Let’s be honest. Most phone hardware upgrades aren’t worth the money. Sure, it’s a little faster, and the camera is better, but that doesn’t mean much for most people.

Especially when you consider the price, rumor has it that when Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max (with 2TB of storage) is announced in mid-September, it’s expected to cost $2,100. Yes, the high-end iPhone costs about 60 percent more than a MacBook.

Software upgrades, on the other hand, are free. Apple’s iOS 17 update includes many new changes and features you won’t want to miss. 

DailyMail.com rounded up five of our favorites — and how to upgrade now if you don’t want to wait until the September release.

Check In will let you share your locations with others in your contact list, how much battery they have left and whether or not they have good cell service

Check In will let you share your locations with others in your contact list, how much battery they have left and whether or not they have good cell service

Check In will let you share your locations with others in your contact list, how much battery they have left and whether or not they have good cell service

Just checking in

Asking your loved ones to text you when they get home is so yesterday. With Apple’s new Check In feature enabled, you’ll automatically be notified when a family member or friend gets to their destination safely.

Check In also shares your pal’s location, how much battery they have left and whether or not they have good cell service. 

Apple says all of this info is end-to-end encrypted, so no worries about a creep getting their hands on it.

Live Voicemail transcribes the message in real time and lets you take the call

Live Voicemail transcribes the message in real time and lets you take the call

Live Voicemail transcribes the message in real time and lets you take the call

Tech tricks and tips to your inbox: Get my pro advice, totally free.

Coming to you live

If you’re over a certain age, you definitely remember old-school voicemail machines — the kind that let you pick up the phone in the middle of the message if you decided the call was worth answering. 

Apple’s bringing that back with the Live Voicemail feature.

Live Voicemail transcribes the message in real time and lets you take the call.

Every transcription is stored on your device and private so you don’t have to worry about where your voicemails go.

One of the best parts is that spam calls are automatically declined and won’t appear as Live Voicemail. Woohoo!

Will your phone get the update? Not every model supports iOS 17. Check here to see if your iPhone is eligible.

Drop me a line

AirDrop makes sharing photos with a nearby iPhone or Apple device easy. 

Now, Apple’s taking things to the next level with NameDrop. 

This feature replaces clunky business cards by allowing users to share contact information by bringing two iPhones (or an iPhone and an Apple Watch) together.

NameDrop isn’t just for networking events. The feature also includes SharePlay, where you can easily share your favorite music, games and movies with other iPhone users nearby. Pretty sweet.

Listen up

The new operating system also includes upgrades for AirPods

The new operating system also includes upgrades for AirPods

The new operating system also includes upgrades for AirPods

Love your AirPods? This one’s for you. The new iOS update includes a bunch of new features to personalize the audio experience and improve Automatic Switching and call controls.

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● Adaptive Audio allows you to adjust the volume of whatever you’re listening to based on your surroundings and interactions.

● Conversation Awareness automatically lowers the volume of your music and cuts down on background noise when it detects a nearby conversation.

● Personalized Volume gets to know about you and your preferences to keep your volume settings where you like them.

It’s personal

With the personalized Contact Poster feature, you can customize your image and change the look of incoming calls from friends and family. 

You’ll also have access to upgraded typography and font colors. 

It’s way better than just one little picture to show you who’s calling.

Get it before everyone else

You can update to iOS 17 immediately if you’re willing to be a beta tester. Keep in mind beta software may still have some bugs and glitches. This far into the process, iOS 17 is pretty close to being optimized.

With the personalized Contact Poster feature, you can customize your image and change the look of incoming calls from friends and family

With the personalized Contact Poster feature, you can customize your image and change the look of incoming calls from friends and family

You'll also have access to upgraded typography and font colors

You'll also have access to upgraded typography and font colors

With the personalized Contact Poster feature, you can customize your image and change the look of incoming calls from friends and family

● Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program on Apple’s website.

● Backup your device on iCloud or your computer.

● Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

● Look for a menu called Beta Updates and enable it.

● Select iOS 17 Public Beta and install.

Don’t forget to back up your phone before you install the beta version software. You can switch to your last backup if things get extra buggy on your testing journey.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

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