iOS 17 Features That Won’t Work On Your Old Phone

Apple unveiled a major update to iOS in WWDC 2023. Some of them were disappointing. However, most of them were major enough to draw the attention of some of the most hardcore Android loyalists. Unfortunately, some of those amazing features may not come to your old iPhone. Let’s check them out.

StandBy Mode for the Latest iPhones

Don’t get your pitchforks out just yet! Yes, StandBy mode does work on every iPhone launched since the XR. However, it is designed for low-powered Always-On(OLED) displays. That hardware is only available on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Even the regular iPhone 14 doesn’t have an Always-On display that can lower refresh rates to 1Hz.

So, the 14 and its predecessors would consume more power and drain battery life very quickly with StandBy mode. That’s why you need to tap the screen on those phones to bring up StandBy mode when in Landscape orientation. To use StandBy mode uninterrupted, you need to cough up large bills and fat stacks.

Inline Typing Predictions on iPhone 12 or Newer

Like other tech giants, Apple has bet big on machine learning. The Bionic chips on iPhone are capable of processing very complex machine-learning algorithms and can learn how you use your phone. With iOS 17, this strength is used to speed up Inline Typing Predictions drastically.

Every keystroke of yours is analyzed to predict anything from a few words to entire sentences. You just need to tap the space bar to use the grey text recommendation. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for iPhone 12 or newer models. There’s no use trying third-party apps like SwiftKey or Gboard either.

Point and Speak Reserved for Pro Line-Up

The Point and Speak feature is an amazing accessibility feature. It’s available in the Magnifier app’s Detection Mode. The feature allows visually-impaired people to point toward labels, buttons, and everyday objects. The phone camera along with machine learning enables your iPhone to read the description out loud.

However, to accurately detect the edges of printed, raised, or embossed characters and recognize them properly, this feature uses the LiDAR scanner. So, if you don’t own a Pro or Pro Max model, you won’t be able to use this feature.

Gesture Reactions

iPhone users are familiar with blue bubbles and the balloons, hearts, fireworks, or hundreds of other effects available on iMessage. iOS 17 is bringing these effects to FaceTime calls. The effects aren’t fenced to Apple apps either. They also work on third-party video conferencing apps like WebEx and Zoom.

A physical thumbs-up would also trigger an effect on those video conferencing calls. However, this feature works smoothly only on iPhone 12 or newer models. Don’t make that frown! You can also trigger this feature manually from the Control Center on older models like iPhone 11 and even the SE. However, it would be a very annoying experience. Imagine swiping down the Control Center in the middle of a call several times for the fireworks effects. That’s inconvenient and exhausting .enough to make you buy a new phone!