iPhone tips: 6 useful features in iOS 17 to try during your next foreign vacation

iPhone 15 or any iPhone user with iOS 17 software should know about a few little-known features that can make planning vacations easy, especially if flying to foreign destinations is on cards. Whether you are looking to click a passport photo to apply for a visa, planning a travel itinerary or sharing photos, iOS 17 has several ‘travel-friendly’ features that can make life easy.

Planning a vacation requires travel bookings, stays, packing, itinerary, and much more to make your trip memorable. Here are 6 new features in iOS 17 to try during your next foreign vacation.

Planning for visa- how to take a passport photo with iPhone

If you need to click a passport photo quickly for an online visa application or even get prints from a studio, you can use your iPhone with iOS 17 to take a passport photo with white background at home
 

• Tell your friend or family member to take your photo on iPhone in good lighting, ensure nothing is covering your face, and your phone is set to Light Mode.
• Tap and hold on the subject of your image to lift it from the background, then tap “Copy” and paste the image into a new note in the Notes app. Make sure dark mode is turned off with your white background. If you use dark mode then the Notes app will show a black background.
• In the Notes app, take a screenshot of the note, and open it in Photos. Tap “Edit,“ and “Crop.“
• Select the rectangular icon in the top right, and select your aspect ratio. From there you can shift the shot around to make sure you’re fully in frame.
• Tap “Done“ and your new ID photo is ready for upload!

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Use Reminders app to create a reusable packing list for vacations

For every trip, the list of things to pack almost remains the same. So, creating a reusable packing list template on iPhone makes sense so that you can simply tick items while packing before every new trip. You can use the Reminders app for the same.
 

• Create or select an existing list in the Reminders app.
• Tap the three dots in the top right, then select “Save as Template.
• “Rename” the template and hit “Save”

After it’s saved, tap the overlapping squares icon to access your Templates and select the template you want to use, rename it, then hit “Create.“ Now open the new list and modify as needed.

To add a location to your Reminder tap the Location button to assign a notification based on where you are. Select one of the options provided, or tap Custom to add your own location, choose whether you want to be notified when arriving or leaving, and set the perimeter of your reminder area. You can set a due date, add a tag or attachment, like a photo.

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Plan and make a list of places to see in Apple Maps
 

Before your trip, create and customise a guide in Apple Maps. You can share your guide with your travel companions, and even download Maps on your iPhone to use offline.

To create a guide in Apple Maps, do these:

• Scroll down to the My Guides section, tap “New Guide,” enter a name for your guide, add a photo, and tap “Create.“
• To add a place, tap the plus sign on the bottom right, and type in the location. Tap the plus sign to add it, and hit “Done.“
• To share your guide with friends and followers: tap your picture or initials at the top right of the search card in Maps, then tap “Guides.“ Choose a guide and tap the Share icon at the bottom, centre of the screen.

Download maps in Apple Maps to use offline

With offline maps in iOS 17 and later, you can use Maps for information and navigation even when you don't have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

• To save a detailed map of an area, search for the name of the area to save for offline use.
• Tap “Download.“ Then you can adjust the size of the area on the map to optimise storage.
• Tap “Download“ again to begin your download.

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Don’t know the language in a new city? Tips to use the Translator app on iPhone

When travelling abroad, use the Translate app on iPhone as your own personal interpreter.

Select the languages, enter text or tap the microphone icon, and speak — the app will automatically translate for you.

To translate written text, like signs and menus, tap “Camera,“ select your languages, and point your iPhone at the text. The app translates the text in real time as you move the camera.

To download a language on a device for offline use, go to Settings > Translate. Tap “Downloaded Languages,” then tap the arrow symbol next to the languages you want to download. You can also turn On-Device Mode on to automatically translate offline using downloaded languages.

You can also set the Action button on your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to open the Translate app. Go to Settings > Action button > swipe right until you reach “Translate.“ Now, when you press and hold the Action button, it quickly opens the Translate app.

Travel safety features on iPhone that you must know

Prepare for an emergency

Ahead of an upcoming trip, set up your Medical ID and add emergency contacts. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture or initials in the top right corner. Select “Medical ID,“ tap “Edit,“ then add essential information like your date of birth, blood type, medical conditions, allergies, and more. Add emergency contacts by scrolling to “Emergency Contacts“ and tapping “Add.“ If you call an emergency number, your iPhone will notify these contacts and share your location with them, if enabled.

If you call emergency services, your iPhone can automatically share your Medical ID with first responders. You can also enable the setting to make your Medical ID accessible from a Locked screen by tapping Emergency, then Medical ID.

Use the “Check In” feature

Whether travelling alone or keeping family reassured, use Check In to automatically update friends and family upon safely reaching your destination. If progress halts, your designated contact will receive details like the last known location of the device, battery percentage, and more.

To start a Check In, open a conversation in the Messages app and tap the plus sign on the bottom left. Tap “More,” tap “Check In,“ and then tap “Edit“ to add details. You can choose “When I Arrive“ or “After a timer.“ Tap send. Please note that both devices need to be running iOS 17 or later.

These are some of the useful iPhone travel tips which will come in handy for your upcoming travel plans with your friends and family. With an iPhone, you can make your travel plan easy and ensure that you are safely travelling and exploring new places in the world.

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