Significant upgrades to communication apps, enhanced text input intelligence, simpler sharing via AirDrop, and new Journal and StandBy experiences are all included in this release.
Today, Apple unveiled IOS 17.4 Update, a significant update that enhances messaging, phone, and facetime; simplifies sharing with AirDrop; and offers more intelligent input to increase typing speed and accuracy. Additionally, iOS 17 offers new experiences like StandBy, a new way to view glanceable information when iPhone is placed down and charging, and Journal, an app that makes it simple for users to practice gratitude.
Senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, Craig Federighi, stated, “With IOS 17.4 Update, we’ve made iPhone more personal and intuitive by deeply considering the features we all rely on every day.” Our communication relies heavily on the phone, facetime, and messages, and this version is jam-packed with features we hope our consumers will adore. Along with many other changes, we’ve redesigned AirDrop to include additional sharing options, improved autocorrection, brand-new Journal and StandBy experiences, and much more. We are eager for everyone to give it a try.
Major Upgrades to the Phone Experience In IOS 17.4 Update
Personalized Contact Posters, a new way for users to express themselves, are a major improvement for the Phone app, which is essential to the iPhone experience. Users have the ability to alter their appearance, giving incoming calls a whole new appearance. They can also select gorgeous photo or Memoji treatments, striking typography, and eye-catching font colors. There will also be Contact Posters accessible for outside calling applications.
With Live Voicemail, customers may see the transcription in real time as a voicemail is being left and have the option to answer the call while the message is being left. Calls that carriers deem to be spam will not show up as Live Voicemail; instead, they will be denied immediately. The Neural Engine’s power allows for live voicemail transcription to be done on-device and in complete privacy.
FaceTime Adds Audio and Video Messages, Reactions, and Extends to Apple TV
FaceTime users may now send audio and video messages to people who aren’t present when they call them, allowing them to enjoy the communication at a later time.
With Reactions like balloons, fireworks, rain, laser beams, love, and more, FaceTime chats become even more expressive. Simple movements may be used to activate the new effects, and third-party video calling applications can also benefit from them.
The largest screen in the house can now host FaceTime thanks to an interesting update for Apple TV 4K. With the help of Continuity Camera, customers can see their friends and family on their television by starting a video conversation on Apple TV directly, or they can start the call on their iPhone and transfer it to Apple TV. Users moving around the room will always have proper framing thanks to Center Stage.
A Fresh Look and Big Updates to Messages
With iOS 17, Messages receives major upgrades that include a completely new stickers experience with new emoji stickers and the ability to create Live Stickers by removing subjects from photographs. In addition to adding effects to Live Stickers to make them come to life, users can now store all of their stickers in one convenient location for quicker access across iOS in a new drawer within the keyboard.
The way users communicate is improved by new capabilities in Messages. Messages looks sleeker with an expanding menu that can be accessed with a single swipe to see iMessage apps. With search filters, users may start a search, add more filters to refine the results, and get exactly what they’re looking for. Search becomes more effective and precise. Simply swiping on a text bubble to reply inline is as easy as where the user left off in the discussion, indicated by a new catch-up arrow. A user’s location will update in real time within the conversation if they reveal it. Users can view or listen to the automatically transcribed audio message at any time after submitting it.
In addition, Check In—a crucial tool for informing loved ones or friends that one has arrived safely at their destination—is introduced in Messages. A friend or family member will be alerted automatically as soon as the user arrives once they start a Check In. The device’s position, battery life, and cell service status will be momentarily shared with the designated contact if they are not making any headway toward their objective. Every shared piece of data is end-to-end encrypted.
Easier Sharing with AirDrop and NameDrop
Sharing files with coworkers or sending pictures to friends is made simple with AirDrop, and iOS 17 adds more sharing options. With NameDrop, users only need to bring their iPhones or Apple Watches together to transfer contact information effortlessly.1. By using the same gesture, users may launch SharePlay and exchange content between nearby iPhone devices so they can play games, watch movies, or listen to music.
Improvements to Autocorrect and Dictation Deliver More Intelligent Input
With a transformer language model, which is a cutting-edge on-device machine learning language model for word prediction, Autocorrect receives a thorough update that enhances user experience and accuracy with each typing session. Additionally, a new design has been added to enhance typing support, and sentence-level autocorrections may now correct a wider range of grammatical errors. Text entry will now be faster than ever thanks to the inline predictive text predictions that users will now see as they type. To add words or complete phrases, simply tap the space bar. Dictation further improves accuracy by utilizing a new voice recognition model.
StandBy Displays Glanceable Information While iPhone Is Charging
With the release of iOS 17, users can now enjoy a full-screen experience with easily readable information while charging their iPhone on its side. This feature is known as StandBy. StandBy looks great on a desk, kitchen counter, or nightstand. It can be customized to show a variety of lovely clock faces, cherished images, or widgets, such as Smart Stacks, which surface the appropriate widgets at the appropriate moment. When viewed from a distance, the iPhone becomes even more helpful thanks to StandBy, which supports Live Activities, Siri, incoming calls, and larger notifications. StandBy remembers the user’s chosen view when charging via MagSafe. Tapping the screen at any moment to activate StandBy is simple, and on the iPhone 14 Pro with Always-On display, it is always available.
