iOS 17 could get these ‘nice to have’ features. Here’s what we know

It's time for some anticipation surrounding the next iOS update, as Apple is set to announce iOS 17 on June 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference. There's little information publicly available about the latest iPhone software, but analysts have made some educated guesses on what we can expect once iOS 17 is available to download.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple changed course in developing iOS 17, which could mean the update will be much more robust than previously expected. Gurman says that iOS 17 was initially going to focus on security updates and bug crushing, but now the update will include some “nice to have” features.

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We could see some significant updates to CarPlay, which was first previewed at last year's WWDC. The new version of CarPlay will include multi-display support, instrument cluster integration, climate controls, and an FM radio app. 

We could also see some changes to Siri, specifically the ability to summon Siri without saying, “Hey, Siri”. Gurman says that Apple is employing “a significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work,” so users can say, “Siri” followed by a command.

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Gurman says Apple is also working on integrating Siri into third-party services and apps. Apple has been unusually quiet as generative AI developments have take the news by storm. We could see some of the latest AI technology deployed in an upgraded Siri.

It's also been reported that Apple will release a journaling app with iOS 17 that would be part of the pre-installed apps on the latest iPhones. Internal Apple documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal state the journaling app will allow users to jot down their daily activities, thoughts, and emotions. 

It's rumored that the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X won't be compatible with iOS 17, as these phones don't have the internal technological capabilities for iOS 16, let alone iOS 17. 

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Apple will announce the complete iOS 17 package at this year's WWDC, and the software will be available to download later this year.