14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has just announced the next version of iOS at WWDC 2016, providing us with a glimpse into what’s to come for iPhone and iPad users.
“We’re hitting a big milestone,” Apple has said, while also adding that “iOS 10 is the biggest iOS release ever for our users,” as it comes with 10 big features.
iOS 10 features a redesigned lock screen with rich notifications and makes full use of the 3D Touch technology available on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and most likely to be offered on the iPhone 7 as well.
iOS 10 allows the iPhone to wake up when you lift the device from the desk, so you no longer have to press the home button. There are rich notifications, allowing you to interact with apps sending them, so you can reply to an iMessage straight from the lock screen. 3D Touch can now be used to clear all notifications at once, so it’s all very easy. The Control Center has been redesigned as well, and a simple swipe provides what Apple calls “a special area” for music.
On the lock screen, if you slide over from the right, you launch the camera, and if you slide from the left, you reach widgets that let you see the weather, news, appointments, and many others.
3D Touch has also been updated, so if you enable it on apps that have notifications, you can get a quick look at details on unread notifications. For instance, 3D Touching the Mail app lets you find out who sent you emails that are yet to be read.
Major Siri updates
Siri has also been improved, and Apple says that the digital assistant received 2 billion requests every week. Siri is opening up to developers, the company has stressed, so users will be able to ask her to send chat messages in various apps thanks to third-party integration.
Additionally, iOS 10 comes with intelligent suggestions based on Siri, so the digital assistant can provide the current location in an ongoing conversation, offer contact information, check calendar availability, look for recent addresses, and more.
Apple will bring back memories
Photos will get a major update in the next iOS version too, including the so-called “Advanced computer vision.” This encompasses the face recognition system to group all photos by person, so you get albums generated all automatically “with your privacy protected.” You'll also benefit from object and scene recognition, which works in a similar way. Then, Memories is a new feature that analyzes your photos with artificial intelligence to generate albums using various image info, such as topics, date, location, and more.
Both Maps and Music are getting overhauled, with Apple emphasizing that it’s opening the doors to developers who want to create apps that are integrated with these services. Music gets a major redesign, and the whole look is completely new, including lyrics, which is definitely a pretty awesome addition. There’s also a “For You” section that is generated automatically to discover new artists and music while a daily curated playlist is offered based on previous purchases and music you’ve listened to.
Apple is updating News too with an all-new design that includes top stories and sections that are easier to follow. News “is smart enough to create new topics for you based on what you read,” Apple explains. Subscriptions are finally becoming available, so you can read every article from magazines or newspapers where a subscription is required right into the app. Breaking news notifications will also be offered right on the lock screen.
The company has also debuted its own HomeKit framework with a so-called “Home” app that allows you to control all your smart devices, such as lights and all accessories in your household. You can lock the doors, adjust the thermostat, all in just one app. Of course, Siri is also available, so you can control all of these just with your voice.
iOS 10 will come with voicemail transcription for your incoming calls, so you can find out what it is all about without having to listen. An extension API is also supported to ensure protection against phone spam so that no voicemail spam will rich your phone.
Messages getting huge revamp
Furthermore, a VoIP API will be offered with support for lock screen and integration in the phone’s favorites and recent menus. A contact card has also been updated with support for all these features.
And last but not least, “Messages,” which Apple says is the most used app on the iPhone, now supports rich links, which provide a preview of the content you are linked to. Videos can play in-line, and camera integration is also offered to take a photo and share it immediately. Emoji are 3 times bigger, “which is fantastic,” as Apple says. Emoji prediction is also here, a feature that has already been available on third-party keyboards such as SwiftKey.
What's more, there’s a new option that detects all words that can be “emojified,” so you can simply tap a certain word and insert an emoji instead. Bubble effects will also be implemented for a more personalized experience with several effects, including invisible ink to hide the content in a certain message or photo. Handwriting is also being introduced in Messages on iOS 10, and so is a full-screen effect feature.
Apple has put emphasis on privacy at WWDC, explaining that all features come with end-to-end encryption to “always protect your privacy.” Everything is on the device, and you can “keep your personal data under your control,” as the company has added, which is clearly a reaction to the recent scandal involving the FBI, when the feds wanted Apple to break into the iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter.
The Developer Preview of iOS 10 is available today, and a public beta will launch in July while the free update will go live in the fall, most likely with the iPhone 7.
