In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the many exciting new features of iOS 11 which were revealed by Apple at WWDC 2017.
The new iOS 11 is expected to be released at some point this fall. Apple is touting their newly updated mobile OS as:
A giant step for iPhone. A monumental leap for iPad.
Revamped App Store
Apple’s App Store has seen a lot of positive changes over the past year which is partly why iOS app sales are on the rise. Well, the App Store is getting even more of an overhaul and here are some of the new features to expect:
- Going forward the Apps tab will focus solely on apps alone
- App review times will now be faster
- Overall app store cleanup and improved layout
- A new games tab will be added that will include charts as well as a list of featured games based on overall app popularity
- A new tab will be added called Today, located near the bottom of your screen, which will feature a new game of the day and app of the day
HomeKit
Speaker support to HomeKit has now been added as a protocol to AirPlay 2. Meaning, you’ll now have the ability to select what audio plays on what speakers throughout various different locations of your home.
iOS 11 features for iPad Pro
With Apple Pencil on iOS 11 you can make instant markups on screenshots or PDF’s quicker than ever on your iPad Pro. The ability for creating inline drawings, taking notes, and scanning documents for marking up has also tremendously improved.
A new Files app has also been introduced which makes organizing and accessing files on your iPad Pro much more simple. Now instead of documents being scattered all over the place, they will be easily accessible from one simple location in either list or grid view.
Augmented Reality
ARKit is a new framework and set of API’s for developers that has been introduced to iOS 11. It’s highly intelligent and advanced. With ARKit, developers can create experiences with augmented reality like never before for the iPhone and iPad. Your camera can even detect surfaces and blend other digital objects into that environment. This will enable developers to create apps and games that are much more immersive and realistic.
Maps
With Maps you’ll now be able to obtain directions for inside major airports and shopping malls. Yes, inside. A new Lane Guidance navigation tool has also been added to help you better make your way to your destination while driving.
Control Center
With iOS 11 you’ll be able to completely customize the layout of the redesigned control center. This enables you to create quicker access to apps and functions that you use the most.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay now has an iMessage feature integrated right in Messages that enables you to send and receive person-to-person payments instantly to friends or family.
Siri
Unless you enjoy Siri sounding like a robot, you’ll be glad to know that Siri’s voice has been upgraded as well to feature more natural male or female voices and tones.
The newly updated Siri is also more intelligent in the sense that it keeps track of your behavior and can therefor better anticipate what you may want to do next. Also, what Siri learns about you is carried over from one device to the next.
Messages
With iOS 11 an app drawer at the bottom of your Messages screen now appears which makes stickers more accessible. In addition to that, all of your messages will now be automatically synced whenever you login to a new device.
Photos App
You can do so much more with your Live photos on iOS 11 such as rewind (bounce), loop, mute, trim, and more! With Long Exposure you can adjust the exposure of any photo and have more control over time and movement. Before, you needed a DSLR camera to capture such effects.
Do Not Disturb While Driving
The new Do Not Disturb While Driving feature of iOS 11 helps you better keep your eyes on the road by preventing certain notifications from coming through on your lock screen while behind the wheel such as texts or calls.
You can also create a generic message that automatically sends replies to people on your behalf to notify them that you are driving and unable to respond. In case of emergencies, whoever is trying to contact you can reply with “urgent” and the message will then come through.
Camera
Apple has introduced very impressive new compression features for photos and videos with iOS 11. They’ve created a new format called HEVC for videos which apparently uses nearly half the storage space on your device compared to previous formats. They’ve also introduced a new picture format called HEIF to replace JPEG’s which has nearly twice the quality while only using half of the storage space.
Apple Music
With the new and improved Apple Music you’ll be able to share playlists with your friends. You can find recommendations for new music based on what stations, songs, and albums your friends have been listening to.
Darryl Burma
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