With fewer than two months until the Worldwide Developers Conference, speculation surrounding Apple’s next-generation iOS has increased. iOS 17 isn’t likely to include a major headline feature like iOS 16’s Lock Screen, but there are some significant improvements in the pipeline.
Redesign of the Control Center
Since iOS 7, we’ve had a distinct Control Center, but it hasn’t seen any significant upgrades since iOS 11. That could change with iOS 17, since Apple is believed to be redesigning the Control Center.
The Control Center might be redesigned and made more customizable, with users being able to choose what is displayed and where controls are situated for a more streamlined interface that is matched to each individual’s needs.
Additional dynamic island functionality
Apple debuted the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and all models in this year’s iPhone 15 lineup are expected to include the Dynamic Island rather than the notch.
The Dynamic Island can currently display timers, sports scores, incoming phone calls, low battery alarms, Apple Pay confirmations, charging status, Maps directions, and other information, but it is still limited in its capabilities, particularly for third-party apps.
While we don’t have much information, Apple is rumored to be intending to add more features to the Dynamic Island in order to make it more useful. Siri, for example, may be transferred to the dynamic island. When you activate Siri, the Siri icon might appear in the Dynamic Island rather than at the bottom of the screen, making Siri less intrusive.
Needed performance enhancements
Prior to the announcement of a slew of new quality-of-life features for iOS 17, Gurman stated that it would be a “tuneup” version focusing on bug fixes and performance enhancements. Apple appears to be still focused on improving performance, efficiency, and stability.
Apple is thought to be focusing on long-term support for older devices, implying that effort is being made to make iOS 17 a bug-free update even on iPhones with older hardware.
Active Widgets Apple is “testing” an active widget experience for the iPhone’s Home Screen and Today View, but this isn’t a feature that will be included in iOS 17.
Active widgets are more engaging, doing more than just showing information or allowing you to tap into an app. Widgets may be made more dynamic by adding interactive features like one-tap buttons, sliders, and more.
Improved Search
iOS updates are frequently accompanied by enhancements to Search and Spotlight, and iOS 17 appears to be no exception. ChatGPT and other chatbot experiences that leverage AI trained on online material have received a lot of attention, but we don’t expect anything nearly that advanced from Apple. Although there have been no specific reports about better search, Apple has already attempted to expedite search results, identify text in photos and videos, and allow users to search for specific subjects in images. All of these aspects may be improved, as well as the search capabilities.
Apple’s in-app search, like the search function in the Settings app, is in desperate need of updating. The Settings app frequently fails to deliver reliable results for the desired setting, so maybe this will fall under the search improvement umbrella.
App Store Alternatives
European legislation may soon oblige Apple to offer sideloading and alternative app shops, allowing European users to access apps other than the App Store.
Apple is working on incorporating this functionality into iOS 17, but it is only expected to be available to consumers in the European Union. If regulations in other countries change, these possibilities may eventually be expanded, so it will be fascinating to watch how Apple handles sideloading in the end.
We may expect Apple to include security checks for sideloaded apps similar to the Mac Gatekeeper function, which stops untrusted software from being installed, and this will not be a mechanism for developers to avoid taxes. Apple intends to continue charging developers for access to iOS, although the costs may be lower than the 15 to 30 percent that Apple currently charges.
Apple has until March 2024 to comply with the new European legislation, so while sideloading is not required in the first public versions of iOS 17, it must be deployed at some point during the iOS 17 development cycle.
A Different CarPlay Experience
Apple demonstrated a next-generation version of CarPlay during WWDC 2022, which is likely to be introduced in 2023. It supports several displays in a vehicle, allowing the CarPlay experience to be applied to the infotainment system, instrument cluster, and other systems.
The integration of the instrument cluster is a new feature that will give CarPlay more control over the vehicle’s activities. It will connect with the speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, and other instruments. Vehicle climate controls will be accessible directly through CarPlay, eliminating the need to exit the system to adjust the heat or air conditioning, and Apple is also planning to add a set of helpful widgets that will show you data like your trip’s duration, fuel economy, the weather, and your HomeKit devices.
Date of Publication
Apple will release iOS 17 to developers following the WWDC keynote presentation on June 5, giving us our first glimpse at the new features. Public beta testers will most likely be granted access later in July, and the software will be released in September alongside new iPhone models.
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