Oliver Haslam on June 6, 2023, 4:18 pm

iOS 17 Brings Interactive Widgets To iPhone

Apple’s iOS 17 software update, announced during WWDC 2023, will bring with it a number of new features. But one of the biggest improvements will no doubt the be ability to use live widgets for the first time.

The current widget implementation on the Home and Lock Screen requires that people tap a widget and then have it open the app for interaction.

However, Apple announced that widgets will become interactive with iPadOS 17 and the same feature is also coming to the iPhone.

As a result, apps will be able to offer widgets that can be scrolled or have buttons that can be tapped. With iOS 17 installed the widget won’t need to launch the app in question, making for a better overall experience.

App developers will now have to use the summer to get their apps ready for the big change, producing new and more interactive widgets that can be used on the iPhone and iPad.

Other changes to iOS 17 included being able to invoke Siri by simply saying the digital assistant’s name. A new Standby feature will effectively turn the iPhone into a dashboard and alarm clock when not in use, too.

Apple’s new software updates include iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14 Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17 and they are all available in developer beta now. Public betas are likely to arrive in the coming weeks, while a general public release isn’t expected to happen until this fall — likely in September or October depending on the software and how well the beta program progresses.