Hey friends – hope you’re well!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been testing the new iOS 17 on my iPhone 14 here, and I’ve come up with 14 settings you’ll want to change as soon as you upgrade to iOS 17.
The updated public beta was just released, so we’re now just a few weeks away from the full release of iOS17, and there are some exciting changes to look forward to.
So, here are the settings you should change right away.
1. Auto Delete Verification Codes
The first useful setting to enable is auto-delete verification codes. You know those number codes that you get when you log in to a platform? Yes, your iPhone can now delete them automatically after they’ve been used.
To enable this new feature, navigate to Settings > Passwords > Password Options and select Clean Up Automatically under Verification Codes.
When you use the autofill feature for these codes, they will now delete themselves from your text messages or emails!
Because almost everyone deals with verification codes, I believe this is a setting everyone should change.
2. Check-In Text Feature
The following new feature to enable is the Check-In feature, which notifies people that you’ve arrived safely at a destination, and, if you don’t, your phone will notify friends or family – it’s an excellent safety and quality of life feature.
To enable this feature, open the Message App > tap the new Plus Icon > More > Check In.
If this is your first time using it, go ahead and set it up.
Then, in the pop-up, click edit, select your destination, then click send, and you’re done!
If you’re concerned about privacy, I’d suggest changing another setting here.
So go to Settings > Messages > Data > Change this to Limited, which doesn’t share your exact route and more device information.
3. Interactive Widgets
Another big one: interactive widgets are now available in iOS17! A feature that was exclusive to Android, but hey, better late than never.
All you have to do is add the widgets to your home screen, and you can now interact with the app without launching it. You can now play Apple Music directly from the widget and check off reminders.
I’m excited to see what developers do with these new widgets, and based on my testing, it appears to have little effect on battery life.
4. Camera Levelling Function
Let’s move on to some exciting new camera app features!
If you’re serious about mobile photography, I highly recommend activating the new camera leveling feature! It appears to be a feature that is turned off by default on iOS 17.
Go to Settings > Camera and turn on Level under Composition.
Now you’ll see a broken horizontal line, and all you have to do is line it up for a perfect straight-on shot.
5. Visual Look Up
While we’re in the camera, another iOS17 update is available, and it’s one of my favorites: Visual Look Up.
You can now get recipes based on food pictures and even have it decipher confusing laundry symbols by simply using the camera.
This feature should be enabled by default, so try it out – it’s actually quite useful!
6. Safari Profiles
Safari users will appreciate the new Profiles feature in iOS17, which allows you to better organize your tabs and bookmarks.
Go back to Settings > Safari > Profiles and create a new Profile > you can then configure it.
A great place to start is simply creating Personal and Work profiles, or if you’re researching a new car, creating a Car Research profile keeps everything super organized instead of having hundreds of tabs like I usually do.
7. Safari Family Passwords
Another useful new Safari feature is Family Passwords, which is intended to aid in the safe sharing of passwords.
So, go to Settings > Passwords and then click Family Passwords at the top.
After that, you can create Shared Groups and add logins to them.
Once everything is in place, you can share passwords and logins without sharing your password, and others in the group can add their own logins and passwords.
The passwords are stored in the iCloud Keychain and are end-to-end encrypted, so they’re mostly secure and a great free alternative to password-sharing apps like 1Password and LastPass.
8. Safety Check Feature
When it comes to safety and security, Safety Check is a built-in feature that is well worth activating.
Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Security Check.
Choose Manage Sharing and Access from the drop-down menu. It’s a quick way to review all of your privacy settings in one place. It’s similar to taking stock of all your privacy and security settings, and it’s worthwhile to do on occasion.
9. Location Usage
Here’s something else you should definitely turn off in the same privacy settings: Location Usage.
Go to location services, then system services, and then turn off significant locations.
If we turn this on, it will keep a daily log of your movements, which is invasive and drains your battery life and data.
Make sure to disable any other location tracking settings you don’t want here. I’m going to disable things that help preserve battery life and privacy.
10. Sensitive Content Warnings
Sensitive Content Warning is a new iOS17 feature that protects you from receiving inappropriate content via Messages, Airdrop, and other services.
So, if you’d rather avoid confronting content, go to Settings > Privacy Security > scroll down to the new Sensitive Content Warning and toggle it on for everything.
If you receive inappropriate content, you will now receive a warning, and if you still want to see it, you can press the “show” button. You can also block the contact by pressing the warning symbol, and there’s a thoughtful “Ways to get help” button that will take you to links where you can get mental support.
11. Automatic Verification
Next, if you want to eliminate the annoying captcha forms, you should enable Auto Verification.
To enable this, navigate to Settings > Apple ID > Password &. Turn on Security and Automatic Verification.
This feature has improved since iOS16 and now supports more websites – I no longer have to guess whether the stupid traffic light fits into the captcha box.
12. Offline Apple Maps
You can now download offline maps in the Maps app in iOS17, which is ideal for traveling.
To download a map, click your avatar, then the new Offline Maps button and Download New Map, then search for the area you want to download; you’ll see the download size, and click download.
To help save data and battery, turn on “Only Use Offline Apps.”
Fun fact: If you own an EV, iOS17 maps now shows charging stations with real-time availability, so we can find the station with a free charger, which is quite useful.
13. Animated Stickers
If you like emojis and stickers, you’ll love the new animated stickers.
Bring up the image you want and long press the subject to make these. You can now edit it by clicking the “add sticker” button and adding effects and outlines. You can also animate the sticker if you have a live photo!
You can now react to messages with your custom sticker, a fun and useful addition.
14. Live Voicemail
The final iOS17 setting to change is to enable Live Voicemail and Silence Unknown Callers. If you dislike spam calls, these features are a game changer, but be aware that they are only available in the United States and Canada.
To do so, navigate to Settings > Phone > Calls and turn on the new “Live Voicemail” feature.
While you’re at it, also turn on Silence Unknown Callers if you don’t want unknown numbers bothering you.
When someone calls your voicemail, you will now see a real-time transcript of the caller’s spoken words, and you can still choose to pick up the call with a button if it is an important call. Otherwise, with this awesome feature, you can say goodbye to calls that waste your time.
Conclusion
I hope you find these new features exciting or helpful. If you also have a Mac, I’ll share some settings and apps you should change.