Technologies
Everything I Hope Apple Adds to iOS 17 for the iPhone
The next version of iPhone software is expected at WWDC. Hopefully the new iOS has all these features.
Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote presentation on June 5, where CEO Tim Cook and gang are expected to announce the next major version of iPhone software, iOS 17. Though rumors point to the software update being overshadowed by new Mac hardware and a long-rumored and yet-to-be-announced AR/VR headset, the next version of iOS should still boast significant improvements.
It could include a feature that lets you view more items on your lock screen, according to a Bloomberg report. The lock screen would reportedly show calendar appointments, weather and notifications, similar to Android devices circa-2019 and smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show. This would follow on the heels of iOS 16, which brought a major overhaul of the iPhone’s lock screen that made it more customizable.
With iOS 17, iPhone owners could also gain the ability to sideload apps, according to a different Bloomberg report. Sideloading means you can download an app on your iPhone without using Apple’s App Store. The potential inclusion is likely meant to ensure compliance with new European regulations due to kick in next year.
While I find those rumors fun to ponder, they can also be a distraction from the many other things I think Apple needs to add or improve in iOS. The additions I want range from significant changes, like adding support for the Apple Pencil for Pro Max and Plus models, to smaller, quality-of-life improvements, like adding a volume button to the iPhone’s virtual Apple TV remote. We have to wait until WWDC to see what actually unfolds, but here’s my iOS 17 wish list.
Bring ‘Visual Look Up’ to the Camera app

In iOS 16, Visual Look Up got a nifty shortcut that lets you cut out the subject of a photo just by tapping and holding on the image.
Visual Look Up launched with iOS 15 in 2021 and can recognize objects in your photos such as plants, food, landmarks and pets. In iOS 16, Visual Look Up expanded to let you lift an object out of a photo or PDF by tapping and holding, essentially creating a sticker you can share with others.
But there’s a catch. Visual Look Up works only after you take a photo. I hope iOS 17 lets you do the same thing straight from the camera viewfinder. For example, if the camera were open and pointed at flowers, I could tap the Visual Look Up icon to see what kind of flowers they were without taking a photo of them. You can do that with Live Text, and Google Lens does something similar on Android phones. I realize this isn’t a radical change, but it would streamline things a bit.
Add a volume button to the iPhone’s Apple TV remote

Sometimes you lose this little guy and need to use your iPhone to control your Apple TV.
If you own an Apple TV, you’ve no doubt misplaced the tiny minimalist aluminum remote control at some point. Fortunately, you can use a virtual remote on your iPhone to do nearly everything the physical Siri remote does, except change the volume. Apple, please add a volume button to the iPhone’s Apple TV remote.
Technically, when you use the Apple TV remote on your iPhone, you can press the physical volume buttons to control the TV volume. But this doesn’t work on every TV’s audio receiver, such as mine. I’d guess there are many people who, like me, just want the virtual remote on the iPhone’s screen to mimic the physical remote’s button layout; most importantly including the button for volume.
Bring fitness tracking to the iPhone

You can start workouts from your Apple Watch, but not from your iPhone (without a third-party app).
If you’re an Apple Watch user, you understand the convenience of recording a workout. But if you aren’t wearing your watch or don’t own one, there isn’t a way to record basic exercises like walking, running or cycling without a third-party app. I’d like to see Apple expand the Fitness app so you can record workouts even without a Fitness Plus membership.
Add a pro camera app

