Opening up the system
iOS 10 not only brings improvements for users, but also opens up access to developers so that built-in Apple tools can integrate with third-party apps
Why a more open iOS is great for devs and users.
“Every major area of iOS now open to developers.” Craig Federighi
One of the biggest changes coming from Apple in iOS 10 later this year isn’t what it’s included, but what it’s opened up. A number of Apple’s apps won’t just have new features developed by Apple: the company is also handing over the keys to developers. Maps, Phone, Messages, and even Siri are being opened to third-party app creators, so they can develop tools to give them all new features that work with other apps and services.
Craig Federighi even said on stage, “iOS 10 is a fantastic release for our users, it’s also a gigantic release for our developers… notifications, the phone, Maps, Messages, every major area of iOS now open to developers.”
This is a big step - bringing Apple closer to the open platform that Google provides with Android, without sacrificing Apple’s commitment to quality control. Developers can now pair their apps with Siri to allow you to speak to your assistant and let it do the talking to third-party apps. It will only be allowed for certain app types at the moment, but you can be sure that when Apple is confident that this toe in the water is working, more options will become available. Similarly, developers will now be able to create apps that work alongside Maps’ software.
An example given in the Apple conference was Uber working within Maps. If this takes off, it may mean you won’t need to have the Uber app downloaded to your phone to make use of its services. You can use the functionality within the company’s Maps plugin, instead of having the full
Uber app taking up valuable storage space on your phone.
Apple’s end game is unclear right now, but it seems as though it might be looking down the same road that Google is with its forthcoming Instant Apps feature in Android. Instant Apps allows you to use apps without having to wait for a full download – it grabs just a few basic parts to give you a simple experience of the app, without all the extra features. It’s designed to solve the problem of people not wanting to download one-use apps (such as a parking app) to their phone and then have them hanging around, taking up space. Right now, apps designed for use within Maps still need to be downloaded and installed, but maybe Apple could make them work “on-demand” in the future. Perhaps this could even be possible with Siri-connected functionality. It would make iOS a lot more flexible and capable “out of the box” if so.
Apple’s own Phone app is also being opened to developers, in a manner. VoIP calling apps can now take over the Lock screen when a call comes in, looking like a normal phone call that would come through to your iPad or iPhone. An unfamiliar or awkward interface is one thing that puts people off using apps like WhatsApp to make phone calls - Apple is now giving third party developers the ability to fix this.
If that’s using your Wi-Fi, why would you ever use your minutes again? Making it fit inside the Phone app software is a great idea and developers will be sure to make use out of it now it’s open to them. Similarly, you can now specify a default messaging app for different people in the Contacts app, so you don’t need to hunt down the right app for each person.
By being more open, Apple is giving these apps extra room to flourish and become the standard for people, meaning a better experience for us.
This feels like Apple not only accepting that its apps aren’t perfect, but also that in a world of interconnected services getting more complex by the day, it could never make them do everything people want anyway. Now it doesn’t have to: devs can do that themselves, while Apple just focuses on approval and management of the experience, which it’s pretty damn good at by this point.