At its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple announced its new iOS 9 operating system for iPhone and iPad.
iOS 9 will include several improvements over iOS 8. Rather than launching major new features, Apple is improving upon what already exists.
– Siri: A new UI is coupled with the power to accept more natural requests. For example, you can ask Siri to “remind me to get the coffee off the roof of my car when I get in,” because Siri now knows when you get in your car… somehow.
– Protactive Assistants: Your phone can learn things about you and help you throughout the day. An example: If you plug in your headphones, it’ll automatically load up the Now Playing screen on your lock screen. When plugging your phone into your car, it may offer up an eBook you’ve been listening to. In another example, iOS 9 can take a guess at who’s calling from an unknown number based on your emails and other sources.
Reminders have been vastly improved as well: You can tell Siri to remind you about anything that’s on your screen at any given moment. It’ll look at your screen and make your reminder based on what’s there.
– The Notes app now includes numerous formatting options for headings, numbered lists, photos, and check lists. A drawing tool is now available as well.
– Maps: There are new transit maps that “emphasize transit lines,” rather than the roads that drivers use, to provide those who take public transport with the information they need. The transit maps also offer detailed looks at the layout of stations underground.
– New apps: Gone are Passbook and Newsstand; in are Wallet and News. Speaking of mobile payments, Apple is expanding Apple Pay to over 1 million stores by next month, and loyalty cards are coming to Wallet.
The News app lets you pick from news sources and see their content in a new reader very similar to Clipboard.
– Major iPad improvements: iOS 9 includes major changes to multi-tasking with the iPad’s bigger screen. “Slide Over” lets you open another app while one is still open, and two apps can be open and completely functional at the same time. Picture in picture is also supported — you can continue to watch a video while doing other things on your screen. You can even place the video wherever you want on your screen and resize it to your liking:
– Low power mode: A new button will “pull levers you didn’t know existed,” and will extend your battery life on your iPhone and iPad by one hour if you need to plug in. At this time it’s not clear what is turned off and how this feature will affect your usual apps, but it’s sure to be an easy way to keep your phone up and running for a little extra time.
A public beta of iOS 9 will be available in July, and the final release will be available in the fall. All devices that were allowed to upgrade to iOS 8 last year will be able to upgrade to iOS 9. This time, Apple says it will take less free space on your device in order to upgrade.
Correction: This article previously stated that the low power mode would give users three hours of additional usage time. It will offer one hour “of additional time before charging,” according to Apple.
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