11 changes coming to iPhone with iOS 11
Curious about the iPhone 8? Here’s what’s coming, courtesy of Apple’s introduction of its new operating system.
Apple kept news of a 10th anniversary iPhone under wraps on Day One of its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose.
But Tim Cook & Co. revealed plenty about the software that will be at the new iPhone’s core when it arrives, likely in the fall.
Here are 11 changes coming to iOS that caught my attention:
Augmented reality. Using a platform called ARKit, developers will be able to exploit computer vision and take advantage of what Apple maintains will be “the largest AR platform in the world,” given the vast user base of iPhones and iPads out there. One thing we know: AR almost always makes for a cool demo, even in its simplest form as when an Apple executive made a faux steaming cup of coffee appear on an otherwise barren tabletop.
Pay your friends in Messenger. Apple is enabling person-to-person payments inside the Messages app via Apple Pay and with an assist from Siri. For example, Apple executive Craig Federighi said when you receive money from a friend it will go into an Apple Pay Cash card, of which I’d like to learn more.
More useful maps. Apple is adding what it says are detailed floor plan maps at a variety of shopping malls and major airports. And Apple will provide a “lane guidance” view when you take the wheel of a car.
Do Not Disturb While Driving. When you turn on Do Not Disturb While Driving, iOS 11 will silence alert and notifications while keeping the screen dark. iOS 11 will use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to measure that you’re moving in a car and, if so, to suggest activat-
ing the feature. If it is activated, anyone sending you a message will get an automated response telling them that you’ll see their message when you get where you’re going. If the message is truly urgent, the sender can reply urgent in the message to permit it to get through to you.
A smarter Siri? Apple insists that through machine learning and artificial intelligence, Siri will indeed get smarter in iOS 11 and learn more about how to please you by learning what you’re doing inside the Safari, News, Mail and Messages apps. Your Siri interactions are synced across devices (and encrypted.) International travelers will likely appreciate the fact that Siri will be able to translate English words and phrases into Chinese, French, German and Spanish.
Enhancements to Photos. Features include the ability to shoot Portrait Mode (currently a feature on the iPhone 7 Plus only) with optical image stabilization. iOS 11 also lets you add effects and trim the short video snippets inside Live Photos images. And a new format called High Efficiency Image File Format can reduce the file size of pics you take on an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.
New design for Control Center. Changes to the Control Center, where you can control audio, turn on Airplane mode, adjust the audio and more, looks to
be a positive step. Control Center packs such tools now in a single view, which you can get to with an upward swipe gesture. A new lock screen also brings notifications into a unified view.
New design for App Store. Highlights include a new Today view with featured app content as well as a dedicated Games section.
One- handed keyboard. Apple promises easier one-handed typing, with easy access to numbers, symbols, punctuation.
A richer music experience. Apple Music subscribers will be able to follow, contribute and listen to shared playlists with friends and create profiles so they in turn can follow you. What’s more, Apple has opened up Apple Music to developers, giving them full access to the 40 million songs in Apple’s cloud catalog. Apple noted that Nike can add exercise playlists through the catalog, or Shazam can automatically add the songs it identifies to your music collection. The new AirPlay 2 feature in iOS 11 will let you control Apple TV and third-party speakers in multiple rooms around the house.
iPad only benefits. Apple says iOS 11 is the biggest software release ever for the iPad. Two benefits worth mentioning: drag and drop support and a new Files app, both of which would make a tablet such as the iPad Pro that much more like a Mac.