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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

Using iOS 16's Visual Lookup to cut out a cat in an image Using iOS 16's Visual Lookup to cut out a cat in an image

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.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

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

The Apple TV 4K's new Siri remote close-up The Apple TV 4K's new Siri remote close-up

Sometimes you lose this little guy and need to use your iPhone to control your Apple TV.

Apple

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

Apple Watch Ultra Apple Watch Ultra

You can start workouts from your Apple Watch, but not from your iPhone (without a third-party app).

James Martin/CNET

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 interface on the Sony Xperia 1 III The Photo Pro app interface on the Sony Xperia 1 III

The Photo Pro app on Sony Xperia 1 and 5 series phones gives you an interface that looks identical to a professional mirrorless camera.

Sarah Tew/CNET

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 iPhone's Dynamic Island showing a phone call The iPhone's Dynamic Island showing a phone call

The Dynamic Island was a great addition to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

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 screen in the iPhone's Wallet app. The Apple Card screen in the iPhone's Wallet app.

The Apple Card lives on your iPhone. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

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.

Apple

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

An iPhone with and Apple Pencil on the back An iPhone with and Apple Pencil on the back

What if you could use an Apple Pencil on the iPhone?

Patrick Holland/CNET

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

Two iPads with multiple app windows open Two iPads with multiple app windows open

The multiple windows on the iPad and iPad Pro.

Scott Stein/CNET

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

iPhone lock screen with temperature, AQI, Air Pods and Activity rings widgets iPhone lock screen with temperature, AQI, Air Pods and Activity rings widgets

Some iPhone owners are being targeted for an unusual crime.

Apple

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

In photos: Key takeaways from day one of the UN General Assembly

World leaders descended on New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, where the agenda covers topics from wars to the risks posed by AI.

World leaders descended on New York this week for the annual United Nations General Assembly, where the agenda spans the U.S.-Iran war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and the risks posed by artificial intelligence.

Nearly 130 heads of state and government started taking the podium on Tuesday, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are also attending.

Motorcades, road closures and security details for visiting leaders have choked midtown Manhattan. Inside UN headquarters, delegates face a week of back-to-back speeches and sideline meetings that come at a crucial time for a world order already under strain.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will skip the assembly but head to Washington for a high-level summit with Trump on Wednesday. Leaders from India and Russia are also staying away.

Trump on Tuesday told world leaders at the assembly that he faces a “big decision”: make a deal with Iran or “annihilate” the Islamic Republic. He later told reporters that U.S. officials held a “very good” three-hour meeting with Iranian envoys on the sidelines, reviving fragile hopes for a diplomatic off-ramp to the seven-month war.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung set out a three-part plan for “peaceful coexistence” with North Korea. It calls on Pyongyang to “first halt the advancement” of its nuclear program before reducing it.

Brazil’s Lula spoke first, as his country traditionally does. “Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians,” Lula said. “Brazil is nobody’s backyard.” He said the UN “is failing in one of its highest missions: to save humanity from the scourge of war.”

Trump also signed a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that expands U.S. military access in the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.

Trump then met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for about 40 minutes. He pressed for a Russia-Ukraine energy truce and backed a ban on U.S. diesel exports as fuel prices hit records before the midterms.

French President Emmanuel Macron gave his own UN address. “There can be no peace without justice,” he said. After meeting Trump, he pledged to push for a moratorium on strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Gaza “the most inhumane, most shameful concentration camp of our time,” prompting Israel’s delegation to walk out. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, will address the assembly by video after being denied a U.S. visa.

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Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as U.S. and Iran Hold Hours-Long UN Talks

Oil prices fell as U.S.-Iran talks at the U.N. raised expectations that supply disruptions could ease. Brent and WTI futures declined, while optimism grew around a possible diplomatic settlement.

Oil declined on Wednesday as optimism grew that supply disruptions could ease after U.S.-Iran talks, lifting hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the Middle East conflict.

Futures on the international benchmark Brent crude for November delivery fell 0.71% to $98.55 a barrel as of 3:04 a.m. ET. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for November slipped 1.26% to $89.36 per barrel.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. officials had a “very good meeting” with Iran’s delegation, which lasted about three hours. Earlier, during his address to the U.N., Trump said he faced a “big decision” over whether to make a deal with Tehran or “annihilate” the country.

Reuters reported Tuesday that Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the U.S. agrees to reduce military pressure and lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

“Pakistan’s mediation efforts with Tehran could also reduce the risk of a broader escalation,” said Paolo Broccardo, chief executive officer at private digital bank BankPro.

He said oil prices were also unlikely to surge sharply in the near term.

“Over the past five consecutive sessions, the price has fallen by almost 12%, retreating once again from the ‘intervention zone’ above $100, where we have repeatedly seen intensified peace-building efforts from both sides,” Broccardo said.

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Technologies

CNBC Daily Open: Nothing artificial about ‘Super Intelligence’

President Donald Trump seeks to rebrand AI ahead of his meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, while rejecting a “globalist scheme” to regulate the technology.

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Hello, this is Leonie Kidd coming to you from London. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.

President Donald Trump’s passion for renaming places is now extending to renaming technological developments.

His latest effort is to rebrand AI as ‘Super Intelligence.’

However, it will take more than a facelift for the most transformative technology in a generation to meet the expectations for a global safety approach, especially ahead of the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be welcomed to Washington D.C., later on Wednesday.

Read on for more.

What you need to know today

“The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake… It is not fake. It’s actually amazing.”

The words of U.S. President Donald Trump as he used his keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly to call for the renaming of AI as “Super Intelligence.”

His support for allowing AI (or Super Intelligence) to develop at a winning pace comes as his global peers look to reach an agreement on safety rules around the powerful technology.

Later on Wednesday, Trump will greet China’s Xi Jinping in an arrival ceremony ahead of Thursday’s state visit, where AI has become one of the key talking points between the two superpowers.

Speed versus safety

The CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman and Anthropic boss Dario Amodei are expected to address the United Nations Security Council later on Wednesday. They are set to be joined by Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue to debate AI safety and regulation.

The appearance follows calls to slow the breakneck pace of the model frontier — warnings Trump has called a “hoax” and “scam.”

Frontier FOMO

Investors are taking an optimistic view, with a rally in technology stocks on Tuesday leading the Nasdaq to another fresh high. The tech-heavy index hit a new all-time intraday peak and achieved a record close.

Futures are flat in early trading on Wednesday amid a broadly positive handover from Asia.

Oil oscillations

Crude prices are lower on Wednesday following news that U.S. officials had a “very good meeting” with the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

President Trump said the discussion with officials lasted about three hours. Earlier in his address to the U.N., he said he has a “big decision” over whether to reach a deal with Tehran or “annihilate” the country.

According to regional media reports, Iran has been communicating its conditions for ending the seven-month war with the U.S. through a Qatari mediator.

— Leonie Kidd

*Please note, the Daily Open EMEA will be coming to you from my colleagues in Singapore for the next few days*

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And Finally…

Anthropic and OpenAI roll out cheaper models in first release since call for slowdown

Anthropic and OpenAI on Tuesday each announced new, less costly artificial intelligence models as both frontier labs continue to face stiff competition from cheaper, open-weight competitors.

OpenAI introduced additional tiers to its GPT-6 family, with GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, slashing the API prices by 50% compared with GPT-5.6 promotional pricing.

Sol, which is a tier below Astra, is meant for more complex workloads like coding, while the company’s Luna offering is geared toward “high-volume tasks” such as extracting information or summarizing documents, the company wrote.

Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 5.5 on Tuesday, its latest release in the new Claude 5.5 model family.

— CJ Haddad

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