With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for.
Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash, iMessage Contact Key Verification for enhanced messaging security, and the next generation of CarPlay.
iMessage Contact Key Verification
In December 2022, Apple previewed a new iMessage Contact Key Verification security feature and said it would launch globally in 2023. It's unclear if the feature will be added in an iOS 16 update or introduced as part of iOS 17 later this year.
iMessage Contact Key Verification allows users who face "extraordinary digital threats," such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials, to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend. In conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification, users are alerted if a state-sponsored attacker or other malicious actor were ever to succeed breaching cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on the conversation.
As an additional layer of security, iMessage Contact Key Verification users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure call to further verify they are communicating only with whom they intend.
Apple Card Savings Account
In October 2022, Apple announced that Apple Card users would "soon" be able to open a new high-yield savings account from Goldman Sachs and have their Daily Cash automatically deposited into it, with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. The account would be managed through the Wallet app on the iPhone.
Once the account is set up, all Daily Cash received from that point on would be automatically deposited into it and start earning interest, unless a user opts to continue having Daily Cash added to their Apple Cash balance. Apple Card provides 2-3% Daily Cash on purchases made with Apple Pay and 1% on purchases made with the physical card.
The savings account was listed in the release notes for the iOS 16.1 Release Candidate in October, and Goldman Sachs updated its Apple Card customer agreement for the feature in December, but it is still not available as of the first iOS 16.5 beta.
Next-Generation CarPlay
At WWDC 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of its iPhone-based software platform CarPlay, which will feature support for multiple displays, widgets, and integration with vehicle functions like the instrument cluster, climate controls, and FM radio.
Apple says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in late 2023, with committed automakers including Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Volvo, and others. Apple plans to share additional details about the next generation of CarPlay later this year.
