APPLE

What to expect from iOS 17?

With less than two months to go until WWDC, rumors about the next big iPhone update are growing by the day. iOS 17 isn't expected to deliver groundbreaking new features, but there are some notable improvements that could come along.

Mark Gurman did that iOS 17 will include many of the features most requested by users, which bodes well for the new features we'll see on the iPhone. Since then, they have arrived additional details in this expected update.

Performance Improvements...iOS 17 will focus on bug fixes and performance improvements, especially on older devices. Apple, therefore, seems to be increasingly focused on increasing performance, efficiency and stability.

Translated into practical terms, Apple is working to make ‌iOS 17‌ a bug-free update even on older iPhones.

Interactive Widget...Apple is testing its interactive widget for the Home screen and Today screen on the iPhone, but apparently this new feature may be delayed for subsequent updates to iOS 17 or even iOS 18.

Interactive widgets would allow you to do much more than simple current view thus allowing users to interact with buttons, functions and more applications related to individual widgets.

Improved Search...New versions of iOS often feature improvements to Search and Spotlight, and it looks like ‌iOS 17‌ will be no exception. There's been a lot of attention on ChatGPT and other chatbot experiences that use AI trained on web content, but we don't expect anything quite as advanced from Apple.

Rumors about improved search aren't fleshed out, but Apple has worked in the past to simplify results, find text in photos and videos, and let users search for specific topics in images. There may be improvements to all these features along with new search features.

One area that is in dire need of improvement is Apple's in-app search, such as the Settings app's search function. The Settings app generally doesn't give you reliable results for the option you're looking for, so hopefully this falls within the scope of the iOS 17 improvement.

Alternative app stores...European regulations will soon require Apple to support sideloading and alternative app stores, giving customers in Europe a way to access apps outside of the App Store.

Apple is working to include this feature in iOS 17. We can expect the company to still allow security checks for apps downloaded from alternative stores, similar to the Mac Gatekeeper feature that prevents untrusted software from being installed on Macs. Additionally, Apple still plans to charge developers for access to iOS, though the fees could be lower than the 15 to 30 percent the company now charges the App Store.

When iOS 17 will be released...The first beta version of iOS 17 for developers should be available as early as June 5th, right after the presentation. The first public beta is scheduled for July, while the final release will take place in mid to late September.

Giuseppe Migliorino