BETA YOURSELF iOS 17

Got a new iPhone and now staring blankly at it, saying "Do something"? Or just want to make your older Apple blower sing? Craig Grannell digs into the best bits from the latest OS...

- Craig Grannell

THE BASICS

Prod your widgets

In iOS 14, widgets made it to the home screen, but Apple decreed they should be purely informative. The end. Only not, because the company's had a rethink. Widgets in IOS 17 are interactive, so you can perform basic tasks like playing podcasts and marking reminders done, but without leaving your home screen.

Create a calling card

Want more than your name to display on someone's phone when they call? How about your gorgeous visage too? Go to Contacts and create a Contact Poster by tapping on My Card, then Edit, then Edit again. Pick a suitably dashing snap and filter, then decide whether to share it with the world or just your contacts.

Make more messages

Someone not picking up on Face Time? Tap Record Video and make them feel guilty with a pained expression and a sad message. Then ignore everyone else's messages by screening them with iOS 17's automated transcription. Keener to text? In Messages, revel in swipe-to-reply, or use '+' to reveal iMessage apps, E including the new Location.

Share your deets

In Find My, select any Air Tag and you can share its location with others. In Settings > Passwords, create a trusted group and share select passwords with them, so they don't get locked out of services you all use. And simply clonk your iPhones together to share contact details it's 97% more suave than scrambling to type a number and inevitably getting several digits wrong.

Don't lose your voice

Got 15 minutes to spare and the ability to read without using a silly accent? iOS 17 can create a voice that sounds like you. Hmmm, how very Black Mirror. Still, you decide whether third-party apps can use your voice. That's a boon for anyone facing losing their voice, whether temporarily or permanently.