By: Nick Gambino
Apple is holding WWDC 2023 on June 5th where they’re expected to unveil a ton of new software, as they do every year. This is where we always get the full update on what the new iOS is going to be. But now a somewhat reliable leak is giving us our first glimpse into what we might see in iOS 17 ahead of the annual event.
There are rumors floating around constantly about upcoming devices and features, but not all of them are worth listening to. This new iOS 17 leak comes from a trusted Apple Software Analyst who posted all they know about the new OS on Twitter (@analyst941).
If this leak is true, iOS 17 is getting more than just a simple tune-up. It’s bringing a bunch of new features to the iPhone, many of which have been heavily requested. It’s not going to be a complete overhaul, but it’s going to be significant enough to the iPhone experience.
The biggest focus will be on the Dynamic Island which is officially replacing the wretched notch on all devices going forward. The Dynamic Island houses the front-facing camera like the notch but turns it into a functioning pill-shaped box as well. It allows you to tap into and change its shape to reveal and engage with different alerts like phone calls, low battery, etc.
iOS 17 will include expanded alerts and features within the Dynamic Island. What they are exactly is not yet known, but it’s expected to be able to do a lot more than what it’s currently doing in iOS 16. For example, Siri might make her way into the Dynamic Island, making her less intrusive on the screen.
“Dynamic Island will do a lot more; marketing department pressured development team to add more to Dynamic Island most likely to push sales of the standard iPhone 15’s release,” @analyst941 said in a long tweet thread.
Additionally, we could get Active Widgets that would make the widgets on your Today View and Home Screen more dynamic, allowing you to engage with them on the outside. This is not confirmed for iOS 17, but they are testing them.
“Active widgets will bring one-tap buttons, sliders and more making widgets dynamic,” the Tweet reads.
Additional features include improvements to CarKey, Spotlight, Focus Mode and a more customizable Control Center.
