WWDC 2023: Apple Announces iOS 17 with New Features

Apple's iOS 17 is official and made its debut on the main stage at WWDC 2023. Highlights include redesigned contact cards and live voicemail.

The address book is being updated with a new feature called banners, which turns your contact information into eye-catching marquee-style images that appear full-screen on your recipient's iPhone when you call them. There's also a new live transcription feature for voicemail that allows you to view a transcript of the message left by the caller in real-time. You can choose to hold or answer the call.

Some messaging updates include voicemail transcripts, similar to what the Pixel 7 series introduced, and a host of new features called Check-In to help communicate your location and live status to someone you're meeting with. Stickers are being revised, with the ability to add any emoji or cropped photo as a "sticker" placed in iMessages or anywhere within the system.

AirDrop gets an update for sending contact information, cleverly named NameDrop, which will send selected email addresses and phone numbers (and their poster) simply by hovering two iPhones together. Photos can be shared in the same way, and if the file is large, it is now possible to go out of range while the download continues.

iOS 17 also includes keyboard updates, including improvements to autocorrect. It's now based on a new language model, plus an easier shortcut to return to the original word you typed if necessary. Dictation also uses a new AI model.

Apple’s new journaling app for iOS is Journal

A new app called Journal automatically suggests moments you might want to commemorate in a journal entry. Your entries can include photos and activities, and you can set reminders to start writing. It is also end-to-end encrypted for added security.

StandBy is a new charging mode that turns the screen into a status screen with the date and time. It can show live activity information, widgets, and smart batteries and automatically turns on when your phone is in landscape mode while charging.

Siri also gets a boost, finally allowing you to let out the "hey" of "Hey Siri", and it will recognize consecutive commands.