Apple announced the latest edition of its iOS today. iOS 10 claims it’s the biggest iOS release(every WWDC they say it) ever since its inception and 10 new major features Apple showed on its presentation:
1. User interface
Apple has redesigned the lockscreen which should be welcome by seeing the same type. It now supports pick up to wake(android phone has it by double taping on the screen) and an easier way to access the camera – just swipe left. If you swipe right you’ll find your widget page. When Android ditched the widgets(it was up until Android 4.4) on the lockscreen Apple is bringing them back.
The main theme around the Apple is about the Bubble like effect which is well integrated into the notification and widgets. The control center comprises of the two panels, one with regular control and another with the Music Control. There is also a third options where you setup a home app shortcuts.
Apple has added the 3D Touch a lot more power the UI – you can now see more information from notification area or even apps on the homescreen, by using 3D Touch. And if you like what you are seeing, you can set it as a widget on your brand new Today page (the leftmost homescreen panel).
2. Siri
Siri got its own update with new features with include to new human friendly conversation. But it’s biggest change is the opening Siri to developers. Now it can send messages via non-Apple message clients, it can reserve Uber cars, among others(developer need to setup in their code).
It can even search photos through various third-party photo apps, it can make VoIP calls, or send payments. Many AI functions is added and also it can learn from you and polished your experience.
3. QuickType keyboard
Apple has upgraded keyboard with Siri’s intelligence and it can now sense what you want to say or answer. It can read through your messages and suggest creating events, share you location, remember your recent addresses, and the best part is it now supports multilingual typing.
4. Photos
The Photos app has some of a few new tricks, which are quite familiar as they have been on Android for years now. The app can now show your photos on a map, you search them by the faces of your friends.
A cool new feature is the AI sorting in Memories,(basically it is also present in the Blackberry 10 as apart of OS and also HTC phone) which scans your photos and sorts them in automatic albums by landmarks, animals, people, topics, and various other criteria.
5. Maps
The Maps app boosting with Map layers, smarter and proactive assistance as well. The Maps also supports extensions – it can help you throughout your day by offering the fastest routes by following all the traffic around you and suggesting places nearby. It can also make reservations.
CarPlay also been integrated with Maps expanding the turn-by-turn navigation to your dashboard display.
6. Apple Music
As expected Apple Music got a new refined interface, which makes easier to find the music you like and organize it.
7. News
For News – it has a brand new interface. It can also create subtopics for you – i.e. if you like to read about Euro 2016, the News app will automatically create a subcategory for Euro 2016.
The News app supports subscriptions, so you can get all free and paid content in one place. Breaking News notification on the homescreen are also a novelty that has been updated.
8. Home app with even more powerful Home Kit
Apple wants you to use and control everything in your home via the new Home app(basically it is a frame work for home app). It supports any popular smart electronic accessory and you can control them all from your iPhone or iPad or iPod- lamps, bulbs, doors and locks, cameras, air conditioners, fans, outlets, humidifiers, doorbells, among many others.
The Home app added supports to 3D Touch, which provides scrubbers for, say, volume up/down, or launches a pop-up with live feed to a camera.
Finally, the Control Center now has a third tab with toggles for your most used smart accessories.
9. Phone
Apple updated the Phone app with some interesting new features. All third-party VoIP apps can now use the same calling screen as your default Phone app. Skype, Viber or other – they all get full-screen notification with a photo, some options and a big answering slider which is a pretty neat.
In the phonebook you can now choose which app you want to call a specific number, which is nice touch.
The Voice Mail now can show you a full transcription of the message in text, if you like. And it can now detect if a message from an unknown number is a spam or not even before it gets into your voicemail(integrating a true caller like feature).
10. Messages
Finally, the Messages app has been enhanced. First – it supports live GIF and video playback right within the app. Any multimedia that could be played – you can play it within the messaging thread.
Next you can access quick to your photos and live camera feed without leaving the app. The interface looks quite nice and clean, lots of people will appreciate it.
The Emojis are bigger with 3x original size and you can replace words with Emojis by just tapping on them basicaly the OS will recognize and suggest.
The Bubble Effects is perfectly integrate well. You can apply different effects to your iMessages, you can even opt for swipe to reveal. There are similar effects available for the full messaging screen (such as fireworks) and lot more.
The Messages app now supports digital touch, handwritten messages, too. With this digital touch you can even send your heart beat. You bet stickers are also coming with the new app.
The Messages app is now open to developers, too, so you can expect various mini iMessages apps to pop-up in the App Store and enhance your experience. Developer even may take some of these ques in the other messaging platform.
And the rest
The iOS 10 has a few more features added to other system apps. The Notes now supports collaboration between different apps.
The Mail now has a conversation view.
The Live Photos are now digitally stabilized and you can edit them if you like. Many simple effects are added.
Safari is now faster, with split view support as well.
Privacy
Finally Apple has taken steps to enhance privacy(despite of the many protest) – the new iOS 10 handle end-to-end encryption, all intelligence and suggestions are happening on-device (basically there is no data is leaving out of your phone) – there is nothing in the cloud or Apple’s servers, there is no user profiling, and all privacy data is not shared between apps.
Release
The iOS 10 will be available to any iPhone 5 or later, iPad 4 or later, iPad mini 2 or later, and iPod Touch 6 or later, for free this fall. An open beta will kick off in July, while the developers will get a preview from today.
