iOS 17 could be a nightmare of nudes if not for this key feature

(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Rael Hornby)

The opening day of Apple’s annual WWDC revealed some impressive features heading to iPhone through the upcoming iOS 17 update. We’ve already gone into 11 new features coming to your iPhone with the update, but a few have the potential to do just as much hard as good.

The upcoming features updates to AirDrop, Contacts, FaceTime, and Messages include a number of great personalization features that let you quickly share contact information, choose how you appear to others when making a call, and easily make custom stickers to share with others.

The problem? You might not really be interested in somebody’s unsolicited nudes showing up on your phone when they call you. Nor do you want to check your FaceTime videomail to find all sorts of questionable horrors awaiting you.

Thanks, but no thanks

If you’re anything approximating as cynical as I am. You likely realized the potential for ner-do-wells to do you wrong with these features almost immediately. Thankfully, it seems like Apple was well aware too, and has some expanded Privacy and Security measures to thwart those looking to abuse its platform.

You’ll now have the option to blur sensitive photos and videos before you choose the view them across a range of iOS apps like Messagers, AirDrop, Contact Posters, FaceTime messages, and even third-party apps.

So you won’t have to worry about your creepy “friend” Dick illuminating your phone with a Contact Poster of his Richard in front of your friends and family when they send you an out-of-the-blue Romeo Dial.

That's one less of life's looming horrors you'll have to worry about at least. Nice work, Apple.

iOS 17 update adds sensitive content warnings to familiar apps — (Image credit: Laptop Mag / Rael Hornby)

Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.