The first public betas of iOS 17 and other major software releases from Apple were made available yesterday, and TechCrunch was able to uncover new notable features that are also available in developer beta 3, including support for bilingual Siri queries, ability to save full-page screenshots as photos, and more.
Bilingual Siri Queries in India
With iOS 17, Apple is introducing bilingual Siri queries where users will be able to speak to Siri in multiple languages in the same query. The company is initially rolling out this feature with specific Indic languages. Users will be able to speak bilingually to Siri by mixing English with one Indic language including Hindi, Telegu, Punjabi, Kannada, or Marathi.
The ability to mix English with Hindi when querying Siri will be widely appreciated by users based in India, who often engage in daily conversations using a combination of languages.
Save Full-Page Screenshots as Photos
iOS 17 now includes the ability to save full-page screenshots as images in the Photos app. The new option is available to all apps that support the full-page screenshots option.
Users are able to take full-page screenshots in prior iOS versions, but with iOS 16 and earlier, these screenshots can only be saved as a PDF document which can later be viewed in the Files app. In iOS 17 developer beta 3 and the new public beta, Apple has added a new “Save to Photos” option under the “Full Page” tab after taking a screenshot. The new option is available in apps that support full-page screenshots such as Safari, Maps, and Notes, and is also available on the latest iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma betas.
New Dual-SIM Features
Apple is expanding dual-SIM support on iPhone with iOS 17. Users with iPhones that support dual-SIM will be able to separate messages on a per-SIM basis, individual ringtones for each SIM, and the option to choose a specific SIM when dialing back an unknown number.
More Features for Indian Users
Apple is bringing localized features for users in India with iOS 17 and other software releases, including:
- Transliteration support on iOS for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam
- Ability to sign in to Apple ID with a phone number instead of an email
- New built-in Punjabi dictionary with support for word and phrases definitions
- Calls history log will support up to 2,000 calls including FaceTime and Whatsapp calls
- Messages filtering by known and unknown senders is coming to the iPad
