iOS 17 Arrives Today. Here’s What You Can Expect – CNET [CNET]

September 18, 2023 Zachary McAuliffe technology

Apple announced iOS 17 months ago at WWDC.

Zachary McAuliffe Staff writer

Zach began writing for CNET in November, 2021 after writing for a broadcast news station in his hometown, Cincinnati, for five years. You can usually find him reading and drinking coffee or watching a TV series with his wife and their dog.

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Apple's iOS 17 mobile operating system — The wait for iOS 17 is almost over.

James Martin/CNET

Get ready, Apple is releasing iOS 17 today, Sept. 18. Here’s how you can download the new iPhone OS once it arrives. The release comes months after Apple unveiled iOS 17 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

The next iPhone software brings improvements to functions across compatible iPhones, like in Messages. The latest iPhone operating system also brings the new StandBy mode to compatible iPhones, which turns your iPhone into a smart display when charging and in landscape mode — that is, when it’s horizontal and not vertical.

iOS 17 has been in developer and beta-tester hands for some time through Apple’s iOS 17 developer program and recently became a release candidate — what Apple calls an almost final version of an update. Release candidates are like a sneak peek at the final version of software.

Apple also announced the new iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 at last week’s event.

For more Apple news, check out whether or not iOS 17 will be compatible with your iPhone and some of the cool new features in iOS 17. You can also check out what to know about the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.