iOS is hitting double figures. Apple took the wrap off the latest version of its mobile software at the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, and it had a lot to say. Face recognition in photos, voicemail transcription and Safari split-view for the iPad are just some of the new features announced at the event.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook described it as an enormous release for the platform, with everything from Maps to phone calls getting an overhaul.
1) Siri
Siri started out as a digital assistant for your iPhone. Now, it’s everywhere, from your Watch to your TV (for some countries at least), and with the latest update for MacOS, it will be on your desktop too.
But Siri is still evolving on iOS. The intelligence behind Siri is being brought into your messages, with QuickType set to benefit. That means contextual predictions, using information gleaned from your location or your calendar, and if you like a bit of multilingual typing, you don’t have to switch keyboards top get your predictive text.
2) Apple Music
Apple Music has 15 million paying customers right now. That’s still lagging behind Spotify, but it’s more than Deezer and Tidal combined. So in general, it’s not doing too badly. But while people are willing to pay for it, you couldn’t help but think that the whole experience could be just, well, better.
Our wish is Apple’s command, apparently. Apple Music is getting a whole new look, a less complex one that makes it a lot more obvious where everything is. There’s an improved Library interface, clearly separating your downloaded music, and marking out your playlists, artists and albums. And a new search tab will help you find that track you are looking for.
3) Messaging
Apple’s Messages app is functional, but there’s probably very little in it that makes it stand out from the crowd. iOS 10 will bring new ways of communicating with other iMessage users, with everything from hidden messages to handwritten notes being brought in to transform personal messages. Animations such as fireworks can be used to take over the whole screen if you need something with a bit more impact; message bubbles can have bigger or smaller text if you need to emphasise your point in a more subtle way.
If someone sends you a link, you don’t have to leave the conversation; instead, it will show the content in the conversation. Videos will play without you needing to transfer to Safari; web pages will show up as part of your messages.
If you want the element of surprise, you can use hidden messages that only reveal themselves when the recipient swipes over it. And if you prefer to mix visual and text, you can scan your messages once you’ve finished typing them to see if there are some emoji you could use in place of actual words.
4) Maps
Ah Maps. Remember when Apple introduced this in 2012? It replaced Google Maps as the default mapping software from iOS 6 onwards, and it had a rocky start. Misplaced towns, wrong names, a park that was mistakenly identified as an airfield... To say that people were unimpressed was putting it mildly. Tim Cook publicly apologised, some people left, and Maps had some major work done.
‘Google Maps won’t go away though. And so, Apple is integrating even more apps with its mapping software through extensions, so you can do things like make a restaurant reservation on OpenTable, book an Uber and get directions to the restaurant without ever having to leave Maps.
Traffic information is also coming, along with the ability to search your route for important things like petrol stations or coffee shops and see how a stop off will affect your arrival time.
5) Universal clipboard
Such a small thing, yet it will make a major difference to anyone who uses a Mac and an iPhone or iPad. Copy something on your iPhone and it will be available on your Mac; you can paste it into whatever application you need it in.
6) Swift
Apple’s programming language is apparently so easy to learn that a child could do it, and not just coding geniuses either. To prove it, Apple is releasing a free app, Swift Playground, that will teach the programming language in a fun way, with lessons to follow and challenges to test students’ abilities. It’s set for a general release this autumn.
7) Apple Pay
We don’t have Apple Pay in Ireland just yet. But if we did, we’d be able to use it to pay for items on the web, while using our iPhone or Apple Watch as an authenticator. It will only be available on sites that support Apple Pay, obviously.
8) Home app
Apple announced HomeKit at WWDC two years ago, a framework that would allow developers to create home automation software and existing manufacturers to make their products compatible with Apple’s system. And then things kind of floundered for a bit. But this year’s WWDC saw the introduction of Home, a new app that will allow you to integrate and take control of your smart home systems. You can control them with a tap or through voice commands with Siri. There are about 100 companies that are working on compatible products for HomeKit, including lights, locks and thermostats.
9) Developers
Apple’s WWDC event is all about developers - it’s even in the name - but this year they may have been feeling the love a little more than in the past. In particular, the decision to open everything from Maps APIs to Siri to third-party developers could be responsible for a serious dose of the warm and fuzzies among the community right now.
10) The lock screen
Apple is all about the user experience, and right now the lock screen is getting a bit of attention. Raise the phone to wake the screen and see your notifications at a glance. There are widgets You can answer messages from the lock screen - we’re not sure if that’s really a good idea though - and using APple’s 3D Touch with different notifications opens up some other possibilities, like finding out where your UBer car is or xclear all the notifications with a press. If you don’t have an iPhone 6s or 6 Plus, then the 3D Touch functions are, obviously, out of your reach. Apple’s newest iPhone, the SE, doesn’t support 3D Touch either.
