Apple’s iOS 17 may include ‘several’ requested features

Apple’s iOS 17 software update may include some requested features, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It was previously believed that Apple would skip major changes with the release of iOS 17 to focus on bug fixes and optimizations. These plans seem to have changed, as Gurman notes that iOS 17 is expected to come with several “nice to have” features.

Gurman writes that the goal with the launch of iOS 17, codenamed Dawn, is now to include several of users’ most requested features. However, it’s unknown what exactly these features will be.

Gurman wrote in a tweet:

When Apple set out to develop iOS 17, the initial thinking was to call it a tuneup release — one focused more on fixing bugs and improving performance than adding new features (not unlike the approach the company took with Snow Leopard on Mac OS X back in 2009). The hope was to avoid the problems of iOS 16, an ambitious update that suffered from missed deadlines and a buggy start. But later in the development process, the strategy changed. The iOS 17 release is now expected to boast several “nice to have” features, even if it lacks a tentpole improvement like last year’s revamped lock screen. The goal of the software, codenamed “Dawn,” is to check off several of users’ most requested features.

It’s possible that Apple may allow sideloading apps with iOS 17, which means users wouldn’t be dependent on the App Store for app downloads. A Bloomberg report from last December revealed that Apple was preparing to allow alternative app stores on its iPhones and iPads in order to comply with European Union requirements coming in 2024.

As with Apple’s previous software updates, iOS 17 will likely be revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, alongside Apple’s other OS versions like watchOS 10, tvOS 17 and macOS 14.

Apple is also expected to unveil its long-awaited mixed-reality headset at WWDC. Gurman says Apple internally demoed the headset to Apple executives at Steve Jobs Theater last week, which suggests that a public unveiling of the product could be coming soon. The new device could look like a pair of ski goggles, based on a report from The Information. It will feature several cameras so that the device can track your movements in real time and see what’s happening in the real world.