Many excellent iOS 17 features that were left out of the WWDC keynote

When it launched iOS 17 at WWDC, Apple had a ton of fantastic new features to show you. We're excited about the significantly better autocorrect, StandBy, Live Voicemail transcriptions, personalized contact posters, and all the other great features.

However, there are instances when the smallest actions have the greatest effect. The way you use your iPhone on a daily basis could be changed by a little interface adjustment or unnoticed feature more than by any fancy AI-powered gimmicks ever could. Here are a few of the minor changes in iOS 17 that were not mentioned in the keynote but will undoubtedly affect your iPhone.

Ping your Apple Watch

One of the best features of the Apple Watch is its ability to open Control Center and ping your iPhone, prompting it to emit a brief loud noise that will help you locate it fast.

It also works the other way with iOS 17! A "ping Apple Watch" button has been added to Control Center on your iPhone.

Linking Notes

You have two notes: one listing the restaurants you want to visit, and the other your itinerary for your trip to Tokyo. It would be good to jump between them easily, wouldn't it?

Links are no longer limited to websites in iOS 17. You may now link directly between notes. Simply long-press a location in your note, select Add Link, and then write a URL or, as of right now, the title of another note.

News+ daily crossword

Daily crossword puzzles, a staple of many newspapers, are available to Apple News+ subscribers in the News app. There is yet another benefit to purchasing Apple News+ or the Apple One package even though this doesn't seem to be active in the initial beta. Neither do we know what it will look like or how difficult it will be.

Better Spotlight search

Many people don't use the Spotlight search tool, which allows you to quickly find apps, search the web, perform basic calculations and conversions, and even find content in Mail or Messages. Simply pull down from anyplace on your iPhone home screen to access Spotlight search.

It becomes smarter and more powerful in iOS 17. The top Siri Suggestion will feature a toggle to switch on or off the setting for a setting like "Wi-Fi" when you search for it, saving you from having to open the Settings app. Siri Suggestions will now include some new, more intelligent suggestions when you don't input anything in Spotlight, such as initiating a timer or navigating directly to a certain album in Photos.

Many people already open Spotlight or Siri Suggestions when they pick up their iPhone by swiping down. With these updates, iOS 17 is now even more beneficial to a wider range of users.

Fitness+ Custom Plans

Want to create your own unique workout schedule for your Fitness+ exercises? Select Custom Plans from the Fitness+ menu in the open Fitness app. You can select the days of the week, the duration of your workouts (2–8 weeks), the activities you wish to do, and even the equipment you have, such as dumbbells or yoga mats.

It should be noted that this tool is specific to Fitness+ and can only be used with the equipment and activities found in Fitness+ programs. It is not a freeform tool for creating fitness plans.

Quickly listen to web pages

For a while now, Safari's Speak Screen function has been able to read web pages, but Apple finally seems to have understood how valuable it can be for all users. Therefore, the "Listen to Page" option is located directly in the aA menu on your address bar in iOS 17. To pause or restart reading, tap it once more.

Lock white balance when recording video

A new option to lock the white balance when recording video can be found in Settings > Camera > Record Video. helpful for images where you want to capture the effect of changing ambient light.

Weather Averages

The new Averages tile in the Weather app displays the temperature's divergence from the daily average over time. The average daily and monthly precipitation amounts for your location are displayed when you tap the tile for more information.

A new Moon tile is also available.

Apple Music Crossfade

New Music SharePlay features have been discussed extensively, however Apple left out one: Crossfade, which seamlessly transitions from one song to the next without a pause in the music. Users have been pleading for this ever since Apple Music took the place of iTunes, and while it has long been accessible on the Mac, it is still unavailable on the iPhone.

Look for the Crossfade setting under Settings > Music.

Follow Up medication reminders

Optionally, the Health app can notify you to take your medication again 30 minutes after the initial notification.

Tap the Browse tab, then Medications, in the Health app. Tap the Options link when you reach it at the bottom of the page. There is a toggle switch for Follow Up Reminders.

Multiple timers

Multiple timers will be a feature on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, as was indicated in the keynote's section on iPadOS, but it is worth expanding on. No, we too have no idea why it took this long.

Insert Contacts or Passwords into almost any field

Almost any text field in iOS 17—including those in Messages, Mail, Notes, and other applications—allows you to long-press, choose Insert, and add Contacts or Passwords in addition to the Scan Text option that is already available. When you select one, your contacts or passwords will open, allowing you to swiftly choose the one you want to add (you must verify before your passwords open).

Recover deleted passwords

If you accidentally erase a password, it can be restored from the "Deleted Passwords" area of Settings > Passwords for up to 30 days.

Interactive Widgets

Although this was touted by Apple as an iPadOS feature, it is also a part of iOS 17 and macOS Sierra. Now, without opening the app, you can adjust smart home switches, check off items in Reminders, and do so much more.

Auto-sort Groceries list

Any list selected as a "Groceries" list type will automatically be sorted into the following sections: Produce; Beverages; Dairy, Eggs & Cheese; Breads & Cereals; and so on. The categories can be expanded or rearranged as needed.

For any other Reminders list, you can also add your own custom categories, but they won't be sorted for you. A Column View, early reminders notifications, and live widgets with checkbox functionality are additional Reminders enhancements.

Hiding sensitive images

Sensitive photographs sent to a child account via Messages can now be hidden using the Communication Safety safety feature. It now functions for FaceTime messaging, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceDrop, the system-wide photo picker, AirDrop, and third-party apps. You can locate that while setting up a Child account in Screen Time.

You'll have the choice to 'blur' private images and videos before viewing them, and not only for kids. You can tap the grey box with the words "This may be sensitive." in it to reveal the picture.

Dark AirPods cards

When using dark mode on your iPhone, it is certainly disturbing to have that bright white card come up when you open your AirPods case next to it. We don't know why it took so long, but iOS 17 finally takes into account your settings for dark mode when displaying these popup cards.

New quick Crop interface in Photos

In iOS 17, if you pinch to zoom into a photo while viewing it, a new "Crop" button will appear in the top right corner.

With the crop edges set to exactly what was seen on your screen when you were zoomed in, tapping that will launch the standard edit interface in crop mode. This is a quick and simple approach to get a crop that fits exactly perfectly for generating, for example, an iPhone wallpaper or new Profile Poster. You can still drag the borders to change the crop.

Clean up verification codes automatically

With iOS 17, you may now enter verification codes you receive via email in addition to text messages, which is a great addition.

The ability to prevent the accumulation of outdated codes is much greater. You can find a new checkbox called Clean Up Automatically under Settings > Passwords > Password Options that will remove these texts or emails after AutoFill has filled them in.

Find My Item sharing

Once you link an AirTag or other tracker to an Apple ID in iOS 16, it is only connected to that ID. Although it's an excellent security feature, sharing stuff like luggage and keys becomes difficult when someone has secretly put an AirTag on you. For you to know when something is genuinely lost—and not just being used by someone else—AirTags in Find My will be available in iOS 17.