Hidden iOS 17 features that you might not know about but will change how you use your phone

You might think you have your phone figured out but there are some hidden features on iOS 17 that you probably didn’t know existed.

While Apple is due to announce its next update soon, there’s a lot of handy tricks and shortcuts on the current OS that you might not have tried yet.

Not sure what the laundry code on the back of your shirt means? Fear no more, a new feature called Visual Look Up allows you to snap a photo of it and will tell you what type of wash you need to put it on.

The hidden features will change how you use your phone (Getty Stock Photo)

No longer will you have to suffer shrunken jumpers and the built-in Photos tool helps to identify things like words, plants, and other objects.

It’ll even tell you what that scary light on your car dashboard means.

Another feature available on iOS 17 is the cross-fade effect on Apple Music which allows you to seamlessly listen to songs without a jarring jump from one tune to the next.

Other helpful features include downloading Apple Maps so you can still use it when you’re lost with no internet service and letting the cloud remember your passwords (including your lock screen code) so you don’t have to.

Before, the only way to regain access back into your phone if you forgot your passcode was to completely wipe it but now you have a 48-hour window where you can still use your old code after creating a new one.

See the full list of hidden features to discover below:

The iOS 17 features will make your life easier (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

1. Automatically delete all verification codes in Messages and Mail after you’ve entered them
2. Download Apple Maps to use when you don’t have internet service
3. Control certain widgets by clicking on them without having to open the app
4. Enable a cross-fade effect between songs in Apple Music to seamlessly listen to songs
5. Use new feature Visual Look Up to decipher laundry codes on your clothes
6. Visual Look Up will also tell you what that worrying light on your car dashboard means
7. Relax and listen as Siri reads out news articles to you - no reading required!
8. While you’re at it, give Siri back-to-back requests like, ‘Hey Siri, give me directions to work and play my summer playlist.’
9. Let the cloud remember all your passwords so you don’t have to… including your lock screen code!
10. If you’re sick of manually sending passwords to your friends or family, iOS 17 lets you create a group to quickly send them between phones.
11. Filter your text message searches by things like contact, photo, and location to find what you’re hunting for.
12. Keep your private browsing really private by setting up a Face ID or passcode to stop anyone accessing your private browsing in Safari.
13. Can’t find your Apple Watch? Now, you can ping it from your iPhone Control Center.
14. If you find GIFs distracting, you can stop them from autoplaying.
15. You no longer need to go into edit mode to crop pics, simply zoom into your photo and click the new crop button to resize it.
16. Get quick access to your photos in Messages by pressing and holding down the + button to access your most recent images.
17. Now you’re able to autofill email verification codes just like text codes - but you must set up your email with the Mail app in order for this to work.