your FaceTime call
Enjoy FaceTime calls on Apple TV by using your iPhone as a camera (Apple TV 4K 2nd generation and later)
Reactions layer 3D effects like hearts, balloons, confetti, and more around you in video calls and can be triggered with gestures
Video effects allow you to adjust the intensity of Studio Lighting and Portrait mode

StandBy

Full-screen experience with glanceable information like clocks, photos, and widgets designed to view from a distance when iPhone is on its side and charging in places such as your nightstand, kitchen counter, or desk
Clocks are available in a variety of styles including Digital, Analog, Solar, Float, and World Clock, with elements you can personalize like the accent color
Photos automatically shuffle through your best shots or showcase a specific album you choose
Widgets give you access to information at a distance and appear in Smart Stacks that deliver the right information at the right time
Night Mode lets clocks, photos, and widgets take on a red tone in low light
Preferred view per MagSafe charger remembers your preference for each place you charge with MagSafe, whether that’s a clock, photos, or widgets

Widgets

Interactive widgets let you take actions, like mark a reminder as complete, directly from the widget by tapping it on the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or in StandBy
iPhone widgets on Mac enable you to add widgets from your iPhone to your Mac desktop

AirDrop

NameDrop lets you exchange contact information with someone new by bringing your iPhones close together
New way to initiate AirDrop allows you to share content or start a SharePlay session over AirDrop by bringing your iPhones close together

Keyboard

Improved autocorrect accuracy makes typing even easier by leveraging a powerful transformer-based language model (iPhone 12 and later)
Easier autocorrect editing temporarily underlines corrected words and lets you revert back to what you originally typed with just a tap
Enhanced sentence corrections can correct more types of grammatical mistakes when you finish sentences (iPhone 12 and later)
Inline predictive text shows single and multi-word predictions as you type that can be added by tapping space bar (iPhone 12 and later)

Safari and Passwords

Profiles keep your browsing separate for topics like work and personal, separating your history, cookies, extensions, Tab Groups, and favorites
Private Browsing enhancements include locking your private browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocking known trackers from loading, and removing identifying tracking from URLs
Password and passkey sharing lets you create a group of passwords to share with trusted contacts that stays up to date as members of the group make changes
One-time verification code AutoFill from Mail autofill in Safari so you can log in without leaving the browser

Music

SharePlay makes it easy for everyone to control and play Apple Music in the car
Crossfade smoothly transitions between songs by fading out the currently playing song while fading in the next so the music never stops

AirPlay

Intelligent AirPlay device list makes finding the right AirPlay-compatible TV or speaker even easier by showing your devices in order of relevance, based on your preferences
Suggested AirPlay device connections are proactively shown to you as a notification to make it even more seamless to connect to your preferred AirPlay devices
Automatic AirPlay device connections are made between your iPhone and the most relevant AirPlay-compatible device so all you have to do is tap “Play” to begin enjoying your content

AirPods

Adaptive Audio delivers a new listening mode that dynamically blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to tailor the noise control experience based on the conditions of your environment (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)
Personalized Volume adjusts the volume of your media in response to your environment and listening preferences over time (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)
Conversation Awareness lowers your media volume and enhances the voices of the people in front of the user, all while reducing background noise (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with firmware version 6A300 or later)
Press to mute and unmute your microphone by pressing the AirPods stem or the Digital Crown on AirPods Max when on a call (AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), or AirPods Max with firmware version 6A300 or later)

Maps

Offline Maps allow you to select an area you want to access, search, and explore rich information for places to download for use when your iPhone doesn’t have a Wi-Fi or cellular signal
EV routing improvements give you routes based on real-time EV charger availability for supported chargers

Siri

Option to say “Siri” in addition to “Hey Siri” for an even more natural way to make requests
Back-to-back requests can be issued without needing to reactivate Siri in between commands (iPhone 11 and later)

Visual Look Up

Expanded domains in Visual Look Up help you discover similar recipes from photos of food, Maps information from photos of storefronts, and the meaning of signs and symbols on things like laundry tags
Multiple or single subjects can be lifted from the background of photos and videos and placed into apps like Messages
Visual Look Up in Video helps you learn about objects that appear in paused video frames
Visual Look Up for subjects in photos enables you to look up information about objects you lift from photos directly from the callout bar

Health

State of Mind reflection allows you to log your momentary emotion and daily mood, choose what factors are having the biggest impact on you, and describe your feelings
Interactive charts give you insights into your state of mind, how it has changed over time, and what factors may have influence such as exercise, sleep, and mindful minutes
Mental health assessments help you understand your current risk for depression and anxiety and if you might benefit from getting support
Screen Distance leverages the TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to encourage you to increase the distance you view your device to reduce digital eye strain and can help reduce the risk of myopia in children

