Apple unveils iOS 10, the mother of all iOS releases

Apple today previewed iOS 10, the biggest release ever of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, featuring a huge update to Messages that delivers more expressive and animated ways to message friends and family, like stickers and full-screen effects. iOS 10 introduces the ability for Siri to do more by working with apps, beautifully redesigned Maps, Photos, Apple Music and News apps, and the Home app, delivering a simple and secure way to manage home automation products in one place. iOS 10 opens up incredible opportunities to developers with Siri, Maps, Phone and Messages.

“iOS 10 is our biggest release ever, with delightful new ways to express yourself in Messages, a native app for Home automation, and beautifully redesigned apps for Music, Maps, and News that are more intuitive and more powerful, making everything you love about your iPhone and iPad even better,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, in a statement. “iOS 10 adds Siri intelligence into QuickType and Photos, automates your home with the new Home app and opens up Siri, Maps, Phone and Messages to developers — while increasing security and privacy with powerful technologies like Differential Privacy.”

iOS 10 features a massive update to Messages, redesigned apps and exciting opportunities for developers
iOS 10 features a massive update to Messages, redesigned apps and exciting opportunities for developers

 
Personal & Expressive Messages

Messages is the most frequently used iOS app, and with iOS 10 it is more expressive and fun with animated and personalized ways to message friends and family. Messages includes powerful animations, such as balloons, confetti or fireworks that can take over an entire screen to celebrate a special occasion, invisible ink to send a message only revealed after a friend swipes over it, and for added personalization, handwritten notes. Automatic suggestions make it easy to replace words with emoji, Tapback creates a quick and simple way to respond with just a tap and rich links let you see content inline and play media without ever leaving your conversation.

iOS 10 brings the power of the App Store to Messages, opening up new opportunities for developers to create fun new ways for users to communicate in a thread, including stickers to be peeled and pasted into conversations, the ability to quickly personalize GIFs or edit photos, send payments or schedule dinner or a movie, all from within Messages.

Siri Opens to Developers

In iOS 10, Siri can be extended into major new areas and do more than ever by working with the apps you love to use. For the first time, developers can build on the intelligence Siri offers and let users interact directly with apps using just their voice. SiriKit helps developers easily design their apps to work with Siri for messaging, phone calls, photo search, ride booking, personal payments and workouts, or use Siri to control CarPlay apps, access climate controls or adjust radio settings within automakers’ apps.

Beautifully Redesigned Maps

Maps in iOS 10 gets a beautiful redesign that makes it even simpler and more intuitive to use. Now open to developers with new extensions, apps like OpenTable can integrate bookings right into Maps, and services like Uber and Lyft can make it easier for users to book a ride, without ever leaving the Maps app. Maps is even smarter with new intelligence that proactively delivers directions to where you most likely want to go next, based on your routine or appointments on your calendar. Once a route is planned, Maps can search along the route for gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops and more and provides an estimate of how the stop impacts the length of your trip.

Rediscover Memories in Photos

Photos in iOS 10 helps you rediscover favorite and forgotten occasions from your photo library by automatically surfacing them in Memories. Memories scans all your photos and videos and finds favorite and forgotten events, trips and people, and presents them in a beautiful collection. A Memory also contains the Memory Movie, an automatically edited movie with theme music, titles and cinematic transitions.

Memories uses advanced computer vision to group the people, places and things inside your images into albums with on-device facial, object and scene recognition. This intelligence brings Memories and related photos to life in a way that’s personal and meaningful to you, while maintaining your privacy.

Home App for Simpler Home Automation

The Home app is deeply integrated into iOS, delivering a simple and secure way to set up, manage and control your home in one place. Accessories can be managed individually or grouped into scenes so they work together with a single command and can be controlled by using Siri. They can be managed remotely or set up for home automation with Apple TV®, and can respond with automatic triggers set by time of day, location or action.

Support for HomeKit continues to expand globally with nearly 100 home automation products adopting HomeKit this year, bringing support for thermostats, lights, window shades, door locks, video cameras and more to the Home app. Later this year, leading home builders, including Brookfield Residential, KB Home, Lennar Homes and R&F Properties, will begin integrating many of these HomeKit devices into new homes.

All-New Design for Apple Music & News

Apple Music has an all-new design, bringing greater clarity and simplicity to every aspect of the experience. It uses a new design language that allows the music to become the hero and a new structure that makes it easy to navigate and discover new music. The Library, For You, Browse and Radio tabs have been completely redesigned to provide an even greater sense of place, and we’ve added a Search tab to make finding music even easier. All of these changes come together to create a design that is clear and intuitive. iOS 10 features a redesigned News app with a new For You, organized into distinct sections that make it easier to find stories, support for breaking news notifications and paid subscriptions.

iOS Experience

In iOS 10, accessing the information you need is easier and quicker than ever. Raise to Wake automatically wakes the screen as you raise your iPhone, making it easier to view all your notifications at a glance, right from the Lock screen. Notifications, Today view and Control Center are accessible with just a swipe or a press, and deeper 3D Touch integration with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus makes interacting with apps even easier.

