The Impact of iOS 17: What Features Can You Expect

Mobile app development has become an integral part of businesses in Singapore as it enables companies to reach out to a larger audience and provides convenience to customers. Singapore has seen a rise in mobile app developers in recent years, with many companies offering iOS app development services. With the upcoming release of iOS 17, there is a buzz among mobile app development companies.

iOS 17 is highly anticipated, as previous versions have introduced many sought-after features. The previous iOS 16 update, released in 2022, added a range of improvements including a battery percentage indicator and haptic feedback to the default keyboard. Users also enjoyed lock screen customization options and widgets, as well as the ability to use AI to separate the foreground and background in photos and drag and drop them anywhere. The update also included a continuity camera feature, allowing users to use their iPhone as a webcam.

iOS 16 also offered a range of personalization options, including customizable lock screen fonts and the ability to add preferred wallpaper from personal photos, complete with optional depth effects. Live Text was another notable feature supported for videos. Alongside these updates, Apple launched the Freeform whiteboard app, Apple Music Sing, and end-to-end iCloud encryption in the iOS 16.2 update.

While iOS has been praised for incorporating long-requested features from Android flagships, some features have been notably absent until recent updates. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro lineup of phones now boasts an Always On Display, while battery percentage and keyboard haptics were overdue additions. Widgets were finally introduced with iOS 14 in 2020, with Apple perhaps lagging behind the trend.

In more recent updates, iOS 15 introduced features such as Focus Modes and Live Text, which had long been available on Android devices and with the Google Lens app. iOS 16 also drew inspiration from Android with its range of personalization options. With the release of iOS 17, users are eager to see what new features and improvements will be introduced to the operating system.

Here are some of the anticipated features of iOS 17 and their impact 

1. Improving iOS Widgets:

While iOS widgets have a modern design, they lack functionality. Adding simple features such as the ability to clear reminders or edit notes with 3D/Haptic Touch could be a fantastic addition. 

More interactive widgets can reduce the need to open the parent app for simple tasks. Adding sliders and the ability to reply to emails, and messages, or view social media posts will make iOS widgets more useful.

2. Homescreen Customization:

Apple does not allow extensive customization of the iPhone interface to maintain its distinct look and feel. However, a theme store with limited designs, controlled by Apple, could provide some customization options without compromising recognition. 

The ability to edit icons, app grid layout, and app placement would also be a welcome addition, as third-party apps can be clunky and time-consuming.

3. Improved Multitasking:

While iOS 14 Pro offers Dynamic Island multitasking, other iPhones only have picture-in-picture mode. Android phones have had Split Screen multitasking for some time, making it a feature missing in iOS. 

Adding resizable floating windows, a sidebar to launch pinned or recent apps, and the ability to launch multiple apps simultaneously would enhance multitasking capabilities.

4. Stability:

OS 16 has had several issues with display quality control, visual errors, crashes, freezes, and battery issues, affecting iPhone 14 Pro users. 

It has been the most unstable version, surpassing iOS 13. Users would appreciate a version that focuses on stability and bug fixes, even if it offers fewer new features.

5. UI/UX Redesign:

Apple has undergone extensive UI redesigns in the past, such as iOS 7 and iOS 8/9, but the icon changes since then have been subtle. While a radical redesign is unlikely, adopting a new-morphic design with depth, shadows, and gradients for icons, similar to macOS, could be refreshing.

6. Improved Background Task Management:

One long-standing complaint about iOS is its handling of background tasks. For Google apps like Google Photos or Drive, as well as for downloading large files from Safari, uploads, and downloads do not occur in the background. Even for popular apps like Spotify, Netflix, and games, content does not download when the app is minimized. 

This is due to Apple’s aggressive background task management, which helps the battery but can hinder productivity and frustrate users. While the background upload/download API exists, apps are still limited in how long they are allowed to run in the background. 

Some users may prefer this system, but a simple toggle in the Settings app to turn off this aggressive management would be helpful. A warning pop-up about the battery impact could also be added. iPhones with 6GB of RAM can handle some background tasks, but the system overall can be unreliable. 

iPhones with 4GB of RAM have some of the worst background task performance for a 2022 phone.

7. RCS Support for iMessage:

iMessage is a popular messaging tool in the USA and is only available on iPhones, which benefits Apple by creating a lock-in mechanism. Adding support for the RCS messaging standard would improve messaging for everyone. Apple still supports the insecure and outdated MMS/SMS standard.

8. Universal Battery Widget:

The current battery widget shows the battery percentage of other ecosystem devices, such as iPads, Apple Watches, and MacBooks. A universal battery widget that displays the remaining battery of all your devices in one convenient location would be useful.

9. Predictive (T9) Dialing:

T9 dialing or predictive text has long been available on Android phones. When typing a number in the dialer, predicted contacts appear on Android phones, but not on iOS, where the contact name is only displayed after typing the entire number.

10. Improved Siri:

While Siri on iOS is functional, it barely meets the minimum requirements of a great virtual assistant. Apple claims that it does not collect your data, which limits the assistant’s ability to understand you. A virtual assistant can only be effective if it understands you and collects as much of your data as possible. Due to its privacy-centric approach, Apple cannot do this. Improving Siri’s capabilities while maintaining user privacy is a challenge, but it would greatly benefit users.

Expected Release Date for iOS 17

Apple has announced that it will reveal the next-generation version of iOS, which is iOS 17, at the upcoming Apple WWDC 2023 event on June 5, 2023. 

In general, iOS versions are usually unveiled in June at the World Wide Developer Conference, with a launch date for all models typically set for September, around the same time new iPhones are released. It is predicted that the iPhone 15 series will come with iOS 17 pre-installed, and the release is expected to be in mid-September 2023.

 Conclusion

iOS 17 will bring many new features and improvements that will impact mobile application development. The App Library, Widgets, Siri, Privacy, Maps, and Augmented Reality are just some of the new features that mobile app developers can take advantage of to create more efficient, personalized, and engaging mobile apps. With the release of iOS 17, businesses in Singapore can expect more innovative and user-friendly mobile apps from their favorite mobile app development companies and iOS app development companies in Singapore.