Privacy

Sensitive Content Warnings can be enabled to prevent users from unexpectedly being shown images containing nudity in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, and FaceTime messages
Expanded Communication Safety protections for children now detect videos containing nudity in addition to photos that children may receive or attempt to send in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime messages, and the system Photo picker
Improved sharing permissions give you even more control over what you share with apps, with an embedded photo picker and an add-only Calendar permission
Link tracking protection removes extra information from links shared in Messages, Mail, and Safari Private Browsing that some websites use in their URLs to track you across other websites, and links still work as expected

Accessibility

Assistive Access distills apps and experiences to their essential features in Phone and FaceTime, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music, including large text, visual alternatives, and focused choices to lighten cognitive load
Live Speech lets you type what you want to say and have it be spoken out loud in phone calls, FaceTime calls, and for in-person conversations
Personal Voice enables users who are at risk of losing their voice to privately and securely create a voice that sounds like them on iPhone, and use it with Live Speech in phone and FaceTime calls
Point and Speak in Magnifier Detection Mode uses iPhone to read text out loud on physical objects with small text labels, such as keypads on doors and buttons on appliances

Other Features

Roadside Assistance via satellite lets you contact AAA to help you with vehicle issues when out of Wi-Fi or cellular range (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max)
Pets in the People album in Photos surfaces individual pets in the album just like friends or family members
Photos Album widget lets you select a specific album from the Photos app to appear in the widget
Item sharing in Find My allows you to share an AirTag or Find My network accessory with up to five other people
Activity History in Home displays a recent history of events for door locks, garage doors, security systems, and contact sensors
Grid Forecast in Home shows when your electrical grid has cleaner energy sources available (Contiguous US only)
Grocery Lists in Reminders automatically group related items into sections as you add them
Inline PDFs and document scans in Notes are presented full-width, making them easy to view and mark them up
New Memoji stickers in Keyboard include Halo, Smirk, and Peekaboo
App Shortcuts in Spotlight Top Hit offer you app shortcuts to your next action when you search for an app
Redesigned Sharing tab in Fitness provides highlights of your friends’ activity like workout streaks and awards
Email or phone number sign-in lets you sign into your iPhone with any email address or phone number listed in your Apple ID account
New drawing tools in Freeform include a fountain pen, watercolor brush, ruler and more to create expressive boards
Crash Detection optimizations (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max)

iOS 17.0 also includes important security patches though Apple hasn’t outlined them just yet. When it does, you’ll find the details right here.

iOS 17 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak, make sure you avoid the iOS 17.0 update.

We don’t expect developers to release a tool that’s compatible with iOS 17 today, or at any point in the near future. If you still jailbreak, keep an eye out for new information.

What’s Next

Apple’s will release new versions of iOS 17. The company is testing multiple versions of the software behind the scenes and we expect the company to confirm the first major upgrade soon.

Look for the company to put iOS 17.1 into beta testing in the near future. If you typically install new iOS betas on your iPhone, or if you’re simply curious about the next version of iOS 17, keep an eye out.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 17.4.1 & 12 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 17.4.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 17.4.1 update right away.

The iOS 17.4.1 update includes two security patches. These patches will help keep your device and its data protected from harm. And that makes iOS 17.4.1 an important upgrade.

If you missed iOS 17.4 and older software, you'll get the security patches from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 17.4.1.

iOS 17.4 had four security patches on board.

The update also delivered quantum security protection for iMessage. The company says the upgrade gives iMessage "the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world."

The iOS 17.3 update brought 15 new security patches to iPhone. The software also added Stolen Device Protection to iPhone.

It increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID to gain access to passwords, make purchases in Safari, and more. This is useful if someone gets access to your iPhone and its passcode.

iOS 17.2 delivered 10 new security patches to iPhone. If you wish to find out more, you can head on over to Apple's security site for the details.

iOS 17.2 also included iMessage Contact Key Verification which improves the security of iMessage. The company also fixed an exploit that let the Flipper Zero multi-tool lock up iPhones.

iOS 17.1.2 had two security patches on board. Both were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more, you can do so right here.

iOS 17.1 brought 18 security fixes to iPhone. It addressed issues within Weather, Status Bar, WebKit, and more.

iOS 17.0.3 brought two patches for two security issues Apple identified within the software. If you want to read about the patches, head here.

iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple.

In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages.

It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them.

There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks.

Apple's also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.

The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves.

If you skipped older versions of iOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.4.1 update as well.