It’s a big moment when Apple introduces a new version of iOS every summer at WWDC. After all, this software runs on about a billion iPhones and can fundamentally change how all devices behave: iOS updates add new features, fix bugs and user interface issues, (hopefully) improve reliability, and generally bring a better iPhone experience. And all this without the installation costing a single cent.
Rumor has it that the new features coming in 2023 will be a bit more modest. Development work on the company’s mixed reality headset is said to have tied so many engineers that the had to become. Several experts have warned that while there will be some minor new features, there won’t be a “sensational improvement” around which an event could revolve, like iOS 16’s customizable lock screen.
But this is not a catastrophe. Neither for Apple, who will spend most of the event talking about the headset, nor for iPhone owners, who will still get a great update. Because the true value of an iOS update doesn’t lie in a popular top feature.
Rather, it results from the sum of small improvements that improve the overall experience in many ways. In fact, it can be argued that so-called “maintenance updates” are better for the user because they’re less likely to break things and focus on the small details that matter most.
With that in mind, here are five minor changes we expect this year and why (assuming the information is correct) they will change the iPhone experience (plus one that will change less than expected).
Customizable App Library folders
The one introduced in iOS 14 is a single screen that contains all the apps on iPhone, organized by categories to make them easier to find. Apple realized it needed a streamlined way to navigate iOS as users install more apps on more screens and demand the ability to hide apps from the traditional home screen view.
So the app library is a very useful navigation concept, but the categories leave a lot to be desired. Flipping through mine, I see a mix of the useful (games, social media and music are all self-explanatory), the flawed (e.g. the subtle distinction between productivity & finance and business and the bizarrely broad information & reading category) and profound Useless (Utilities and the all-time classic Other).
My colleague Jason has two Fender guitar apps on his iPhone and they somehow ended up in different folders… and neither of them are suitable. I don’t use the app library often, mostly because it’s a confusing mess.
Weather apps in “Information and Reading” and not in their own category?
Macwelt
But with the launch of iOS 17, I may no longer have that excuse; a rumor has it that Apple will allow us to create our own custom categories. Further details are sparse. Does this simply mean that we can create a folder in the app library like we do in our home screens, name it whatever we want and add apps to it manually?
The strength of the concept is that users with hundreds of apps no longer have to manually sort and organize them. So here’s hoping that with iOS 17, we’ll see custom ones instead category rules can create, which apply to our app collections in their entirety.
better search
The main alternative to the App Library when you have a lot of apps is to navigate via search. Swipe down from any home screen to open the Spotlight screen, where Siri suggests various apps and actions it thinks might be of interest, and where you can type a search term to find matching apps , Contacts, Photos, Settings, Web Pages and many more items.
Since the app library is out of the question for me, I use Spotlight to navigate to a whole bunch of apps that didn’t qualify for a spot on my first two home screens. But with iOS 17 it seems to be getting better: The Twitter leaker has claimed that we will see a “greatly improved search/spotlight” with the update.
As with App Library, details are scarce as of yet, but as good as Spotlight is, there are two main areas where it could improve. First, the search function itself could get better, either by being better at detecting typos (though it already recognizes some, such as “game” as a confusion of “game”), or by knowing that they can be used within apps like Notes and Searches for news when it’s most relevant.
And second, the AI behind Siri’s suggestions could be improved to better predict what you might want to do at any given moment. Either way, the nav center will become even more useful, and I can’t wait.
Controllable control center
No one likes digging through iOS’ Settings app and this is a brilliant way to bypass that hassle and jump straight to the most used buttons. But the design is dated, and the are limited. The upper half is carved in stone; for the bottom half, you can choose from a list of 23 additional controls. That could all change in iOS 17.
Foundry
An anonymous user of the with a successful prediction from the past, expect Apple to overhaul the Control Center in 2023, and it will be so significant that it would be a highlight of the iOS 17 announcement.
Focused focus
Apple has taken a surprising “use your iPhone less” strategy in recent years, encouraging its customers to limit their screen time and reduce distractions while sleeping, working, exercising, and most importantly, driving. A key part of this admirable effort is the iPhone’s focus modes, which allow you to fine-tune notifications, auto-replies, and even your home and lock screen layouts to keep your attention focused on a specific activity.
As of iOS 16, there are four preset focus modes — Driving, Fitness, Sleep, and Work — plus an all-purpose Do Not Disturb mode. You can customize each of these modes and set up your own personal mode with a separate set of options, what might. But Apple is best when it does the work for you, and we’re excited for the additional pre-made focus filters sources say will be added in iOS 17.
I’d like to propose a drinking mode that prevents you from sending messages to selected “dangerous” contacts, shows the contact details of taxis and pizza restaurants, and automatically reduces the brightness and volume the next morning.
Precise flashlight function
Enable iPhone Flashlight with one tap in Control Center and it’s either on or off. However, power users will know that you can long-press the icon to turn it into a to expand.
But who is satisfied with four measly brightness levels? Not me! I want the “infinitely adjustable flashlight brightness” that a Weibo source says will be offered in iOS 17. A real turning point.
Current best price: iPhone 14 Pro 128 GB in black
But sideloading? Not so much
I’m a bit sarcastic about the infinitely variable flashlight, which will be useful for a very small minority of users quite often and very rarely for the rest of us. But I bet it makes a bigger difference than sideloading.
Sideloading means that a phone’s owner installs software through unofficial channels, in the case of iOS, a source other than Apple’s App Store. Currently, this requires jailbreaking the iPhone, a relatively technical and arguably risky process that will likely void the warranty and, if careless, could result in malware landing on the device. But all of that will change with the arrival of iOS 17.
that Apple will open the iPhone later this year and allow third-party app stores – but only in Europe. Still, it’s a significant admission from a company facing increasing allegations of anti-competitive behavior. At the enterprise level, this would be a big step, but for the average iPhone owner, I suspect it will change little.
The problem is that Apple, whose engineers and designers create the structure in which the third-party stores exist, has an active incentive to make them work poorly so as not to hurt revenue through the official store. And just like the self-repair program, which Apple apparently doesn’t want you to use, sideloading is bound to be as clunky and unintuitive as Apple can make it.
And I’m pretty sure iPhone owners who are used to a smooth, simple, and easy-to-use experience either avoid it altogether or give it a try and then give it up. Many will never even know it’s possible.
The theory goes that increased third-party competition will push developers to lower their prices on the official app store, prompting Apple to reduce its share and relax its strict policies. But that only works if people actually use the new option on a large scale, and I just can’t imagine that.
This article first appeared on and was translated from English