Apple held its annual iPhone event on Tuesday, and in addition to unveiling the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9, the company announced that iOS 17 will be available as a free software update next week, on Monday, September 18.
The public preview for iOS 17 has been available since June and has already shown off a number of design refinements, which Apple recapped during its keynote. Those include user-definable outgoing call screens so you can pick what people see when you call them and an option to send incoming calls to voicemail and read a transcription of them instead. Users will also be able to send quick voice or video messages if someone doesn't pick up their FaceTime calls as well as mute/unmute themselves through their AirPods.
You'll even be able to pick up those calls as the person is leaving their message, just like the olden days of answering machines. When they do leave an audio message, iOS 17 will now transcribe it for your convenience.
Messages is receiving a slew of updates as well, the biggest of which are stickers. Users will be able to affix emojis stickers to their messages as well as create Live Stickers using content from their camera roll before incorporating additional effects and text.
Other new Messages features include Check In, which alerts trusted contacts when you've reached your destination safely. NameDrop, meanwhile, is an offshoot of AirDrop that streamlines sharing contact information: put the two phones in close proximity with one another. What's more AirDrop can now be used to share larger files as well. Snuggling two iPhones together will exchange a download link that your phone can automatically access later, once it's on a WiFi network and not trying to download it over a metered cell connection.
And the widgets! iOS 17 has so many widgets! It's got widgets on the Home Screen, widgets on the Lock Screen — even widgets in StandBy!
Apple has even more updates in the works for the new operating system iteration such as Journal, "a new app that helps iPhone users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling," as Apple describes it. The app seems a bit like a self-important Notepad but hey, whatever works for you in these crazy, mixed-up times we're living in. Even more exciting, the system's spellcheck has also been improved to return fewer "ducking" autocorrects. Swear in the group chat with confidence!
Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.