iOS 17: Here are the key rumors about the new features for your iPhone
Although Apple continues to add new features to its months-old iOS 16, users are already waiting for its next update. iOS 17 is still unannounced, but there are already some hints about what to expect from the operating system, including some features and which iPhone models should receive the update.
iOS 17 has rumored new features
While we wait for WWDC 2023, we can still count on leaks that reveal future features in development for iOS 17. As with all rumours, take it with a pinch of salt.
Revamped messaging app
According to the leaker Majin Buthe Messages apps will get a complete overhaul in 2023. The iOS 17 app, at least according to the leak, will feature a new home screen, video clips, chat rooms and even support for chat features in AR, hinting at the AR glasses that be launched in 2023.
This Apple Messages mockup presented doesn’t really look like an Apple product, does it? / © MajinBuOfficial/Twitter
iOS 17 concept video
As always, fans are eager to create mock-up videos that simulate their vision for what iOS 17 should look like. One of them was created by the Concept Central channel on YouTube, with a redesigned home screen, interactive widgets (finally?), a redesigned control center, and more features for the Dynamic Island.
As with most concept videos, this one for iOS 17 is probably not representative of the official version, but it’s always an interesting guessing exercise. The video begins with a revamped lock screen, showing more details about pending notifications from more apps (and a notification counter).
Then the video switches to a feature Android users have long been accustomed to—since the first HTC devices, in fact—interactive widgets. Instead of just showing dynamic content (an idea perfected by the late WindowsPhone/Mobile/whatever), widgets will be able to offer fine-grained control over its content.
Another welcome change would be a redesigned Control Center, with larger icons and a less cluttered interface. That proposal would fit well with the growing support for smart home controls, boosted by the HomeKit Matter standard.
What we want to see in iOS 17
Besides all the expected features, there are a whole bunch of other things that the community and even our editors want to see in iOS 17. My colleague Antoine Engels already mentioned a tapback option that is already found on many Android distributions, along with some of the split-screen features implemented in iPadOS, especially for multi-tasking on large-screen iPhones.
Other nice-to-have features we want to see in iOS 17:
- Improved battery widget for more connected devices (which can be checked on the Find My app…)
- Better integration for notification interactions across the Apple ecosystem, macOS on Apple Watch, iPhone on macOS, etc.
- Merging (what’s left of) the iTunes app with Music.
- Support for Wallet (IDs), Maps (cycling, real-time traffic, ) and other country-specific features in more markets.
XDA Developers compiled a list of other features that will be welcomed in the next iPhone operating system.
iOS 17 release date
iOS launches have followed a fairly predictable timeline in recent years, with some minor changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The update and some of its highlights are first presented during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held in Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, usually in June. The announcement is immediately followed by a developer beta release.
During the following months, Apple releases a number of beta updates, culminating in the stable iOS 17 version, traditionally in September, which should be launched simultaneously with the also unannounced “iPhone 15” reaching store shelves.
Previous iOS release schedules
| Version | WWDC announcement | Public beta | Stable release |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS 16 (2022) | June 6 | 11 July | September 12 |
| iOS 15 (2021) | June 6 | June 30 | September 20 |
| iOS 14 (2020) | June 22 | July 9 | September 16 |
| iOS 13 (2019) | 3 June | June 24th | September 19 |
| iOS 12 (2018) | June 4th | June 25th | September 17 |
iOS 17 supports iPhone models
With iOS 16 currently supporting 11 different iPhone models (and their respective variants) and dropping support for three generations (with 2 different SoCs, the A9 and A10), Apple has so far not hinted at adding support for more phones don’t let iOS 17, but its track record has been pretty inconsistent, sometimes going three generations without removing an iPhone from its supported list.
However, Apple has never dropped support for multiple SoCs in two iOS versions in a row, so it can either keep the current compatibility list starting with the iPhone 8 until the future iPhone 15, or at worst support dropped for the A11. chip, which would mean removing the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. That last scenario would leave the XS/XR duo as the oldest supported iPhones in iOS 17.
Pending confirmation
In any case, until Tim Cook and the other Apple executives take the stage during WWDC 2023, treat most of the information above as rumors. What are the features you expect in iOS 17? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
