iOS 17 Unveils Hidden Gems: Discover 10 Overlooked Features

iOS 17 has been released for a few months, but with so many new features, some have slipped under the radar.

IOS 17 Update: 10 Features You May Not Be Aware Of

There are also hidden options and minor tweaks and modifications that you may not be aware of, so we thought we'd compile a list of some of the lesser-known iOS 17 features.

• Messages - In the Messages app, hold down the "+" button to access the picture picker and send an image. It's faster than tapping "+" and then Photos to access your images.
• Links in Mail - To add a link to text in the Mail app, copy the link, select the content, and then paste it.
• Add Text to Shapes - In the Photos app, if you've used Markup to add a shape to a picture, double-press it to insert text.
• Apple Watch Ping - A new feature in the Control Center allows you to ping your Apple Watch from your iPhone in case you misplace it.
• Focus Mode Notification Silence - While configuring a Focus Mode, you can now select whether to silence notifications always or only while the iPhone is locked.
• Journal App Lock - To keep your journal entries secure, enable the "Lock Journal" option in the Settings app, which requires Face ID to open the Journal app.
• Journaling Schedule - Do you find it difficult to remember to use the Journal app? Enable Journaling Schedule in the Settings app's Journal section to receive a reminder to add a journal entry at a certain day and hour.
• Adjust Haptic Touch Speed - Under Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch, you may change how long it takes for a long press to activate content. rapid, default, and slow settings are available, with the rapid setting emulating the now-defunct 3D Touch feature.
• Shake to Undo - If you move a Home Screen app or a widget and then change your mind, you may use the shake to undo motion to return the apps and widgets to their previous positions.

Apple Issues New Update Warning To All iPhone Users With iOS 17.2

Apple's iOS 17.2 update arrived earlier this month, bringing with it a slew of fantastic new iPhone features. However, iOS 17.2 includes 12 additional reasons to update your iPhone right now because it addresses a dozen security flaws, some of which are critical.

Apple doesn't provide much information on what's fixed in iOS 17.2 in order to allow people as much time as possible to update their iPhones before attackers can obtain the information. Two weaknesses in WebKit, the engine that powers Apple's Safari browser, are among the security concerns addressed in iOS 17.2. According to Apple's support page, one of these, CVE-2023-42890, could allow an attacker to execute code.

The iOS 17.2 update also addresses a problem in the Kernel, the heart of the iPhone operating system, that might allow an app to escape its safe sandbox. Two problems in ImageIO where processing an image could lead to code execution are also addressed in iOS 17.2.

Sean Wright, Featurespace's head of application security, also highlights CVE-2023-45866, a Bluetooth-related vulnerability addressed in iOS 17.2 that provides an attacker with appropriate access to collect keystrokes. He claims that the WebKit and Kernel flaws "can be chained together to allow an attacker to potentially gain significant access to the device."

The release of iOS 17.2 comes less than two weeks after Apple released iOS 17.1.2, an emergency upgrade that fixed two holes used in real-world attacks, as per Forbes. Apple typically places crucial security fixes for these emergency releases in between major point updates like iOS 17.2, to ensure iPhone consumers aren't scared off by issues that occasionally accompany feature improvements.

Photo: Sumudu Mohottige/Unsplash