iOS 17: Discover Hidden Features and Settings for Your iPhone
Unveiling Hidden Gems in iOS 17
Like any new mobile software release, iOS 17 has its fair share of hidden features and settings that can be as useful as the more well-known ones. You might find yourself using these hidden features daily. Here are five hidden gems that I discovered while using the iOS 17 public beta:
Automatically Delete Verification Codes
Are you tired of countless verification codes cluttering your text messages and emails? With iOS 17, cleaning the house has become much more manageable. You can toggle on the Clean Up Automatically setting in the Settings > Passwords > Password Options menu. This will automatically delete verification codes in the Messages and Mail applications after using the autofill feature.
Offline Navigation with Apple Maps
Surprisingly, Apple Maps has never allowed offline usage. But with iOS 17, you can finally download an offline map to navigate even when you don’t have an internet connection. In the Maps app, tap your profile photo in the top right of the navigation window and go into Offline Maps. From there, you can download suggested maps or manually search for and download a specific city’s map.
Enhanced Photo Cropping
With iOS 17, cropping photos has become even more accessible. A new Crop button will appear in the top-right corner when viewing a photo and zooming in on it. This button directly takes you into edit mode, allowing you to adjust the crop further. Don’t forget to act quickly; the crop button disappears after a few seconds.
Smooth Transitions in Apple Music
If you’re in charge of the music at a party or during car rides, iOS 17 allows you to use a crossfade effect between songs in Apple Music. Simply go to the Settings app, navigate to Music, and toggle on Crossfade. You can choose the crossfade duration, ranging from one second to 12 seconds.
Interactive Widgets on Your Home Screen
Apple’s iOS 17 has brought a new level of functionality to home screen widgets. You can now interact with them and control applications directly from your home screen rather than just using them for display. Adding an interactive device is a straightforward process – simply enter edit mode by pressing down on a space, tap the plus sign, and browse the list of available devices. You can choose from several interactive devices such as Podcast, Home, Notes, and Music. The Music widget, for example, lets you pause or play music, while the Home widget enables you to control connected devices such as bright light bulbs or thermostats.
