The Marvels of iOS 17

By Malakhi Beyah, 2025

Published 9/30/2023

Every September, iPhone users can anticipate an enticing new operating system on their phones to explore and enjoy. This year was no exception, and Apple did not fail to deliver. The iPhone’s newest update, iOS 17, brings with it a myriad of new features to make the iPhone experience more seamless and entertaining.

Many of the update's new tricks involve how your iPhone interacts with other iPhones. NameDrop, for example, is a feature that allows you to share contacts with other iPhones simply by bringing the tops of your devices near each other. Each iPhone will display the other iPhone owner’s Contact Poster, a full-screen profile picture they can customize to their taste. Similarly, calls from other iPhones show the caller’s stylish Contact Poster, and leaving a voicemail will display a live transcript of the recording on top of the poster. Voicemails haven’t just improved for regular phone calls, though; you can now leave voicemails or even video recordings when someone misses your FaceTime calls. 

Some new iPhone features stand on their own, too. For instance, StandBy turns your iPhone into a miniature home assistant when charging on its side. You can customize StandBy to display various widgets from your calendar, music, photos, and many of your favorite apps. Apple also claims to have improved your typing experience with machine learning, which will make autocorrect quicker and more accurate. 

iOS 17 gives iPhone users even more reasons to enjoy handling their phones in their everyday lives. The ease and excitement this update brings should not leave a doubt in anyone’s mind about updating immediately. What are you waiting for? Go to Settings, update your phone, and say “Siri” to explore the variety of experiences that iOS 17 has to offer.