We'll get the first official demos of iOS17 at WWDC 2023, but there's no need to wait until June to get excited. Thanks to a leak on Twitter, we've got lots to get our teeth into already, with a whole list of rumoured software, hardware and device support updates said to be coming.
The tipster is fairly prolific with Apple information, having released details of the Dynamic Island before that launched on the iPhone 14 Pro models last year. They've also been supplying information about the development of the capacitive buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro models – more on that below!
We've cherry-picked the highlights here, as there's quite a lot of things which were released. First up, iOS17 is said to be compatible with all A11 Bionic series devices. That means that the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X should both remain supported for at least another year.
Next, there's confirmation that the update to Control Centre will have a focus on user customisation. There's no additional detail on what that could entail, though. There's also likely to be more options available for the Always-On Display and the Focus mode, though, again, there's no added detail given.
Perhaps most notably, there's ongoing testing which would see interactive widgets brought to the iPhone range. That would make widgets much more useful, with one-tap buttons and sliders to activate certain features directly from the home screen.
The leaker was quick to note that, while this is in testing, it's certainly not guaranteed to arrive in June. But it would make for a great upgrade, bringing better interactivity to the iPhone software, which is badly needed.
Closing out the thread, the user was keen to dispute recent claims that the iPhone 15 Pro capacitive buttons are gone. They said, "iPhone 15 Pro models are still by far on track to receive capacitive/haptic volume, “action”, and power buttons – contrary to recent contradicting rumours."
Overall, there's an interesting suite of minor upgrades on offer, which should add up to make a decent overall package. The interactive widgets certainly sound like a headline feature, which, if it makes it onto the final build, could well be the crowning glory of the OS.
As for the capacitive buttons, take it with a pinch of salt. I have a feeling we'll continue to go back-and-forth with those until the device is seen on stage later in the year.
