If you have a supported iPhone, you can download iOS 17, Apple’s latest software update. The new iPhone operating system, introduced along with the iPhone 15 family, brings some cool new features to iPhones such as standby mode, interactive widgets, full-screen contact posters for phone calls, improved and more personalized autocorrect, and much more.
Read more: iOS 17 cheat sheet: Everything you should know about the new iPhone update
While most of these features are welcome, if you’re like me, that might not be the case Love every single new offering from iOS 17. Sometimes I don’t want a change, especially if it’s very drastic, because I’m getting used to a way of doing certain things.
I wasn’t a fan of the new search button at the bottom of every homepage when I updated to iOS 16 because I kept triggering it by accident. It’s not necessarily a bad feature, I just personally didn’t like it.
And with iOS 17 there are also a few features that I’m not a big fan of. If you want to learn more about some of the iOS 17 settings that sometimes bother me, read on. Best of all, there is a “solution” to all problems, so you can either get rid of them or at least never have to deal with them again.
While you’re here, check out the iOS 17 settings you need to change ASAP and the best hidden features in iOS 17.
Prevent NameDrop from automatically sharing your contact information
The new NameDrop feature in iOS 17 lets you quickly exchange contact information via AirDrop by simply bringing your iPhone near another iPhone or Apple Watch. Your name and contact poster (also new with iOS 17) are shared with NameDrop along with your phone number, email address, and other information.
However, some people have had issues with NameDrop sharing information when they don’t want to. For example, if you generally place your iPhone near another iPhone, NameDrop may attempt to transfer your contact information. If you have two iPhones in your pocket – one personal and the other work – NameDrop may attempt to share contact information between the two, which can be annoying if you don’t intentionally use the feature.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to disable NameDrop completely. In the Settings Application, go to Generally > AirDrop and turn off Bring devices together. Once the feature is disabled, you will no longer be able to exchange numbers and information via NameDrop.
You can share photos via AirDrop and up close, so turning this setting off will also disable this.
Hide notifications in standby
The standby function is probably one of the biggest new features of iOS 17 for the iPhone. It turns your phone into a smart display when loaded horizontally, displaying information like the time, your calendar, photos, and notifications in large blocks that are easy to see. StandBy is a great way to quickly grasp information by looking at your phone. However, if there are people nearby and you want to keep some of your information private, you may not want StandBy to show notifications.
In Settings > Stand byturn off Show notifications. Now when you are in standby mode, not all of your notifications will appear. Critical notifications such as weather emergencies continue to appear in standby mode.
Alternatively, you can hide the notification preview instead of the entire notification. This way you can still see what notifications you receive. You can only check the exact details unless you tap the notification. For this to work you need to enable it Show notificationsas well as Show preview only above Setting below.
Prevent Siri from activating so easily
Siri has received some important changes in iOS 17, including the ability to activate the voice assistant by just saying “Siri” – no more “Hey” required. It’s an easier way to quickly open an application or run a shortcut using just your voice. At the same time, however, you may accidentally trigger Siri more often because the new trigger is now just a single word.
If you want to go back to only activating Siri when you say “Hey Siri” and not just “Siri,” go to Settings > Siri & Search > Listen to and choose the solo “Hello Siri” Possibility. Your iPhone will no longer activate Siri when you simply say “Siri.”
You can also just turn this off “Listen to” Special feature.
For more information about iOS 17, see: Learn how to automatically delete multi-factor authentication messages in SMS and emails and create live stickers.
