Apple plans to issue software updates for its iPhone, iPad and wristwatch on Monday, providing new features and designs for compatible devices.
The most significant redesign of the Apple Watch’s interface since its release, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 were unveiled at the company’s developer conference in June. New standby modes, contact posters, enhanced customisation, and a much-improved keyboard with autocorrect that allows you to curse are all included.
What you should know about the upgrades is provided here.
When can I get it?
iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS update downloads typically begin at 6:00 p.m. UK time, or 1:00 p.m. in New York and 3:30 a.m. in Sydney. As opposed to being published gradually like updates from other manufacturers, all compatible Apple devices will be able to download and install the update immediately upon its release.
Which devices can get it?
All Apple smartphones from 2018’s iPhone XS or newer can install iOS 17. All tablets from the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5in or 2018 iPad (6th gen) and newer can install iPadOS 17. All Apple Watches from the 2018’s Series 4 or newer can install watchOS 10.
How do I get it?
On an iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app and select General > Software Update. If downloading is available, select install, confirm, and reboot to complete the installation. The update can also be installed on a Mac or a Windows computer through iTunes.
An iPhone XS or later must be running iOS 17 in order to use WatchOS 10. The installation will then start when you open the Watch app on your phone and go to General > Software Update. To finish the update, you must place the smartwatch on its charger.
How much will it cost?
The updates are free from Apple. If you are being asked to pay for an update, it is likely to be a scam.
iPhone – iOS 17
Improved keyboard autocorrect
By learning from your manual corrections, Apple’s keyboard will eventually allow you to swear, which should put “ducking” typos to rest. When it does make a mistake, you can click on the underlined words to see the corrected text. Like Gmail from Google and other services, the keyboard can now anticipate and finish entire words as you enter.
Contact posters, video messages and live voicemail
You may personalise how you seem when contacting people using contact posters, which feature your photo, text, and configurable colours that appear on receivers’ phones and in their contacts app when you make a call.
With NameDrop, you can choose what to transmit and bring another iPhone or Apple Watch close to you to exchange your contact information. Other filesharing interactions with AirDrop use the similar proximity technique.
The phone app, which was initially limited to users in the US and Canada, can now automatically transcribe voicemail messages in real time, allowing you to know who is calling and what the call is about before you answer. This feature is useful for avoiding spam calls.
In the event that the receiver is unavailable, FaceTime callers can now leave video voicemails. With an Apple TV box and an iPhone or iPad, you can make video chats on a TV. You can also trigger animated reactions with hand movements like thumbs up, which include rising balloons and other parts.
StandBy mode, just ‘Siri’ and offline Apple Maps
When the iPhone is turned landscape while charging, the new Standby mode allows it to transform into a tiny smart display that shows the clock, widgets, photographs, and other information at a glance, including Siri interactions. When using Apple’s voice assistant, a new option eliminates the “hey” from “hey Siri.” This allows the assistant to process consecutive requests without requiring the user to repeat “Siri” each time.
Similar to Google Maps’ well-known function, you may save portions of a map in the Apple Maps app for offline access, including directions, business hours, and other data. Now that profiles are available, Apple’s Safari browser has caught up to competitors like Chrome and Firefox. They let you have distinct bookmarks, settings, websites, and cookies for different purposes, including business and home.
Check In
Check In is a new safety tool that allows you to share your whereabouts with friends or family. When you arrive home, the system recognises it immediately and notifies them. When it detects a delay, it can email your contact details, including your location and battery life, so they can assist you.
iPad – iPadOS 17
With a few upgrades made specifically for the larger-screen models, Apple’s tablets receive the most of the new features of iOS 17.
Customise lock screen with widgets
With the release of iOS 16, which is now available for the iPad, Apple allowed for significant customising of iPhone lock screens last year. Users can add widgets, utilise animated wallpaper, modify the typeface and other choices, while live activities, such as flight monitoring and other real-time events now show on the lock screen.
Health app now on an iPad
You can now view data from both first- and third-party apps, including activity and sleep tracking, in Apple’s well-known Health app on the iPad. It can be used to log things like your vision or mental health and evaluate data trends. It includes a new tablet-sized interface.
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Stage Manager multitasking improvements
App windows can now be resized and positioned wherever on the desktop during multitasking, as opposed to being restricted to certain spaces as with iPadOS 16. You can open an app in your current desktop space by tapping or clicking on its icon when you hold down the shift key on a keyboard that is connected to your tablet. The iPad now seems more like a Mac or desktop PC thanks to these minor changes.
Apple Watch – watchOS 10
Many of the new features from iOS 17 are carried over to WatchOS 10, including contact posters and NameDrop. However, Apple has also modified the way that a few components of the operating system work.
Revamped apps
The majority of the watch’s built-in apps have been updated with greater colour and motion, as well as with the ability to display more content on each page with less scrolling. For instance, you may swipe the screen to change the weather, temperature, possibility of rain, and other metrics on the Weather app, while larger and more detailed graphs showing your daily progress are available on the Activity, Heart Rate, and Sleep applications.
Widgets now front and centre
Now, you can access widgets directly from the watch face by swiping up from the bottom or scrolling to see a stack of them. In order to display timely information first, the widgets constantly change based on the time of day, your location, and how you use your watch. You may also personalise the widgets and pin the most critical ones.
Two important aspects have to be changed to make room for the widgets. Instead of swiping up from the bottom, you now tap the side button to access the control centre and change settings. You may now access the dock of recently used apps from prior watchOS versions by double-clicking the Digital Crown. To change your watchface, you now need to press and hold on the face before swiping left or right.
Snoopy, Woodstock, Palette and more new watchfaces
There are numerous new watchface options available. The Palette face uses three overlapping layers beneath analogue hands to change colour throughout the day. The Woodstock and Snoopy faces enable the namesake characters to humorously respond to your motions, the temperature, and the time of day. There is now an analogue version of the solar watch face in addition to the newly released animated Nike Globe face.
Additionally, the Watch Ultra receives a new, more information-dense Modular Ultra face that can display up to seven complications on screen for the first time and adds information to the screen bezel.
Cycling Power and Bluetooth accessories
The Workouts app can now display and record parameters like cadence, speed, power, and power zones by connecting to Bluetooth cycling peripherals like pedal power metres. When installed on your handlebars, the watch can also connect to your iPhone and display real-time riding data on the phone’s screen, acting as a stand-in for your handlebar-mounted bike computer.
