iOS 17: 10 Features You Might Not Know About - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 17: 10 Features You Might Not Know About

iOS 17 has been available for a few months now, but there are so many new features in the update that some have gone under the radar. There are also hidden settings and little tweaks and changes that you might not know about, so we thought we'd round up some of the lesser-known iOS 17 features.

  • Messages - If you hold down the "+" button in the Messages app, you can get right to the photo picker to send an image. It's quicker than tapping "+" and then tapping on Photos to get to your images.
  • Links in Mail - To add a link to text in the Mail app, copy a link, select the text, and then paste it to turn the text into a hyperlink.
  • Add Text to Shapes - In the ‌Photos‌ app, if you've added a shape to an image using Markup, double tap it to be able to insert text.
  • Laundry Symbols - You can use the Visual Look Up feature on the iPhone to figure out what a laundry symbol means. Just take a picture and tap on the Visual Look Up symbol in the ‌Photos‌ app to get symbol information.
  • Apple Watch Ping - In the Control Center, there's a new option to ping your Apple Watch from your iPhone in case you misplace your Apple Watch.
  • Focus Mode Silence Notifications - When setting up a Focus Mode, you can now choose to silence notifications always or only when the iPhone is locked.
  • Journal App Lock - If you want to keep your journal entries secure, you can turn on the "Lock Journal" option in the Settings app to require Face ID to open up the Journal app.
  • Journaling Schedule - Having trouble remembering to use the Journal app? Enable Journaling Schedule in the Journal section of the Settings app to get a reminder to add a journal entry at a specific day and time.
  • Adjust Haptic Touch Speed - Under Accessibility > Touch > Haptic Touch you can adjust the time that it takes to activate content with a long press. Options include fast, default, and slow, and the fast setting makes haptic touch feel closer to the now-removed 3D Touch feature.
  • Shake to Undo - If you've move a Home Screen app or a widget and then change your mind on the position, you can use a shake to undo gesture to put the apps and widgets back where they were before you made the adjustment.

Know of a hidden iOS 17 feature that we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments below.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Feature

'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week

Tuesday July 21, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Tuesday July 21, 2026 6:22 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...

Top Rated Comments

34 months ago

Thanks for posting, very helpful!

Amazing that you can lick the journal app via faceid but not the mail app ;(
That’s because the Mail app tastes weird!
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
34 months ago

Amazing that you can lick the journal app via faceid
Pics, please!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
34 months ago
I actually used the laundry one last week. Got a coat with a frustratingly wordless tag, vaguely remembered reading that was a new feature somewhere, so gave it a go. Worked as advertised!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
34 months ago

That’s because the Mail app tastes weird!
PM me your email address and I will send you a sweet email 😂
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zpjet Avatar
34 months ago
While we’re on the plus button in Messages… as expected, you can re-arrange items in the menu by long touch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bn-7bc Avatar
34 months ago
Well imho the 2 most useful features in ios 17 is yet to come Sideloafing ( at least for those of us locky enugh to live in the EU/EEA) and rcs ( well if it manages to sneak in before IOS 18 that is)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)