The FaceTime video reactions that Apple introduced in iOS 17 are cool (fireworks when you show two thumbs up, etc.), but you don't necessarily want them to go off on every call. Now it looks like Apple is about to make the feature less prominent.
According to MacRumors, with the introduction of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, third-party video calling apps will be able to turn off reactions by default. In other words, you won't suddenly find balloons filling the screen during a serious call with your boss.
That “default” is the crucial part: for the moment, whenever you launch FaceTime or another video app for the first time, these reactions will be enabled. You can turn them off (and then they'll stay off for that app), but you have to remember to do it.
The move also means that third-party developers gain more control over effects that are applied at the system level. As The Verge reports, one telehealth provider has already taken the step of informing users that it has no control over these reactions.
Coming soon
This additional flexibility is made possible by what is called an API or application programming interface, a way for applications to interact with operating systems. It would mean that iOS or iPadOS settings no longer dictate the settings of all other video apps.
The changes were spotted in the latest beta versions of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, although there is no guarantee they will remain there when the final version of the software is released. It is currently unclear whether the same update will be applied to macOS.
iOS 17.3 was released on January 22, so we shouldn't have to wait much longer to see its successor. Among the iOS 17.4 features in the works, based on the beta, we have game streaming apps and automatic transcriptions for your podcasts.
Apple hopes a new version will help encourage more people to install iOS 17 as well. Adoption has been slower than with iOS 16, with users citing bugs and a lack of new features as reasons for not applying the update.
