Although iOS 17 has not yet been announced, there are already many rumors about what the update will contain.
Apple is working hard on the development of iOS 17. The next version of the iPhone operating system will be released in June, just in time for the Apple developer conference WWDC. TECHBOOK summarizes all information about the new iOS version.
Apple is putting an end to app store restrictions
Major changes in iOS 17 are expected due to the Digital Markets Act – an EU regulation that came into force in October 2022. So far, companies like Google and Apple have had exclusive control over their app stores. Therefore, in order to offer an app for the iPhone, developers have to use the Apple App Store and pay between 15 and 30 percent of their earnings to the company. Also, all browsers for the iPhone must be based on Apple’s WebKit engine. Even browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox for the iPhone are therefore based on the same engine as Safari.
However, the Digital Markets Act makes both practices illegal. Specifically, this means that Apple must allow browsers based on other programs. But the even more significant change is that the company must allow so-called “sideloading” on the iPhone. This is the practice of installing apps from sources other than the App Store – as is already possible on Android smartphones. Not only could users then download apps directly from websites, but perhaps even install alternative app stores. The previous Apple App Store is of course still available.
Mood tracker in the Health app
With iOS 17, the health app should get a new mood tracker, as reported by the industry magazine “Bloomberg”. It allows users to record their mood by answering questions about their day. The results can then be evaluated in a diagram. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to automatically determine sentiment by analyzing speech, typed words, and other metrics in future versions of this feature.
Another new feature set to come to the Health app is the management of vision conditions such as nearsightedness.
iOS 17 gets new diary app
The new diary app is independent of the health app, but still intended to improve mental health. According to a report by the “Wall Street Journal”, this should be able to evaluate data on the iPhone in order to determine what a typical day for the user looks like. If you want, you can get suggestions from the app to keep a diary about individual things. The app has “access to contacts, location, workouts and more”. This data allows her to recognize when behavior is “outside the normal routine”.
According to “Bloomberg”, the new app should be integrated into Apple’s “Where is?” services. Apparently, the company is planning to expand into a social network. As an example, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman cites a “diary entry about their commute” that users can write in the app.
CarPlay takes over car functions
Apple CarPlay is to receive a major update so that the interface can only take over car functions such as volume control and radio control. CarPlay should also be able to run on several displays at the same time and also appear in the dashboard.
Health app is coming to the iPad
The health app with its numerous health functions is currently only available for the iPhone. With iPadOS 17, Apple could also make the app available for iPads for the first time. The tablets’ larger screens would be better suited to displaying metrics like EKG waveforms and drug summaries.