Additional iOS 10 Features

• Siri intelligence brings new QuickType features, including contextual predictions to surface relevant information based on location, calendar availability or contacts; and predictive typing supports multiple languages without switching keyboards.

• Phone adds integration for third-party VoIP calls, voicemail transcription and a new caller ID extension for spam alerts.

• Built-in app updates include Safari split-view for iPad, Notes collaboration and Live Photos editing.

• Apple Pay can now be used to make easy, secure and private purchases on participating websites using Safari, in addition to paying in-stores and within apps.

• Bedtime Alarm in the Clock app lets you set a regular sleep schedule and receive bedtime reminders.

Privacy in iOS 10

Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of Apple hardware, software and services. iMessage, FaceTime and HomeKit use end-to-end encryption to protect your data by making it unreadable by Apple and others. iOS 10 uses on-device intelligence to identify the people, objects and scenes in Photos, and power QuickType suggestions. Services like Siri, Maps and News send data to Apple’s servers, but this data is not used to build user profiles.

Starting with iOS 10, Apple is using technology called Differential Privacy to help discover the usage patterns of a large number of users without compromising individual privacy. In iOS 10, this technology will help improve QuickType and emoji suggestions, Spotlight deep link suggestions and Lookup Hints in Notes.

Availability

The developer preview of iOS 10 is available to iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta program will be available to iOS users in July at beta.apple.com. iOS 10 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 5 and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 4th generation, iPad mini 2 and later, and iPod touch 6th generation. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios10-preview. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.

Source: Apple Inc.

23 Comments

    1. I’m typing this on my new iPad Pro 12.9 with Smart Keyboard. I really love it. It’s one of the few things I’ve bought new from Apple other than an iPhone for upgrade purposes since Steve Jobs passsed. You guys know how critical I have been of Apple and Cook. This Keynote is the first one since Jobs passsed away that inspires me a bit. This was an EXCELLENT Keynote. They should have done this stuff a long time ago though.

      After I watched this Keynote, it was clear to me that Apple has really been resting on their laurels for years. It’s like they have this new hop in their step. This is the kind of urgency that Steve Jobs brought to the table every day, and to every Keynote. To me, Cook and Cue looked more serious, more purposed. I realize you Americans just had a tragic incident, and that might have played on this. That Apple, the shareholders, the Board… Don’t have forever to wait on what they require: rapid innovation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cook had some tough meetings recently with the Board about getting his shxt together. Schiller replacing Cue managing the App Store was needed: interesting that Schiller was nowhere to be seen in this Keynote.

      What Apple needs to do now is do this every damn Keynote. They need to rapidly innovate and launch new stuff frequently. The stuff coming from Google is fast and furious, and is a competitive threat, although Google sucks when it comes to most things… Their prowess in AI and Search will be a real threat to Apple.

      What Apple now needs to to as well, much more than a Car, is a Search Engine. This Search Engine will sort of have like an App Store glued to it as well: Websites will need to get screened in by Apple. No more spammy garbage and excellent design/functionality will be paramount. This Search Engine will also have Siri integrated into it, so everyone in the world can get access to her. Etc., etc.

      And to everyone saying Apple is just copying Google, MS, etc. Ya, they certainly have a bit (e.g., Apple Pencil)… Remember when Siri came out? Was their such a thing as Cortana? And how was Google Now?

      Android Sucks. Windows Sucks. It’s all junk. Apple still reins supreme. But they need to play off what I believe will be good momentum from this Keynote. Very impressed with the ton of new features and let’s call it what it is: their new file clean up system in macOS Sierra looks unreal. That alone is incredible and literally reinvents in desktop.

      1. Don’t think I can disagree with a word of that, at last some sense of purpose, inspiration and urgency. As long as this all comes with reliability then we can start to see the company getting its vision and mojo back. And there is style too which is often underestimated. The WWDC needs to visually reflect all of that above, and this time it did, the balance was perfect. Yes have Cook introduce and end the presentation but there are others in the organisation clearly who can far better give that sense of excitement that SJ had so naturally, and Cook so lacks in his delivery by comparison. But this time they used it to an advantage, he calmly setting the scene which then only enhanced the efforts of the others who could really let rip on all the goodies to come in a more exciting and entertaining manner. Long may it continue.

    1. I would have liked it to have mouse support. I get it that not everyone needs one, but my IPP is sorely in need of it. I have fat finger disease okay, I’m only 170 lbs, but my fingers are fat. Working on documents and spreadsheets is hard for me.

