NEW YORK (AP) — Hang up the phone? The location of the red button on Apple phones to end a call will change places in the next iOS 17 update of the iPhone, so be careful with the muscle memory of your thumb.
As iPhone users know, the end call button sits quite far from the other options, in a central position towards the bottom of the screen. But with the iOS 17 update, which will be officially released this fall, the red icon will move to the right, and other tools will descend to keep it company.
Although a preview of Apple’s iOS 17 showed off this new setting in June, attention has been growing for it as some users test beta versions of the software update. Images of iOS 17 beta versions shared by various news outlets this week showed the small, but potentially frustrating, change.
In addition to the red button to end calls, there are more changes to the layout of other calling features seen in earlier versions of iOS. The buttons to “Mute” and to put in “Speaker”, for example, have changed places, as well as the options to use the video call service “FaceTime” and the “Keyboard”. And it seems that the option that allows you to search for contacts will be included, as well as the option to add people to the call.
The changes have already started to generate reactions on social media, with some people predicting that they will have some bugs related to muscle memory, noting that it may take time to adjust.
It’s unclear at this time if calling options will change further before iOS 17 is officially released. The Associated Press reached out to Apple for comment on the matter on Wednesday.
As Apple points out on its website, the company’s beta program allows some Apple users to test the software before it’s available. Feedback from participants helps Apple identify problems and improve software programs before they are released commercially.
In addition to potential changes to the location of call options, iOS 17 will bring a variety of new tools for Apple customers, including improved autocorrect, a new Journal app, and voicemail transcription with the ability to reply to and reply while someone is leaving a message.