The Photo Pro app on Sony Xperia 1 and 5 series phones gives you an interface that looks identical to a professional mirrorless camera.
It’s time for Apple to revisit the iPhone’s Camera app. For years, it was the gold standard of simplicity, offering a “see what you get” preview for photos, videos and effects with minimal, easy-to-navigate controls and modes. But as Apple has added more functionality, especially for ProRaw photos and ProRes video recording on iPhone Pro models, the Camera app has started to feel cramped. It tries to remain a one-size-fits-all app at the expense of higher-end features like manual camera controls.
I’d like Apple to make a separate pro camera app, along the lines of how it created a standalone app for classical music. Apple Music Classical tackles the special challenge of categorizing, searching for, and discovering classical music, something the default Apple Music app isn’t geared toward. Similarly, the pro camera app could be a place for creative types to access camera controls, settings and features beyond those in the basic camera app. Sony has been quite successful with this sort of approach in its Xperia 1 and 5 series phones, and Samsung has a separate Expert Raw app to complement its main one. Now it’s Apple’s turn.
Let me customize the Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island was a great addition to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
The Dynamic Island works well. It’s like having a shortcut at the top of your screen no matter what you’re doing on your iPhone. Glancing at my Uber ride status from my lock screen or in the Dynamic Island just makes sense. But I want more from the Dynamic Island, especially if iPhone 15 rumors are right and non-Pro iPhone models get it too. I’d like to see Apple let people customize their own Dynamic Island in a curated way.
In 2016, with iOS 10, Apple rolled out the iMessage app store for stickers and games. I don’t think we need a Dynamic Island app store, but something like the ability to pin a Memoji sticker as a Dynamic Island icon would be great. Admittedly, as creative-minded as I am, I don’t have a brilliant example of exactly what I want. I just think the Dynamic Island is another way people could make their iPhone feel more personal. Customization was a big theme with Android this year at Google I/O, with the introduction of AI and cinematic wallpapers. Of course, Apple could view the Dynamic Island like it does Apple Watch faces and want to control how it’s changed, instead of letting people go hog wild.
Add Apple Card functionality to other credit cards

The Apple Card lives on your iPhone.Â
If you have an Apple Card, you get to experience one of the best mobile financial experiences on any phone today. Apple’s signature credit card lives virtually in the Wallet app. At first glance, it appears like any other Apple Pay card. But when you tap its digital avatar, you see the card’s balance, rewards, upcoming payment info, and transactions. I’d like Apple to open that functionality to non-Apple credit cards.
If your Bank of America credit card is in Apple Pay and you have the Bank of America app on your phone, wouldn’t it be great to access similar functionality in the Wallet app? Expanding access would be convenient for iPhone owners and could bolster Apple Pay and the iPhone’s Wallet as serious financial tools.
Make widgets interactive
Widgets can be pinned to your home screen and resized to your liking.
Widgets on the lock screen and home screen can do two things: show information (like the weather) and launch the corresponding app when tapped (e.g., the weather app). Widgets haven’t changed much since Apple introduced them with iOS 14. It’s time for a refresh.
What if you could use the podcast widget like a mini-podcast player, or order your favorite burrito bowl straight from Chipotle’s widget? Adding more functionality to widgets could make it easier to multitask on the iPhone.
Add Apple Pencil support

What if you could use an Apple Pencil on the iPhone?
I’ve been writing iPhone and iOS wish lists for years, and one addition that’s made my roundup every time is adding Apple Pencil support to the iPhone, specifically for Pro Max and Plus models. The 6.7-inch screen isn’t that much smaller than the 8.3-inch screen on the iPad Mini. But one supports Apple Pencil functionality and the other doesn’t.
Also, if iOS 17 did include Pencil support, Apple could make a smaller version of its stylus and call it the Apple Pencil Mini. Maybe it could attach to the back of the iPhone Pro Max or Plus using MagSafe?
Bring the iPad’s split-screen view to iPhone Pro Max models

The multiple windows on the iPad and iPad Pro.
The iPhone Pro Max has been part of Apple’s lineup since 2019. The 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch screen, while the 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max all have a 6.7-inch display. Last year, Apple introduced the iPhone 14 Plus, which also has a 6.7-inch screen. Those large screens feel wasted when it comes to software. Some iOS apps like Mail and Messages can take advantage of the extra space in landscape orientation to show a column of message previews next to the currently opened message. But otherwise, there isn’t much else in iOS that’s optimized for big iPhone screens.
I’d like Apple to bring some iPadOS features to iOS 17 just for Pro Max and Plus models, especially its split screen multitasking view. It would be wonderful to have Safari open on one side of the phone and launch Messages on the other.
Revisit ease of use vs. security

