Developer Beta Available Now
After yesterday’s presentation, Apple released the first beta versions of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 to developers for testing purposes.
Registered developers can participate in the beta by opening the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping Beta Updates, and enabling the iOS 16 Developer Beta. An ID is required to download and install the beta The Apple ID associated with the developer account.
iOS 17 is a major update that introduces a custom look for each caller, with the person making the call also able to customize their look. Live voicemail lets you see the transcript of the message in real time, and the voice messages people send in iMessage are now translated to text. You can also record video or audio messages when someone doesn’t answer a FaceTime call and FaceTime is running on Apple TV using the Continuity feature.
iOS 17 introduced with many new features
The Messages app has a new interface for a cleaner look and a new Check In feature designed to let friends and family see each other’s movements while traveling. Check In automatically notifies friends or family members when they arrive at their destination, such as home. You can now also share your location directly from the Messages app.
The group chat has an arrow so you can see the first message in the conversation, and search filters make it easy to find a specific message. Stickers have been redesigned again. Using the remove from background feature in iOS 17, you can turn an object from any image into a sticker.
With StandBy, an iPhone placed horizontally becomes a small home hub that displays information such as the calendar, time, home controls and more, while live action can also be displayed in full screen.
Home screen widgets are interactive, so you can do things like mark an item on your to-do list or turn off the lights without opening the app. AirDrop has been improved with NameDrop for quickly sharing contacts, plus you can hold two iPhones together to start a SharePlay session. SharePlay also now works with CarPlay, so passengers can listen to their music in the car as well.
Other new features include a journaling app coming later this year, AirPlay in select hotel rooms, improvements to the AirPods Pro 2 with new Adaptive Audio, offline maps, Siri that doesn’t require “Hi” to activate (Hey ), as well as search and spotlight improvements.
Apple will release a public beta this summer.
