Overview of Apple iOS 17.3 Update Features

Apple’s latest mobile operating system, Apple iOS 17.3 beta, has recently been released. Apple fans who haven’t caught up yet can manually download the update in “Settings > General > Software Update”.

The main new features in this version largely strengthen the system’s multitasking capabilities and bug fixes, including:

Table of Contents

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• Phone
• Messages
• FaceTime
• StandBy
• Widgets
• AirDrop
• Safari & Passwords
• Music
• AirPlay
• AirPods
• Maps
• Health
• Privacy
• Accessibility
• Other Features and Improvements

Phone

• “Contact Posters” lets you customize how you appear on other people’s devices when you call them using a custom poster.

Messages

• The “Stickers” iMessage App brings all your stickers together in one place, including “Live Stickers”, Memoji, Animoji, emoji stickers, and your third-party sticker packs
• Create “Live Stickers” by extracting a subject from a photo or video and adding stylized effects like “Shiny”, “Puffy”, “Comic”, and “Outline”
• “Check In” can automatically notify friends and family when you arrive safely at your destination and share useful information with them if you are delayed
• Voice message transcription is available for received voice messages so you can read them as you receive them and listen later
• Search improvements help you find messages faster; you can combine search filters such as contacts, keywords, and content types like photos or links to precisely find what you’re looking for
• Swipe any bubble to the right to reply to a message inline
• After using a verification code via “AutoFill” in other apps, single-use code cleanup automatically deletes the code from the “Messages” App

FaceTime

• When others don’t answer your FaceTime call, you can leave a concise video or voice message
• Use your iPhone as a camera to enjoy FaceTime calls on Apple TV (Apple TV 4K 2nd generation and later)
• “Reactions” lets you use gestures during video calls to trigger 3D effects like hearts, balloons, and confetti around you
• Video effects let you adjust the intensity of “Studio Light” and “Portrait” modes

StandBy

• When you charge your iPhone on its side on a nightstand, kitchen counter, or desktop, the full-screen experience lets you glance at information from clocks, photos, and widgets from a distance
• “Clock” has multiple styles to choose from, including “Digital”, “Analog”, “Solar”, “Float”, and “World Clock”, and you can personalize elements (such as accent color)
• “Photos” automatically shuffles your best photos or displays a specific selected album
• “Widgets” lets you view information from a distance and provides the right data at the right time with “Smart Stacks”
• “Night Mode” lets clocks, photos, and widgets display in red tones in low-light environments
• MagSafe charger-specific preferred display remembers whether you prefer to display the clock, photos, or widgets when charging via MagSafe at each location

Widgets

• Interactive widgets let you tap widgets on the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or in “StandBy” to take action directly from them, such as marking a reminder as complete
• iPhone widgets on Mac let you add iPhone widgets to your Mac desktop

AirDrop

• NameDrop lets you exchange contact information with new people by bringing your iPhones close together
• A new way to start AirDrop lets you bring your iPhones close together to share content via AirDrop or start a SharePlay session

**Safari **& Passwords

• “Profiles” lets you separate browsing topics like work and personal, keeping history, cookies, extensions, “Tab Groups”, and favorites separate
• Enhanced “Private Browsing” can lock your private browsing windows when you’re not using them, prevent loading known trackers, and remove identifying tracking from URLs
• Password and passkey sharing lets you create a group of passwords to share with trusted contacts, with passwords updating in real time as group members make changes
• AutoFill single-use verification codes from “Mail” in Safari, logging in without leaving the browser

Music

• “SharePlay” lets every user in the car easily control and play Apple Music
• Crossfade smoothly transitions between songs by fading out the currently playing song while fading in the next, so the music never stops

AirPlay

• The smart AirPlay device list displays devices in order of relevance based on your preferences, making it easier to find the right AirPlay-compatible TV or speaker
• The system proactively shows suggested AirPlay device connections via notifications, letting you connect more smoothly to your preferred AirPlay device
• An AirPlay device connection is automatically established between your iPhone and the most relevant AirPlay-compatible device, and you can start enjoying your content with just a tap on “Play”

