Got a New iPhone 17? How to Use All the New Features

[QuarterSwede]

The Camera Control button itself is actually excellent, potentially a big upgrade in photographic competence. However the software components that "enables some crappy filter or weird setting" is "really Apple-unworthy." Apple needs to look at Nikon, Canon, etc. to see how a shutter release works after many decades of UI evolution.

The other thing iPhone cameras desperately need is the ability to lock into a single capture method. Constantly inadvertently switching from photo to video, RAW to Live (yech) or worse still switching from photo to selfie is infuriating. It would be an easy software fix, just requiring a menu dive to unlock a set of choices.

Totally agree with this. I have 2 different cases (OpenCase and cheap Beats one) that have capacitive Camera Control buttons that work wonderfully with it too. It's not the hardware that's the issue.

I changed the default behavior to:

• Double Click to Open Camera (from the single click default), that stopped accidental camera opening.
• Turned Off the Swipe Gesture as that was accidentally changing controls and kept Light Press on.
• I'm thinking of turning off Press and Hold for Visual Intelligence as I find the main ChatGPT app a lot more competent, no idea why it would be different.
• Removed the Camera widget on the Lockscreen to force myself to use the button.

These changes made it actually work really well. I hope they don't remove it next year unless they make it work as well or better. I'm getting 3D Touch vibes though, that took some tweaking to get it right.

 

[QuarterSwede]

one issue my mom had with her iPhone, that took me a while to fix , was that she some how had turned off turn by turn voice navigation in apple maps. who is wanting/asking that customization feature? "it just works" fail.

Uh, I do. I don't want my music broken up by turn right while driving in my own city. A lot of people use it daily since traffic can be a bit of a mess in larger cities,1 accident is all it takes to have you sit there. Navigation can get you around those issues. In short, my Maps is muted most of the time. It's only when I'm traveling in an area I don't know well or I'm out of town that I use full spoken directions.

 

[zenmacx]

but it just works.

If only it wasn’t so ugly looking.

While the appearance of my iPhone 16 Pro Max wasn’t dramatically different than that of my iPhone 15 Pro Max, it’s not a bad looking phone.

I passed on the iPhone 17 Pro Max based on the dreadful looking “camera plateau” and the switch to aluminum. Friends and family that bought the 17 Pro Max have suffered scratches and dings they’ve never experienced in the past.

Going forward it looks like it will be more of the same with the upcoming iPhone 18 models, a decision that makes it hard to stick with Apple.

 

[HylianKnight]

Maybe a new influx of CarPlay issues will finally prompt a fix from Apple, but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[switz]

With the iPhone 17 Pro Max in its protective case that has a grip surface on the edges, the only aluminum visible is the plateau with the three lenses. The case propteudes out enough that the lenses do not touch the flat surface below them when lying on a table. Also have Zagg protective lens covers. Have a Zagg screen cover as well.

Both the lens and screen covers were replaced several times on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. When all the protective covers were removed at trade in at the store, it looked new.

It is possible to have an iPhone survive one's ownership with no blemishes externally. There is nothing I can do about the iOS inside but wait for actual release versus the Beta versions. That iOS is still the Achille's heel of the iPhone.

 

[darngooddesign]

Yes indeed the Camera Control button is dreadful.

Although Apple never admits a mistake, the proof is revealed in the current dialogue about “improving it” on the upcoming iPhone 18. They just don’t “improve” a feature that is well designed and well accepted.

By that logic, iOS6 was a mistake.

 

[switz]

Making improvements in small aircraft implied that they were correcting "errors" and the ambulance chasers would see if there were possibilities for their activities. Thus small aircraft design stayed static for a very long time at Piper, Beechcraft and Cessna. The solution was creating new much different models and letting the old models wither on the vine as their prices rose drastically passing the points of economic viability.

The uncertainty in our economy would suggest that folks may find better uses for $2,000 than an iPhone or iPad priced to that level. There are many viable choices for cell phones below $500 that make and receive calls. Alternatives to iPads can also be found in that price range.

Champaign tastes on a beer budget can not go on forever.

Just saying, Apple needs to have products at much lower price points for when the AI bubble explodes..

 

[zenmacx]

There are many viable choices for cell phones below $500 that make and receive calls. Alternatives to iPads can also be found in that price range.

This is an excellent point, and a distinct advantage provided by the Android platform.

With the advancements made over the last few years, Android cell phones priced well below $500 or even below $250 are amazingly good smartphones.