A New Way to Appreciate Life’s Moments with Journal
Journal is a brand-new software that encourages journaling, which has been demonstrated to increase wellness, and helps iPhone users reflect and practice appreciation. A user’s journal entry may be inspired by a personalized suggestion that is given using on-device machine learning. It’s simple to begin a journal entry with the help of intelligently curated suggestions based on recent activity, which include images, people, places, workouts, and more. Scheduled notifications can also aid in developing a journaling habit. The features of Journal, including as its lock feature, on-device processing, and end-to-end encryption, are designed to safeguard user privacy and guarantee that no one, not even Apple, can access the user’s entries. Developers will be able to incorporate journaling suggestions into their products with the new Journaling Suggestions API.2.
Additional features in IOS 17.4 Update:
Security: Safari offers improved security for Private Browsing against trackers while a user browses and against those who may get access to a user’s device. To further aid in preventing websites from tracking or identifying a user’s device, advanced tracking and fingerprinting measures are implemented. Now that Private Browsing locks when not in use, users can continue to browse even after turning their device away.
iCloud Keychain : Users can share passwords with a trusted group of contacts to make password and passkey sharing simpler and more secure. Passwords can be added and updated by any member of the group. Sharing is end-to-end secured because it happens via iCloud Keychain.
Health App: There are new mental health elements in the Health app. Users may readily obtain depression and anxiety assessments that are frequently used in clinics, as well as resources available in their area, by logging their daily moods and fleeting feelings and seeing what might be influencing their mental condition. Furthermore, reducing the distance at which the device is seen can help adult users minimize digital eyestrain and help children lessen their risk of myopia. Screen Distance in Screen Time encourages users to pull their smartphone away after holding it for an extended amount of time closer than 12 inches from their face by using the TrueDepth camera.
Maps: addition of offline maps, users can download a particular region and utilize turn-by-turn directions, as well as discover locations in Maps and view their anticipated arrival time. Additionally, maps facilitate the discovery of thousands of trails in US parks and provide drivers of electric vehicles with real-time information on charging availability.
AirTag : Friends and family can track an item in Find My by sharing an AirTag with up to five additional users. When a shared AirTag is close by, everyone in the group can utilize Precision Finding to help locate it, as well as view the location of the object and play a sound. This is compatible with every other Find My network accessory as well.
Apple Music: Collaborative Playlists on Apple Music make it easier than ever to listen to music with friends, and SharePlay in cars makes it simple for all passengers to change what’s playing.3 Even without an Apple Music subscription, listeners can manage the music on their own devices.
Airplay: With on-device intelligence now able to understand a user’s preferences, AirPlay content sharing has never been simpler. Traveling with preferred material on the TV is made easy for users thanks to AirPlay’s compatibility with hotel televisions. Constructed on a basis of confidentiality and safety, this feature will be accessible by year’s end at a few properties, mostly those owned by IHG properties & Resorts.
AirPods: The personal audio experience is redefined with the powerful new capabilities that AirPods offer, such as Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and Conversation Awareness. Additionally, the call controls and Automatic Switching have been improved to make using AirPods even simpler.
Home App: Users can now access activity history for door locks, garage doors, alarm systems, and contact sensors for up to 30 days using the Home app. Furthermore, Matter-compatible locks can now use the two well-liked HomeKit lock features, tap to open and PIN codes, adding even more methods to link the home.
Reminders: To make grocery shopping easier, Reminders has a grocery list that automatically organizes newly added products into categories. Users have the ability to rearrange the items’ groupings, and the list retains their selections.
Visual Look Up: You can now use Visual Look Up in video frames that are paused. Users are now able to lift specific subjects from images and videos, as well as recognize food, stores, signs, and symbols.
Siri: All you have to do to get Siri going is say “Siri.” After the assistant is turned on, users can give orders one after another without having to turn it back on.
Photo Album: The People album in Photos makes use of on-device machine learning to identify more images of a user’s preferred people, as well as dogs and cats.
Privacy update: In order to help keep children safe while sending and receiving content via AirDrop, Contact Posters, FaceTime messages, and the Photos picker for selecting what to transmit, privacy upgrades have expanded the scope of Communication Safety beyond Messages. It goes beyond still photos to include video content as well. Sensitive Content Warning, a new feature, assists adult users in avoiding unsolicited nude photos and videos. Similar to Communication Safety, Apple does not have access to the image or video content because all image and video processing for Sensitive Content Warning takes place on-device.
Accessibility updates : Assistive Access is a customizable interface that makes using the iPhone easier and more independent for people with cognitive disabilities. Live Speech allows nonspeaking users to type and have their words spoken in person, over the phone, or during FaceTime calls. Personal Voice allows users who are at risk of losing their voice to create a voice that sounds like them. Point and Speak is a feature that helps people who are blind or have low vision read text on physical objects by pointing.
Conclusion
The launch of Apple IOS 17.4 Update represents a major advancement in improving the iPhone user experience in a variety of communication and productivity aspects. With significant improvements to FaceTime, message, and phone, along with new features like StandBy and Journal, Apple has shown that it is dedicated to making the iPhone user-friendly, individualized, and supportive of users’ daily requirements. The addition of features like NameDrop, enhanced autocorrect, and sophisticated privacy safeguards reinforces iOS 17’s status as a feature-rich and user-focused version. iOS 17 establishes a new standard for mobile operating systems with an emphasis on improving productivity, accessibility, privacy, and communication. It promises a more seamless and enriching experience for all users.
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