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You Can Fix the Most Annoying iOS 17 Features on Your iPhone

You’re not going to love everything about iOS 17 — and that’s OK.

iOS 17 brings several new major features to the iPhone, like StandBy mode, interactive widgets, full-screen contact posters for phone calls and the Journal app. And while most of these features are welcome additions and changes, if you’re like me, you might not love every new offering.

Read more: iOS 17.2: Check Out These New Features on Your iPhone

I get used to a particular way of doing certain things. For instance, I wasn’t a fan of the new search button at the bottom of each home page when I upgraded to iOS 16, because I’d accidentally trigger it all the time. It isn’t necessarily a bad feature, I just personally didn’t like it.

With iOS 17, there are a few features I’m not a huge fan of, as well. If you want to find out about some of the iOS 17 settings I sometimes find annoying, keep reading. Even better, there’s a «fix» for all of them, so you can either get rid of them or never have to deal with them again.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone

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While you’re here, check out the iOS 17 settings you need to change ASAP and the best hidden features in iOS 17.

Stop NameDrop from automatically sharing your contact info

The new NameDrop feature on iOS 17 allows you to quickly swap contact information via AirDrop simply by bringing your iPhone near another iPhone or Apple Watch. Your name and Contact Poster (also new with iOS 17) are shared with NameDrop, along with your phone number, email address and other information.

Some people have had issues with NameDrop sharing info when they don’t want to. For example, if you place your iPhone near another iPhone in general, NameDrop may attempt to transfer your contact information. If you carry two iPhones in your bag — one personal and the other for work — NameDrop could attempt to share contact info between the two, which can be annoying when you’re not trying to use the feature on purpose.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to disable NameDrop completely. In the Settings application, go to General > AirDrop and toggle off Bringing Devices Together. Once the feature is off, you won’t be able to swap numbers and information via NameDrop.

NameDrop setting on iOS 17

Hide notifications in StandBy

The StandBy feature is arguably one of the biggest new iOS 17 features to the iPhone, turning your phone into a smart display when it’s charging horizontally and showcasing information, like the time, your calendar, photos and notifications, in large blocks that are easy to see. StandBy is a great way to quickly absorb information by glancing at your phone, but if people are around and you want to keep some of your information private, you may not want StandBy to show notifications.

In Settings > StandBy, toggle off Show Notifications. Now when you’re in StandBy mode, you won’t see all of your notifications displayed. Critical notifications, like weather emergencies, will still be shown in StandBy mode.

StandBy settings on iOS 17

Alternatively, you can hide notification previews instead of the entire notification. That way, you can still see what notifications you’re getting, you just can’t check out the exact details unless you tap on the notification. For this to work, you’ll need to enable Show Notifications, as well as the Show Preview on Top Only setting underneath.

Stop Siri from activating so easily

Siri received a few major changes in iOS 17, including the ability to activate the voice assistant by only saying «Siri» — no more «hey» needed. It’s an easier way to quickly open an application or run a shortcut with just your voice, but at the same time, you might accidentally trigger Siri more often, since the new trigger is just a single word now.

If you want to go back to only having Siri activated when you say «Hey Siri» and not just «Siri,» go into Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for and choose the solo «Hey Siri» option. Your iPhone will no longer activate Siri simply when you say «Siri.»

Siri settings on iOS 17

For more on iOS 17, learn how to automatically delete multifactor authentication messages in texts and email and how to create Live Stickers.

Technologies

The Messenger Reinvented: How Verum Is Expanding the Boundaries of Digital Communication

The Messenger Reinvented: How Verum Is Expanding the Boundaries of Digital Communication

For more than a decade, the global messaging landscape has been defined by a handful of dominant platforms. Despite incremental updates, the core experience has remained largely unchanged: text, media sharing, and voice or video calls layered on centralized infrastructure.

Yet a new category of messaging platforms is beginning to emerge — one that treats communication not as a standalone function, but as part of a broader digital ecosystem.

Verum Messenger is one of the more ambitious entrants in this space. Rather than competing solely on interface or speed, it is positioning itself as an integrated environment that combines communication, privacy infrastructure, connectivity, and financial tools within a single application.

Beyond Messaging: Feature Density as Strategy

At the surface level, Verum includes many of the features now expected in modern messaging platforms, such as an AI assistant embedded directly within conversations, scheduled message delivery, disappearing messages after being read, and the ability to edit sent messages.

But it extends further into behavioral transparency and control. Users can receive notifications when someone takes a screenshot, copies, or forwards their messages, while also having the ability to block screenshots entirely and prevent screen recording. These controls are complemented by granular privacy settings, pinned messages, smart notification prioritization, message reactions and quick replies, customizable chat interfaces, and advanced notification controls.

Privacy as Infrastructure, Not Feature

Where Verum attempts to differentiate more aggressively is in its security architecture. The platform incorporates end-to-end encryption across all communications, including encrypted voice and video calls, along with automatic message deletion timers.

Account-level control is also emphasized through one-tap account deletion, restricted chat access, and active session management. Personal data protection is reinforced by storing security keys exclusively on the user’s device and implementing a multi-layered security model.

Additional safeguards include advanced privacy configuration, biometric authentication such as Face ID or Touch ID, passcode-based app locking, protection against unauthorized access, and dedicated private communication modes.

