iOS 17 Updates Your iPhone With Live Voicemail, Improvements To Messages And FaceTime

Apple has announced that iOS 17 will bring some big improvements to the iPhone user experience. FaceTime and Messages will both receive a host of new features, and an answerphone-like live voicemail function will also make an appearance. 

If you've ever been left frustrated when your FaceTime calls are going unanswered, you'll soon be able to express that frustration in video form. Apple's video-calling service will include an option to leave a message once the new iOS launches. If you don't want to answer calls from certain entities, "Live Voicemail" will likely be a game-changer. It works in a similar way to an old school answering machine, allowing you to view a live transcript and jump in on the call if it's important or from someone you want to talk to; or leave it be, otherwise.

Airdrop is also receiving some quality-of-life improvements, including one that allows users to leave Airdrop range when sending large files. Once the transfer has started, it will continue over the internet if one user leaves the immediate area. 

"NameDrop" is also a further expansion of the concept, allowing users to quickly share contact details via a pair of iPhones, or through other devices like the Apple Watch. The contact cards themselves use a new "Personalized Poster" that users can create and attach to their account.

Messaging will be easier to navigate, and give users more options while responding. Multiple search terms can now be added to narrow down results when looking through past messages. Letting friends and relatives know you're safe will be easier thanks to the "Check In" feature, which automatically sends a message when your phone detects you're home. 

Stickers have also had a huge update, with the ability to resize them, create new stickers from images and live photos, and even use them to respond to individual messages. Other features include the ability to have audio messages transcribed, so you can read them instead of listening.

Anyone who regularly writes with auto-correct enabled will know it's sort-of okay at the best of times, and a ducking inconvenience when at its worst. Apple is hoping to fix this with an AI-powered system running off a "transformer language model." The model allows sentence-level correction that may pick up more errors, more accurately. 

In-line suggestions will also be better, allowing you to write and reply even faster. Other improvements include changes to Siri, a journaling app, a smarter photos app, and a "Standby" feature that displays a new screen while your phone is docked via MagSafe and charging.