Everything you need to know about iOS 9

 

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Apple has unveiled its iOS 9 mobile platform for iPhone and iPad and while the presentation didn’t offer much in the way of surprises, it did showcase some attractive new features. Here’s all you need to know about iOS 9.

Apple is promising better performance and more efficiency from iOS 9, quoting a 50% reduction in CPU usage and faster animation than ever before. iOS 9 will also offer iPhone and iPad users at least an extra hour of battery life compared to iOS 8 and up to three extra hours with its improved low-power mode.

The new OS is estimated to be around 1.8 GB so it is unlikely to fill up your device’s storage space. If you are concerned about cloud security, your sensitive information and photos will benefit from the inclusion of the two-factor authentication for iCloud.

The digital assistant Siri is getting an upgrade, with iOS 9 introducing a redesigned interface and improved intelligence. A new feature Apple is calling Proactive will see an increase in Siri’s contextual awareness and will attempt to compete with Android’s Google Now.

Proactive will see Siri use ‘context-sensitive’ data – like your location, the time of day, and what you are currently doing on your device to anticipate what you will need or do next, and offer suggestions unprompted. An example of this would be opening your Music apps when you plug in your headphones, automatically adding invites to your calendar, and searching your email for new phone numbers you haven’t added to your Contacts. In addition, Proactive will learn your routine based on your day-to-day activities and locations, and offer tailored suggestions such as traffic reports, potential new contacts and other info. If any of this sounds oddly familiar it’s because Google has offered this features for years now.

Although you’ll notice Proactive the most when using Siri, the service will also be integrated into Spotlight and throughout iOS 9. Unlike Google Now, Proactive doesn’t share your info with third parties or even link to Apple services. The feature uses data stored locally on your device, doesn’t require your Apple ID to use, and keeps all your info anonymous. The home screen search feature will have even more capabilities in iOS 9. The built-in search will now be able to pull up results from third-party apps thanks to ‘deep-linking’, so you’ll be able to search and discover app content directly from the Spotlight screen.

Again, this is something that Google has already begun integrating into Android. But a smarter built-in search means Apple users are less likely to open their Google search app or browser when looking for info at least that’s what Apple is hoping for.

Newstands is set to be killed off, and replaced with the all-new News app. News will feature daily news and magazine content in a customized, scrollable grid, with users able to select favorite publications and add bookmarks, save articles and topics, and receive personalized suggestions based on reading interests.

For publishers, News brings an all-new digital publishing format (dubbed Apple News Format), which allows for easy content creation and plenty of multimedia options, including photo galleries, video and animation, custom fonts, maps and Multi-Touch gestures. Apple has so far signed up over 20 big-name publishers including the New York Times, Time Inc., ESPN, CNN and Bloomberg.

Apple is still trying to make Maps successful, and the app will now include public transit directions for selected cities. Users will be able to view routes and maps for buses, trains, ferries and subways for major US cities including Baltimore, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC.

Public transport info will also be available for London, Berlin and Tokyo, and for more than 300 Chinese cities including Beijing and Shenzhen. Presumably, Apple will continue to add locations in order to try and keep up with Google Maps’ integrated public transit features.

The popular Health suite of features will also be improved. iOS 9 will see the addition of new health data, such as UV exposure and the ability for women to track their menstrual cycles and reproductive health.

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If you are a Notes user, you will get to enjoy a brand-new toolbar and formatting options. You’ll also be able to add and take photos directly from the app, as well as draw basic sketches and create checklists. Users can also add contacts directly from Safari, Maps and other apps straight to the Notes screen.
iPad owners will benefit from a bunch of new multitasking features, including a split-screen mode and picture-in-picture video viewing. You can also run two apps side-by-side at once, and the keyboard will also receive much-needed updates and shortcuts.

On June 10, 2015, posted in: Blog, Mobile by

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