If there’s one thing that was abundantly clear about what we’d see at WWDC 2023 today, it was the first contact with iOS 17, the future version of Apple’s operating system for the iPhone, which, how could it be otherwise, was shown by the ineffable Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering and also one of those responsible for contributing, whenever he attends a presentation, some witty and striking note. Today, for example, we saw how he got to work with a three-neck guitar (two and a half more than I’m able to use with minimal ease).

Finally, and as rumors began months ago, We are facing an update that will not go down in history as particularly noteworthy, at least given what we’ve been told about it today. And of course, it’s possible that more interesting and noteworthy news will appear between now and its launch, or even in its updates. However, what we saw today is interesting because it may bring some differences and improvements to the everyday use of the iPhone.

Phone and FaceTime

I know I say this from time to time, but it just amazes me how many people use their iPhone for everything… except making phone calls. However, Apple has not forgotten those of us who remember what the text displayed to the right of the iconic device means, and will subsequently offer some interesting news related to this feature, which de phone on smartphone concept.

The first thing in this regard is that iOS 17 will allow us to configure individually (for the contacts we want, of course) the elements that appear when we receive a call from that person, namely the image we want to display and the text and its location. Short of seeing it in action, it looks a lot like the lock screen editor, so we can imagine that the composition of these new call screens will be edited in a similar way.

Another interesting new feature is Live Voicemail, which will allow us to do this display real-time text transcripts when a caller chooses to leave us a voicemail and further, as was the case with the use of physical answering machines, we will have the option of picking up the call when the user is already leaving said message. And for the peace of mind of those most concerned about privacy, the speech-to-text transcription will be done on the device itself.

Also related to Live Voicemail, Apple tells us that in iOS 17, when we receive a call that is considered spam by carriers, they will not be forwarded to voicemail but will be rejected directly. It will be necessary to check how exactly this filter works, but if the information provided by the operators is correct and up-to-date, the truth is that it can be a huge relief.

As for FaceTime, Apple’s video calling service with iOS 17 It will start enabling audio and video messages when we call a contact and they are not available.and in conversations you can use reactions like hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, raindrops, etc. in the style of what we can already see in services related to more direct ones. According to Apple, these reactions are compatible with third-party video calling apps.

News

There are several new features coming to this other veteran iPhone communication feature. I personally think so the most important and therefore noteworthy is the Register of Arrivals. With it, an iPhone user can confirm to family and friends that they have arrived safely at their destination, which can be very useful in many contexts and will no doubt serve to reassure or reassure many people. Early warning if an incident occurs.

For this last and crucial purpose, if the user whose movement is being tracked does not appear to be heading towards the target, the app will automatically share useful information such as device location, battery status, and coverage status. This data will only be shared with the person selected and temporarily. All this data will be shared using end-to-end encryption.

News is now in a more playful and entertaining aspect allows you to create live stickers from images. To do this, it will be able to separate the subject of the photo from its background, and once it does, effects can be added to animate said images. In addition, it will also be possible to add emoticons and stickers to the images.

Daily application

This is an expected novelty, as its existence was leaked some time ago. The Diario app, which debuts in iOS 17, is supposed to be a tool that will allow us, as its name suggests, to follow our daily activities and tribulations. As we can deduce from what Apple has stated, its orientation is towards optimism and gratitude as a way to improve our well-being. However, it will of course be up to the user what they want to write on it on each occasion.

To enrich the application experience orwill offer personalized suggestions based on the user’s recent activitiesand in them we’ll find photos, people, places, training and more, making it easier to transfer our daily activities from iOS 17 apps and features to newspapers.

Due to the sensitive type of information that such an application may contain, it will be possible to block access to it, all your activities and suggestions will be processed exclusively locally, and in the event that we share any of your information with third parties, these communications will use end-to-end encryption. By using the API, developers will be able to integrate theme designs that will be displayed to users of their apps.

More iOS 17 news

There are a few more new releases we’re looking at in this list:

• AirDrop and NameDrop improvements: a system for sharing digital assets on the go between Apple devices is improved by allowing contact information to be shared simply by bringing one iPhone close to another or an Apple Watch through NameDrop.
• Mental health in health: an application dedicated to monitoring the health of the user, finally adds functions related to the control and monitoring of mood and emotions, in addition to offering access to the evaluation criteria for depression and anxiety used in health centers, as well as to the resources available on the user’s desktop.
• Autocorrect and dictation improvements: two elements of the operating system that have been in need of a good update for some time, which finally comes with iOS 17. According to Apple, in addition to the interface change that will make it easier to use suggestions, the machine learning process integrated into the operating system will ensure that suggestions and corrections are more accurate. Dictation also uses a new model that will increase its level of accuracy.
• Rest: iPhone 14 Pro users will be able to get more from the always-on screen with this feature that will display information on the full screen while the device is charging. This mode can display «very striking clocks, user’s favorite photos, widgets and even smart groups that display suitable widgets for every occasion. Because it also supports live activities, Siri, incoming calls and large format notifications«.
• siri: As we told you the day before yesterday, Siri will say goodbye to “Hello” that we sing whenever we want to invoke her. In this way, Apple intends to encourage shorter and more direct interactions with the iOS 17 voice assistant.

These are the most notable iOS 17 news from what Apple showed today. So, as you can see, there are no particularly notable changes or innovations, nor will they fundamentally change the experience of using the iPhone. Taken together, however, they provide some improvements that warrant the upgrade.

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