Well, well, well … our wait is over! iOS 10 is here and it is definitely kick-ass. I don’t remember being this excited about an OS update in a long time. And why not! There are so many reasons to go zippety-doo-dah. Even Craig Federighi (better known as Hair Force One) said that this was the ‘biggest iOS release ever for our users’.
Granted they have a habit of saying that at every Apple event, but this time, they had just cause for their confidence. Here are the top 10 features of iOS 10 that will blow your pants off! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.
1. The iMessage is ‘i-Amazing’!
Although the iMessage made an appearance right towards the end of the iOS presentation, I am talking about it first because I am just so pumped about the changes.
In a snapshot, here are a few things that are going to be different about iMessage in iOS 10
- Rich links – Now when you share a link in messages, iOS 10 will capture all relevant images (like artwork, titles, etc.) and display it inside the message. You will also be able to play videos that your friends send you without leaving iMessage.
- Emojis have gotten bigger
- Text prediction will highlight all those words that can be replaced by an emoji.
- Bubble effects add small animations to the blue bubbles in iMessages.
- Messages in ‘secret ink’ will stay hidden unless you swipe to reveal it.
- iOS 10 will also support written texts, so you can send a handwritten note to your friend, if you still remember how to write!
- Apple music gets integrated with iMessage, allowing you to play and share songs from within the message.
- Finally, iMessage is going to be open to developers, which means they can make different apps for it.
2. The Redesigned Lock-screen is Nifty!
Frustrated with constantly having to press the home button to check the lock screen for messages, emails or alerts? Not anymore. iOS 10 has a new feature – raise-to-wake – that literally wakes the phone when you lift it up.
In addition, the lock screen allows you to
- Access live updates from applications
- Use 3D touch to interact with an app
- Open the camera with just one swipe
- Clear all notifications using 3D touch
- Interact with widgets without having to launch the app
3. Siri Becomes Super Sexy
Siri now has what Apple likes to call ‘contextual awareness’, taking it one step closer to becoming a virtual assistant. She will pull together all the information from your location, calendar availability, address, and contact information and come up with intelligent solutions to your queries.
Furthermore, Siri is going to be opened up to developers. This means, in the near future, you could ask it to send a What’sApp to your mother, pull up directions from Google Maps, and book you an Ola Cab.
4. Photos Organised More Intuitively
Using a technique known as ‘deep learning’, iOS 10 now comes with facial recognition for your photographs. No, no, stop hyperventilating. Apple is not breaking any privacy rules. Everything happens locally on your phone and no personal data is sold off to anybody.
Here are some amazing things the new photos app can do
- Automatically cluster photos based on whether they are of a friend or family or your pet’s. It can also cluster photos based on location, scenery, or trips.
- A new feature called memories will use group photos to create slide shows and movies. So those 150 photos you took of yourself on a gondola in Venice will be compiled into a single memory and turned into a video.
- The photos app will also come with a better search and sorting feature.
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These were among the more interesting updates of iOS 10, but the party isn’t over yet. There were other announcements that may not have brought the roof down, but it’s important to share those with you as well.
5. Apple Maps to Become More Proactive
Apple Maps has disappointed us all in the past, but Eddy Cue promises that the newer version will be “a lot more proactive”. It’s getting redesigned completely and is going to have a lot of predictive features. The Map has also been opened up to third party developers who can use its extensions to their advantage. In the future, you may be able to book an Uber from within Apple Maps.
6. HomeKit to Become a Standalone App
HomeKit undergoes transformation in iOS 10 and emerges as an all new app known as Home. This allows you to control your smart home from your smartphone. Turn off the lights, draw the blinds, open the garage door, or see who’s standing on your porch … all from your faithful iOS device and along with Siri’s assistance.
7. Apple Music Gets a Redesign
Apple Music was unveiled amidst great pomp and show last year, but with complaints pouring in about poor user experience, Apple decided to give it a full redesign. The new interface is cleaner and less confusing. The first tab is your music library, which is segmented according to playlists, albums, artists, and songs. There’s also a new section called ‘Downloaded Music’ that lists everything on your iPhone. Apple Music also has a ‘Daily Curated Playlist’ which is customised for each user.
8. News App Gets New Look
With more than 650 million monthly readers, Apple’s News app is clearly a hot favourite among users. It has been completely redesigned and the new look is pretty good. Now featured stories will be handpicked by editors and readers will now be able to subscribe to their favourite magazines and newspapers. The app will also feature ‘Breaking News’ notifications.
9. Phone App Updated
As everything in iOS evolves, so does the phone app. iOS 10 will have voicemail transcriptions so you don’t have to listen to every voicemail that’s been left for you. Furthermore, the app will also be able to detect a potential spam call and inform you of the same. Also, all your VoIP calls, like the ones you make from Skype or What’sApp, will feature in your regular call log.
10. Honorary Mentions
Although presenters didn’t delve into these 3 features in great depth, they’re certainly worth a mention
- Collaborative feature in notes that allows you to work live with multiple people
- Live Photos have new features like digital image stabilisation and editing features
- Split view in Safari on the iPad
Whew! That is a long list and iOS 10 looks every bit as promising as they’re making it out to be.
Good news is that iOS 10 will be launched in fall this year along with iPhone 7. Bad news? We’ll have to wait that long for the real thing to wow us. Sigh!