A Built-In Digital Layer

One of the platform’s more distinctive elements is its attempt to consolidate multiple digital services into a single environment.

This includes an integrated VPN, disposable anonymous email addresses, and built-in eSIM functionality, enabling connectivity across more than 150 countries. The application is designed to unify multiple services while supporting international communication, large file transfers, and group chats of up to 10,000 participants.

These are complemented by broader communication tools and an overarching goal of functioning as a centralized hub for managing digital interactions.

Financial Integration Without Fragmentation

In parallel, Verum incorporates a set of financial utilities that aim to reduce reliance on external applications. These include peer-to-peer transfers in fiat currencies, in-app balance top-ups, and a virtual payment card.

Support for Apple Pay and similar services is intended to streamline transactions, while built-in financial management tools suggest a move toward embedding everyday financial activity directly within the messaging layer.

Toward Network Independence

Perhaps the most forward-looking aspect of the platform lies in its recent technical developments.

Verum has introduced messaging capabilities that function without a traditional internet connection, relying instead on direct peer-to-peer communication between devices. This architecture reduces dependence on centralized servers, aligning with a broader industry trend toward decentralization and resilience.

At the same time, the platform incorporates on-device message translation, supporting dozens of languages with local processing. By avoiding cloud-based translation, this approach attempts to preserve user privacy while enabling cross-language communication.

A Broader Industry Signal

Whether Verum itself achieves mainstream adoption remains an open question. Network effects continue to favor established players, and feature breadth alone does not guarantee user migration.

However, the platform illustrates a broader shift in how messaging applications are being conceptualized. Increasingly, they are evolving into multi-functional environments that combine communication, privacy infrastructure, connectivity, and financial interaction.

In that context, Verum is less a direct competitor to existing messengers and more an early example of what a fully integrated digital platform might look like — one where messaging is no longer the product, but the foundation.

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Technologies

YouTube Will Let You Turn Off Shorts, but Only on Mobile

You can set a timer for bedtime or breaks, or just get rid of Shorts once and for all.

You can stop scrolling: YouTube just gave iOS and Android users the power to turn YouTube Shorts off completely. 

YouTube’s short-form videos are similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels. The videos are designed to be quick bursts of content, but can lead to more screen time than you may have initially intended. YouTube is rolling out a solution, at least for those who use the YouTube mobile app.

The YouTube Shorts Timer lets you set how much time you want to spend watching YouTube Shorts. Or you can set the timer to zero to stop seeing YouTube Shorts altogether. Google has instructions to disable Shorts or enable the timer in the YouTube app. You can limit your Shorts scrolling session to 15, 30 or 45 minutes, or for an hour or two. When the timer is up, you’ll see a message that you’ve reached your set time limit, but you can dismiss it. Google also says you can set reminders for bedtime and breaks.

The ability to set the timer to zero minutes isn’t available for everyone yet. A Google spokesperson told CNET that the feature was made available first to parents linked to supervised accounts. It’s still rolling out to all other users.

As a parent, I’m relieved to know parents now have more control over screen time through Google’s Family Link, an app and website for Google and YouTube parental controls. It also makes me wonder what other screen-time controls could be on the horizon. 

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A recent Pew Research Center study of teens who use TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram found that their screen time on these social media apps affects their sleep and productivity. Meanwhile, teens are using these apps for entertainment and say that the apps help their friendships — which could be important for teens. However, parental controls, app settings and other timers, like Brick, could help if you’re consistent and set schedules to have screen time without impeding on your time to rest or complete other tasks. 

Last month, a California jury found YouTube and Instagram’s respective parent companies liable in a landmark civil case brought by a woman who claimed the apps were designed to be addictive to children. YouTube owner Google has said the platform is a streaming service, not a social media site, and plans to appeal.

YouTube says parents can use the timer to control how much time teens spend watching Shorts, including setting reminders for bedtime and breaks. Or parents can turn off Shorts in the YouTube mobile app by setting the timer to 0 minutes.

The feature is only available for mobile, so Shorts can’t yet be disabled on desktop. TikTok rolled out new time-management features last year, including a positive affirmations journal and missions to earn badges for reducing screen time. 

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Technologies

MacOS Now Has a Native Gemini AI App

Get faster access to some of Gemini’s best features without switching tabs.

Gemini is getting a native MacOS app so that you have a faster way to talk to Google’s AI chatbot, bringing access to some of its best features with just a couple of clicks. 

Artificial intelligence is becoming more ingrained in everyday life, and companies are trying to make it easier than ever to access. On smartphones, AI is already just a button press away, but for desktops, LLMs like Google’s Gemini have been restricted to web applications. 

With the new app, Gemini is available via a simple keyboard shortcut. 

If you’ve got a MacBook, you can access Gemini at any time by pressing Option and Space on the keyboard, without having to switch tabs or open another window. 

Gemini’s best features, like Nano Banana image generation, video and music generation, are also just a few clicks away.

Much like you can do with the Gemini mobile app, the new MacOS app will let you share context from a window instantly so you can get insight on the content you’re viewing. Google says this will also work with local files on your computer and isn’t limited to web pages. 

The free, native app is available now for all users on MacOS 15 and up. Google says this is just the beginning and that it’s building the foundation for a «personal, proactive and powerful desktop assistant.» 

The app can be downloaded at gemini.google/mac.

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