iOS 17 to Launch on September 18, Featuring StandBy Mode, NameDrop, Interactive Widgets, and More

Tuesday September 12, 2023 11:29 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple today at its "Wonderlust" event announced that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will be available to all users with compatible iPhone and iPad models starting on Monday, September 18.

General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple
iOS 17 adds a new StandBy option for the ‌iPhone‌, allowing it to serve as an information hub when it is in a horizontal position and connected to a charger. StandBy mode displays the time, Live Activities, incoming notifications, and tons of widgets.

Staying on the topic of widgets, widgets you use on the Lock Screen and Home Screen are interactive, so you can do things like control a smart light or check off a Reminder without opening an app. Autocorrect is smarter than before, and it's easier to correct mistakes with a quick tap.

AirDrop has a new NameDrop feature for quickly sharing contact information with a person nearby, and the Phone app has customizable Contact Posters that let you choose what people see when you call them.

Live Voicemail shows the voicemail that someone is leaving right on your Lock Screen so you can pick up if it's important, and the Messages app has a refined look and a Check-In feature that's meant to help you get to your destination safely.

FaceTime supports video messages so you can leave a video voicemail if someone misses a call, plus you can use it on the Apple TV. Safari has a locked private browsing window and a password sharing feature, and better tracking prevention. The Maps app now works offline, the Photos app can recognize your pets, and Visual Look Up works with food, symbols, videos, and more.

There's a new mood tracking feature available in the Health app, and later this year, Apple also plans to add a journaling app.

iOS 17‌ is compatible with the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ XS and newer, meaning that support has been dropped for the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 8, ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 8 Plus, and ‌‌iPhone‌‌ X.

For a complete overview of all of the new features in iOS 17, we have a dedicated iOS 17 roundup. iPadOS 17, which is being launched alongside iOS 17, also has some iPad-only features like a revamped Lock Screen, with details available in our separate iPadOS 17 roundup.

Tag: September 2023 Apple Event

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...

• 81 comments

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...

• 77 comments

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...

• 68 comments

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...

• 111 comments

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...

• 42 comments

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover

The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...

• 38 comments

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...

• 97 comments

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...

• 54 comments

Top Rated Comments

Andronicus

30 months ago

Too much wonder not enough lust.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Darth Tulhu

30 months ago

All I want is for the Music App to rotate in landscape mode.

Is that included?

I can't believe this is STILL an issue.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Pinkyyy ??

29 months ago

Monday for iOS and all the smaller things. 26th allegedly for MacOS. I've updated everything and I like the new OS updates.

Thank you. Though what I was asking about is, at which part of the keynote did they mention that ?

Apple today at its "Wonderlust" event announced that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will be available to all users with compatible iPhone and iPad models starting on Monday, September 18.

Like it says here in the article, “Apple announced the released dates at its event”. Unless I missed it or something, I don’t remember any mention of the new OS release dates in the keynote.
I remember that Tim talked about some of the stuff they unveiled at June’s WWDC in the beginning, but he didn’t say anything new about the release dates :)

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Pinkyyy ??

29 months ago

Does anyone know when exactly did they mention the release dates in the keynote ?? I watched the full keynote live, but I don’t remember any mention of the release dates.. though I did miss some small parts in the middle, so I thought I could’ve probably missed it or something.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)