AirPods

• “Adaptive Audio” provides a new listening mode that dynamically blends “Active Noise Cancellation” and “Transparency mode”, tailoring the noise control experience to your environmental conditions (AirPods Pro 2nd generation, firmware version 6A300 or later)
• “Personalized Volume” adjusts media volume at any time based on your environment and listening preferences (AirPods Pro 2nd generation, firmware version 6A300 or later)
• “Conversation Awareness” lowers media volume and enhances the voice of the person in front of the user while reducing background noise (AirPods Pro 2nd generation, firmware version 6A300 or later)
• Press the AirPods stem or the Digital Crown on AirPods Max during a call to mute and unmute the microphone, available for AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), or AirPods Max with firmware version 6A300 or later

Maps

• Offline “Maps” lets you select the area you want to access, search, and explore, and download rich place information for use when your iPhone has no Wi-Fi or cellular signal
• Electric vehicle routing improvements provide real-time routes to available EV charging stations for supported chargers

Health

• “State of Mind” reflections let you log your momentary emotions and daily moods, choose the factors that affect you most, and describe how you feel
• Interactive charts let you gain insight into your state of mind, how it changes over time, and possible contributing factors such as exercise, sleep, and mindfulness minutes
• Mental health assessments can help you understand your current risk of depression and anxiety and whether you should seek help
• “Screen Distance” uses the TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to encourage you to increase the distance between you and the device when viewing content, to relieve digital eye strain and help reduce the risk of myopia in children

Privacy

• “Sensitive Content Warning” can be enabled to prevent accidentally showing images containing explicit content to users in “Messages”, AirDrop, “Contact Posters” in the “Phone” App, and FaceTime messages
• “Communication Safety” strengthens protection for children; in addition to photos, it can now detect explicit videos that children receive or attempt to send in “Messages”, AirDrop, “Contact Posters” in the “Phone” App, FaceTime messages, and the system “Photos” picker
• Improved sharing permissions include an inline photo picker and add-only “Calendar” permission, giving you further control over what you share with apps
• Link Tracking Protection removes extra information from shared links in “Messages”, “Mail”, and Safari “Private Browsing” to prevent some websites from using it in their URLs to track you across other websites, while links still work normally

Accessibility

• “Assistive Access” simplifies the experience of apps like “Phone”, FaceTime, “Messages”, “Camera”, “Photos”, and “Music” to basic functions, including larger fonts, visual alternatives, and highlighting options to reduce cognitive load
• “Live Speech” lets you type and have what you want to say read aloud during phone calls, FaceTime calls, and in-person conversations
• Use “Point and Speak” in the “Magnifier” “Detection Mode” to have iPhone read text on physical objects containing smaller text labels, such as number keypads on doors and buttons on home appliances

Other Features and Improvements

• The “People” album in “Photos” displays individual pets in the album just like friends or family members
• The “Albums” widget in “Photos” lets you choose a specific album from the “Photos” App to display in the widget
• Item sharing in “Find My” lets you share an AirTag or “Find My” network accessory with up to five people
• “Activity History” in “Home” shows the recent event history of door locks, garage doors, security systems, and contact sensors
• Inline PDFs and document scans in “Notes” are presented full-width for easy viewing and markup
• New Memoji stickers in the keyboard include “Halo”, “Smirk”, and “Peek”
• “App Shortcuts” in Spotlight “Top Hit” provide App Shortcuts for the next action when you search for an app
• The redesigned “Sharing” tab in “Fitness” provides highlights of friends’ activity records, such as workout streaks and medals
• Email or phone number sign-in lets you sign in to iPhone with any email or phone number listed in your Apple ID account
• New drawing tools in “Freeform” include pen, watercolor brush, and ruler, among others, letting you create expressive whiteboards
• “Crash Detection” optimizations (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max)

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For more information, please visit the Apple official website.