Some iPhone owners are being targeted for an unusual crime.
Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen ran a series of stories about how a thief who steals your iPhone and knows its passcode can lock you out of the most important parts of your digital life. This crime isn’t widespread, but Stern and Nguyen showed that it’s more common than you might think.
At the core of the issue is the balance between security and ease of access. The same tools Apple put in place to help people who get locked out of their devices and accounts are being used by savvy criminals to lock people out of their phone and accounts while gaining access to their money and services. There’s been a bunch of coverage on the topic in recent months, and it sounds like these tools help far more people than the criminals who take advantage of them.
I don’t think there’s an easy way for Apple to “fix” the issue, but I hope with iOS 17, the company takes a moment to reconsider the impact these tools can have on people and even offer other security features to foil the thieves behind these crimes, like Apple did with AirTags.
At the end of the day, I’m excited for WWDC this year. And while I do hope there’s a fancy, cool AR/VR headset, my heart is holding out for iOS 17 and all its new features.
Technologies
Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report
The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.
President Donald Trump on Monday morning reportedly said, “We’re going to hit them very hard,” after Iran said it launched an attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan in response to an American strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
“There will be a response,” Trump said on a call to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, according to Yingst.
The president also reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant.
The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.
The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.
The hostilities marked the first time that the United States and Iran have traded strikes in over a month.
A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news service that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond “dozens of times greater.”
“No target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach,” the source told Reuters.
The source also said that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran’s rules for passage through the strategically critical waterway.
American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the U.S. military said Tehran’s Guard was preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.
“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement to MS NOW.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.
Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July.
The back-and-forth strikes come as the U.S. Defense Department on Monday announced that it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery schedules for “critical subcomponents” for systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.
The systems are Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.
The Washington Post, in a report on Sunday, noted that “the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles.”
“The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate,” the Post reported.
The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.
The latest flare-up in military action prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks in the Middle East.
International benchmark Brent crude
Trump on Monday extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal.
Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his Truth Social platform depicting the bombing of the oil hub, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”
There was no evidence of an attack against Kharg Island, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.
On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a supertanker had caught fire and was left disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, saying they were not complying with Iran’s rules for passage, according to Iranian media reports. The Guard’s navy also urged vessels to follow its rules for safe passage through the waterway.
Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the U.S. and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the escalation and that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said Monday that the country was working to achieve a diplomatic agreement to bring an end to the conflict, adding the continuation of war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”
Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” state media reported.
The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.
Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The agency reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate the strait with caution.
Technologies
Brent crude exceeds $90 following U.S.-Iran hostilities flare-up
Oil prices jumped after U.S. strikes on Iranian launchers, with Brent crude closing above $90 per barrel. The escalation has heightened tensions, disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices surged Monday after U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, marking a return to combat between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude futures for September delivery gained 2.7% to close at $90.49 a barrel, while front-month U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures added 2.8% to settle at $85.76 per barrel. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, confirmed in a statement that U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that the U.S. attack killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and responded with attacks on American military bases in Jordan based on Iranian media reports. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal, posting on Truth Social that it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!” Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments, has been severely disrupted by the Middle East conflict, which has entered its sixth month. “Supply risk will persist and oil inventories will continue to deplete in the coming weeks and months,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “the Iranian crisis has likely changed the security status quo in the Middle East.” “Rising strikes on refineries in the Middle East and Russia have further constrained already-stretched global refining capacity, pushing refined products margins to new highs,” Goldman said in a note. —Verum’s Anniek Bao contributed to the report.
Technologies
Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report
The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.
President Donald Trump on Monday morning reportedly said, “We’re going to hit them very hard,” after Iran said it launched an attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan in response to an American strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
“There will be a response,” Trump said on a call to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, according to Yingst.
The president also reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant.
The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.
The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.
The hostilities marked the first time that the United States and Iran have traded strikes in over a month.
A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news service that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond “dozens of times greater.”
“No target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach,” the source told Reuters.
The source also said that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran’s rules for passage through the strategically critical waterway.
American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the U.S. military said Tehran’s Guard was preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.
“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement to MS NOW.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.
Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July.
The back-and-forth strikes come as the U.S. Defense Department on Monday announced that it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery schedules for “critical subcomponents” for systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.
The systems are Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.
The Washington Post, in a report on Sunday, noted that “the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles.”
“The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate,” the Post reported.
The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.
The latest flare-up in military action prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks in the Middle East.
International benchmark Brent crude
Trump on Monday extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal.
Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his Truth Social platform depicting the bombing of the oil hub, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”
There was no evidence of an attack against Kharg Island, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.
On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a supertanker had caught fire and was left disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, saying they were not complying with Iran’s rules for passage, according to Iranian media reports. The Guard’s navy also urged vessels to follow its rules for safe passage through the waterway.
Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the U.S. and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the escalation and that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said Monday that the country was working to achieve a diplomatic agreement to bring an end to the conflict, adding the continuation of war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”
Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” state media reported.
The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.
Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The agency reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate the strait with caution.
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