iOS 17 Tidbits: Enhanced Siri Suggestions, Multiple Timers, Recipe Visual Look Up, and More

With the release of the first iOS 17 beta in the hands of developers, early adopters continue to discover smaller changes in the new version of Apple's mobile operating system. Below are some of the more notable differences that have come to light since Monday's WWDC keynote.

General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Ping Apple Watch

If you have an Apple Watch paired to your iPhone, Apple has added an optional button in Control Center that enables you to ping your watch if you have misplaced it. (H/T Aaron.)


Improved Spotlight Siri Suggestions

When pulling down on the Home Screen to access search, you'll see some neat new contextual tricks have been added to Siri Suggestions, like the suggestion to create a timer or a new note if you've used those apps recently. When you search for a specific app like Photos, you'll also get app shortcuts to your next action, allowing you to jump right into your Favorites album, for example.

siri suggestions ios 17
You can now also toggle certain system settings directly from within ‌Siri‌ Suggestions results. You can, for example, enable a Focus, turn on Airplane Mode, or disable your iPhone 14 Pro's Always On Display.

Multiple Timers

It's taken this long, but iOS finally supports multiple timers.

multiple timers
Each timer you set can be given a label, which helps you identify it in a list. For added convenience, the list will also include any recent completed timers that you used. When several timers are running simultaneously, all of them will be listed on the Lock Screen, and the last one you set will appear in the Dynamic Island.

Safari "Listen to Page" Feature

In Safari, Apple has added a new "Listen to Page" option to the aA menu in the address bar. Tap it, and ‌Siri‌ will read the contents of the currently loaded webpage out loud.

safari listen to page
When ‌Siri‌ is reading it to you, the same option changes to "Pause Listening," and if you choose to pause, it switches to "Resume Listening" so you can pick up where you left off.

Visual Look Up for Meals

When viewing photos, Apple has enhanced Visual Look Up in a few ways, the most notable being the ability to find recipes for similar dishes when meals are recognized in the picture.

visual lookup recipes
In addition, you can now look up information from a subject you just lifted from a photo, and you can also pause video on any frame to look up info on a subject.

Fitness+ Custom Plans

Fitness+ includes a new feature called Custom Plans, where you can create your own weekly workout and meditation schedule to enhance your motivation.

fitness plus custom plans
Plan options include the ability to set a total workout/meditation time per day, set a plan length, and choose your activity types. You can also select preferred Fitness+ trainers and the type of music that you want in your plan.

Other Features and Tidbits

  • Apple News+ crossword puzzles
  • New Control Center slider animations
  • Interrupt ‌Siri‌ and make back-to-back requests without reactivation
  • Enhanced spam call filtering
  • Dark Mode version of AirPods popup card

Developers are still discovering what's changed in ‌iOS 17‌, so be sure to check back with more coverage here on MacRumors.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Top Rated Comments

SoldOnApple Avatar
17 weeks ago
Calculator app for iPad when?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rudy69 Avatar
17 weeks ago
So far my favorite feature which made using beta software worth it:

AirPod Pro transfer between my devices (Macbook Pro and iPhone and iPad) has been MASSIVELY improved. Like night and day compared to what it was before. (I'm using first gen AirPod Pros if that makes a difference)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
idji73 Avatar
17 weeks ago
Do the timers sync to all devices ? And what about alarms ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pianophile Avatar
17 weeks ago

One major thing that I’ve been wanting to see is the addition of native food/calorie tracking in Health. What if they’re currently working on a way to snap a picture of what you’re eating, and Health figures out what it is and estimates what the nutritional value would be? This seems like it could be a small first step toward something like that.…
I'd love to see Apple create a food/nutrition/calorie tracker app, perhaps within Health. The popular ones all suck, and Apple could do a much better one, if they become so inclined.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boston04and07 Avatar
17 weeks ago

App Store has plenty.
Apple has made a fully capable calculator app on pretty much every device they’ve ever made other than the iPad for decades now. Why on earth should iPad users have to get one from the App Store, which is either paid or full of ads and/or bugs, when they could just so easily port over the perfectly functional calculator that they already make? Plus, App Store apps don’t give us the benefit of having the app in the control center. It’s just such a stupid and nonsensical omission.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
17 weeks ago
Multiple timers will be great for cooking. It's so nice to be able to say "Hey siri, set a 20 minute timer" when your hands are busy in the kitchen. Looking forward to finally being able to have several going at once.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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