Every year Apple unveils a new generation of operating systems at the June Worldwide Developer’s Conference. It then releases them as developer and public betas a while later, and as a finished product by the autumn. The public beta of iOS 17 was released on 12 July, and the developer beta was made available for free too.
iOS 17 boasts a range of new features for any iPhone that can run them. For instance, there are personalised Contact Posters to design and use, and Live Voicemails where incoming voicemail messages are transcribed and the text shown in real time, so you can decide whether or not to take the call. Or, if you ring someone using FaceTime and they don’t pick up, in iOS 17 you can now leave a voice or video message for them.
The Messages apps gets some upgrades too, such as a more comprehensive search feature, inline replies and other cool functions. For safety, Check In can be used to send a friend or family member a message when you’ve reached your destination. Also look out for new Stickers, sharing contacts via AirDrop, and a new StandBy feature.
Whether you download the public beta or wait until the new operating system’s final release, there’s plenty to see and do in iOS 17. Over the next few pages, we show you some of the latest features and how to use them.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s take an in-depth look at the iPhone’s latest iOS 17 operating system, right now.
Which iPhones can run iOS 17?
iOS 17 requires a more up-to-date iPhone than previous versions. It’s worth noting that even if your device is listed below, it may not support every feature in iOS 17. For example, the new feature that allows you to lift the subject of an image away from its background only works on iPhones with an A12 Bionic chip or later.
List of supported devices
✓ iPhone 14
✓ iPhone 14 Plus
✓ iPhone 14 Pro
✓ iPhone 14 Pro Max
✓ iPhone 13 mini
✓ iPhone 13
✓ iPhone 13 Pro
✓ iPhone 13 Pro Max
✓ iPhone 12
✓ iPhone 12 mini
✓ iPhone 12 Pro
✓ iPhone 12 Pro Max
✓ iPhone 11 Pro Max
✓ iPhone 11 Pro
✓ iPhone 11
✓ iPhone XS Max
✓ iPhone XS
✓ iPhone XR
✓ iPhone SE (2020)
✓ iPhone SE (2022)
Phone, Messages and Stickers
What’s new for iPhone’s communication apps?
Clear communication is what the iPhone is all about, and Apple has paid a great deal of attention to its capabilities in iOS 17. For the Phone app, there are Contact Posters. You create a Contact Poster by selecting a photograph or memoji to represent yourself and choose whether you want it to be cut out. You can thenchoose a font and colour for your name and, if applicable, a colour for the background. When completed, the Contact Poster will appear on other people’s phones when you call them. It’s also used for your contact card as a consistent visual identity across iOS. Third-party developers can incorporate them into their mobile calling apps too.