  1. nb: not a single work-related feature.

    iOS is a very good phone OS. When deployed on an iPad it falls short, ensuring the iPad is essentially unusable for work in a general sense – specific, specially designed apps, can turn the iPad into a very effective work-related device but most people will still need a PC or a Mac for general work-related functions.

    Having once said that he could run Apple on an iPad, Tim Cook has gone very quiet on iPad – clearly he has many minions who beaver away at the tricky stuff on his behalf. No doubt they at all using Microsoft office – an application suite actually designed for work.

    I use my desktop for lots of things. But, in general, the files on my desktop are not useful in iOS. A separately replicating folder would have been more useful – or iCloud with all the restrictions removed.

    Right now I use one-drive across my devices. My photos get uploaded automatically and I get a file manager for iOS.

    Microsoft, at least, are still focused on people who use their devices for work. Apple is all about play these days.

    Yesterday, in the centre of Sydney, I noticed that the Microsoft store was heaving. The focus of all this interest was Surface.

    My next tablet will run Windows. I have come to despise iOS on my iPad – I am constantly aware of all the functions that are missing from a proper OS.

    1. You make valid points about iOS on the iPad. But I’m here to tell you that the windows tablet experience is not great. I carried a surface pro for six months. It was great when I used the type cover but as a pure touch screen, the resolution made it problematic. The compromises they made to make windows 10 better than 8.1 make it less touch friendly.. and with the type cover, it just becomes an expensive laptop. You might want to consider an Android tablet for your needs (filesystem, more customization, etc.) That said, I LOVE my iPad pro – but it does what I need, which may not be what you need….

    2. That’s fine. If it doesn’t work for you. I could see how a Surface can be more appropriate for work in some situations. I would think iCloud Drive would solve some of your desktop to iPad file transfer issues. That’s a full filesystem accessible to both your desktop machine, your iPad and your iPhone if you have one. I’d love to have Photoshop Elements, for example, on my iPad Pro.

      Some of the Surface enthusiasts fail to mention drawbacks such as a substandard app store. That can be a problem for when you’re using it as a tablet. And the battery life is only four to five hours for the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft’s claims of 9 hours don’t hold up in testing. I would hate to go from 10 hours to 4 or 5.

      1. Thats interesting never owned one but I have always been confused about how the paper specs on that machine could possibly be combined with a battery life of 9 hours. I guess the obvious answer is usually the right one in most cases.

  2. From what I could tell, the most important failures of Maps was not addressed:

    1. The UI is unreadable at the distance of dashboard to eye. Check out any 5 yr old Garmin to see what I mean. Good UI.

    2. Voice directions have never worked on my iPhone6. They start, then quit after the first turn.

    For these two reasons, Maps is an non starter for me.

    1. I really wish we could specify “default” apps in iOS…… Google maps works well, ( plus I really really like having the option of a satellite view) but no Siri integration… Apple maps has the integration but has other issues, including the ones you listed…

    2. >2. Voice directions have never worked on my iPhone6. They start, then quit after the first turn.

      Turn on your car radio, then switch the car radio’s input to bluetooth. Your phone’s audio is automatically routed through your car stereo if the phone is paired with your car, and the phone doesn’t care whether the car radio is on or off or whether it’s on the Bluetooth input. If your car radio isn’t on or isn’t on the right input, then you don’t hear your turn-by-turn directions.

      So basically, you’ve been hearing the first couple spoken directions coming out of your phone’s speaker, and then the sounds suddenly stops, because at that point your phone has automatically connected to your car’s bluetooth and the audio is now going to the car stereo’s speakers, but you either don’t have your car radio on, or your don’t have your car radio on the Bluetooth input, so you don’t hear anything from that point on.

  3. I didn’t get to watch the keynote yet, was there any indication with the updated messages if during a group text you could reply only to the sender and not the whole group? My wife would love to have that as she uses her phone for business and doesn’t always want to reply to all

  4. What is going to take to get Apple final give iOS two features it needs. Conference call or multiple callers for FaceTime. Also, A kids mode so your kid doesn’t mess with your stuff and call random people. You can only do so much with guided access . Why are such simple things taken so long to get…..or at this point not happening. I mean, I will be able send a masterpiece of iMessage to someone but we can’t get something as simple as better FaceTime.

    1. Agreed. iPhone 6 Plus flagship seems to be the odd man out, caught somewhere between an iPhone and an iPad. Sure we have some added features in landscape view but none of the new features. I don’t see a reason Slide Over and Picture in Picture can’t be done.

  5. I cling on to listening to the news update speak about receiving boundless online grant applications so I have been looking around for the top site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i find some?

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