In the next few months Apple will announce the next major update for iOS: iOS 17. We have summarized all known information for you in this article and will update it if there is new information, so check back regularly.
Release of iOS 17
The official announcement is expected in June at WWDC 2023 (Worldwide Developer Conference) and the release later in September along with the iPhone 15 range.
Which iPhones will get iOS 17?
There is no concrete information on this from the official side, but Apple is known for providing its devices with updates for a particularly long time. Based on how long previous iPhones have been supported (6 years), the following should get the update to iOS 17:
- All iPhone 15 models (with iOS 17 preinstalled)
- iPhone 14 / 14 Plus / 14 Pro / 14 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 3
- iPhone 13 / 13 Mini / 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 / 12 Mini / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 2
- iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS / XS Max
The iPhone 8 series as well as the iPhone X were released in 2017 and will soon be six years old. There is still a glimmer of hope that Apple will be generous, given that the iPhone 6S and the first iPhone SE have been supported for seven years – of course, these could just have been exceptions.
Apple expert says: Few changes!
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, which has proven to be a very reliable source in the past, assumes that there will be fewer new features for iOS this year.
The future belongs to the mixed reality headset? Gurman suspects that Apple will put more resources into developing their mixed reality headset and operating system. As a result, iOS 17 will contain far fewer significant innovations than iOS 16 did.
One can assume that in-house apps in particular will be revised, such as Apple Music and Messages.
Support for the new Mixed Reality Headset
(Image: vrx.vr-expert)
Das autonome Headset: Of course, iOS needs to get an update to support the new headset. According to initial information, the headset should work autonomously, i.e. even without an iPhone. It will also have its own app store. However, it will certainly be able to interact with Apple’s smartphones somehow.
Next-Gen CarPlay
(Image: Apple)
Last year, Apple announced that it would integrate CarPlay even more deeply into vehicles, showing it on all screens in the car (like the dashboard).
In addition, more car functions should be controllable via iOS, such as temperature or radio. The first cars with next-gen CarPlay support are expected by the end of the year. So we can assume that iOS 17 will deliver the compatibility for it.
Sideloading and Third-Party App Stores
This isn’t really a feature that Apple will advertise. Why? Because Apple is required by European law to allow alternative app stores and sideloading from 2024. What is meant by this is: downloading apps from other sources. So support for that should come with iOS 17.
Third-party browsers without WebKit
Currently, all browsers in iOS have to use Apple’s own WebKit, making them more or less Safari clones. Here, too, European laws put a spanner in the works for the Californians and will no longer allow this in the future – at least in Europe.
So it remains to be seen whether Apple will make a global adjustment to their policies or only the European version of iOS 17 will allow alternative browsers without Webkit.
Developer beta only for registered devices with Apple ID
In the future, Apple wants to prevent users without a developer account (access via sharing profiles) from getting developer betas. So in order to be able to participate in further betas, a developer account is required.
This must be associated with the same Apple ID used to sign up for the Apple Developer Program.
SiriGPT for iOS 17?
Many see Apple’s voice assistants in trouble since ChatGPT was released. Therefore, there is already a lot of speculation on the net that Apple wants to secretly bring Siri to the level of current chatbot AIs.
So far there is no concrete information, but it is definitely a conceivable step that Apple could take.
What features do you want for iOS 17? And what do you think of the rumor that Apple wants to bring Siri to the level of ChatGPT? And anyway: Do you get all wuschig at the mere thought of Apple? Tell us in the comments!
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