There’s a lot of buzz on the internet about WWDC, which is confirmed to happen on 5th June 2023. We see conflicting reports online about whether the iOS 17 will focus on stability or features.
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WWDC is an annual developer conference, and it’s primarily about software. The announcements for software like macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and iOS 17 will occur at WWDC. Apple will announce some new APIs for applications too.
In this article, we’ll explore everything we know about iOS 17, including the latest leaks and rumors about it.
iOS 17: Expected changes
According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, iOS 17 was initially supposed to focus on stability and refinements. However, the company decided to change course, and now we’ll see many user-requested features with iOS 17.
The report does not specify which features we’ll see. On top of the wishlist, there’s the ability to place apps and widgets anywhere on the home screen. Many iOS users want to see improvements to home screen customization and the ability to change the grid layout.
Several leaks mention a redesign of the Apple Music app and also a better organization of apps in the app library. We might see better multitasking with the dynamic island. Active Widgets, or interactive widgets, is another popular rumor.
Widgets only present information now, but this could change. We could see interactive buttons, sliders, or strike-throughs for your reminders. A MacRumors forum post describes more changes, like a revamp to the control center design.
Allegedly, the marketing team probably wants to push for better dynamic island functionality since that’ll help with the marketing of the iPhone 15 series. The entire series, including the vanilla models, is supposed to get the dynamic island.
The camera app has remained the same for a long time, but this update could change the layout. A new journalling app is said to arrive with iOS 17, and this might look like a combination of the Notes app and the Freeform app. This app apparently focuses on improving the mental well-being of users.
To comply with the regulations of the EU, Apple might have to allow sideloading on iOS. They might restrict it to the EU, but some form of third-party app stores might make it to iOS with iOS 17.
Accessibility
In a recent newsroom announcement, Apple previewed a couple of accessibility features that are coming with iOS 17. One of the features is “personal voice,” and it’s built on advanced machine learning technology. It’s an accessibility feature and is made to help people who, unfortunately, may lose their ability to speak.
iPad and iPhone users just have to talk normally for fifteen minutes with their voice, and the algorithms will go to work. It’s a simple way to create a voice replica that sounds nearly like them. The Personal Voice feature works after you read a random set of text prompts for fifteen minutes. It’s very convenient.
It integrates seamlessly with live speech, which helps a lot with communication throughout the world. Another accessibility feature is the point-and-speak feature for those who face visual challenges. It recognizes familiar household objects and identifies them. We’ll also get more options to change text sizes easily.
You can just type a sentence, and the phone will read it out. This Live Voice feature is similar to Bixby Text Call. The final major accessibility feature is Assistive Access, a heavily simplified user interface that is extremely easy to navigate for anyone. Camera, Photos, Music, Messages, etc., eliminate all the clutter and include simple buttons with text.
The Phone and FaceTime apps merge into a single app in this mode. You get the option to arrange the home screen in a simple grid view or a double-size layout. These obviously aren’t the only features coming to iOS 17 since Apple is probably saving all the major ones for the WWDC event on 5th June.
There’s also a chance of seeing split-screen multitasking or floating windows of some sort on iOS for the first time with iOS 17.
Supported Devices
iOS 17 could drop support for many models, including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and the X. There’s no way to confirm whether these phones will get iOS 17 due to memory limitations. However, since Apple promises five years of updates, the iPhone XS and up should all get iOS 17. List of supported devices.
- iPhone XR, XS XS Max.
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max.
- iPhone SE 2020.
- iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max.
- iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max.
- iPhone SE 2022.
- iPhone 14, iPhone Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iOS 17: Release Date
Developer betas for iOS 17 will begin in June after the official WWDC announcements, and public betas will follow soon after. The public iOS 17 is mostly in September 2023, following the announcement of the iPhone 15 models.