iOS 17

iOS 17: News, Price (Free), Release Date, and Features

iOS 17 is the latest iPhone OS. Here's how to install it and all its new features and improvements

By
Tim Fisher
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on September 20, 2023

iOS 17 released to the general public on September 18, 2023, replacing iOS 16 as the latest iPhone operating system. It features more lock screen widgets, access to third-party app stores, and significant improvements to iMessage.

iOS 17 Release Date

In line with its yearly iOS release history, Apple first introduced iOS 17 in June at WWDC 2023. The first Public Beta of iOS 17 became available on July 12. It's been available for public use since September 18, 2023.

iOS 17 will install automatically if your phone is compatible (there's a list below), or you can check for iOS updates manually via Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS 17 Price

iOS updates are free. If your phone is compatible with this update, you can install it at no cost.

iOS 17 Features

Every major iOS update brings lots of changes. iOS 17 continues this trend of new ideas, as well as improvements on existing ones.

  • Phone gets personalized contact Posters with treatments and emojis. When someone leaves a voicemail, you can see the transcript right away. Apple is also moving the location of the End Call button from the bottom center of the screen to the lower-right corner.
  • FaceTime lets you leave messages if the other person misses your call.
  • In Messages, you can now use search filters to narrow down results. New capabilities include catch-up, swipe to reply, transcribed audio messages, automatic removal of verification codes, and location sharing in a conversation. Check-In automatically lets your friends know when you've arrived at your destination. There's also a brand-new Stickers experience, with all emojis available as stickers. You can also make Live Stickers with your own photos.
  • A new feature in AirDrop, NameDrop lets you bring your phone together with your friend's to quickly and easily exchange information. You can use it with two iPhones, and you can even use it with an iPhone and Apple Watch. Plus, you can instantly kick off shared activity with SharePlay, for example watching the same live stream.
  • The iOS 17's keyboard is more intelligent than ever before. Autocorrect, powered by machine learning, is more powerful and intuitive. It even learns new words and offers suggestions to finish words and sentences. Dictation is more accurate thanks to a neural engine.
  • Journal is a new journaling app that uses contacts, locations, photos, podcasts, music, and more to make suggestions to start a new journal entry. Journal lets you add media with one tap and even provides writing prompts to get you started.
  • StandBy is a new fullscreen experience that lets you use your iPhone as a clock on your bedside table; it adapts to low light and even remembers your preferred view. In addition, it supports live activities and works with Siri. This feature is similar to the Apple Watch's Nightstand Mode, but the larger screen can show more information.
  • Offline support for Apple Maps means you can get turn-by-turn directions, ETAs, and more, even without an internet connection.
  • "Hey, Siri" has been shortened to simply, "Siri." Plus, you can now give Siri back-to-back commands without having to repeat, "Siri."

A feature request we've seen from some users is call recording, but Apple didn't include that in iOS 17. While there are already ways to record calls on an iPhone, having it built right into the Phone app would be great. However, we're not confident this will ever arrive because of the challenge of following call recording laws, which can vary between even specific regions within the same country.

iOS 17 Supported Devices

iOS 17 is available for these iPhone models:

  • iPhone 15
  • iPhone 15 Plus
  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

iOS 16 worked on iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X, but since those phones came out in 2017 and the company doesn't usually continue to provide OS updates to devices that old, they aren't eligible for iOS 17.

The Latest News About iOS 17

You can get more smartphone news from Lifewire. Here are some stories about iOS 17 specifically: