Last week’s Apple Worldwide Developer Conference has come to a close. Now that we’ve heard all that the folks in Cupertino have had to say about what’s new in the world of Mac and iOS; we can now summarize all of the great new things we can all expect this year.
In our summary last week, we only skimmed the surface of the new features of iOS mentioned in the WWDC opening keynote. Since then, several more tricks have been up iOS’ sleeve. This article is still only a snippet of the new things to know in iOS 10, but for a complete rundown you can visit Apple’s iOS 10 Preview page.
Messages App
If you’re an emoji addict, you’ll enjoy the latest add-on for the Messages app: predictive emojis! Instead of hunting for that perfect emoji in the seemingly endless menus, you can now just type a word, and iOS will recommend emojis to insert into your text. That’s not all that will be packed into Messages; there are now enlarged emoji a la Facebook Messenger as well as improved reply capabilities when outside of the app or when the phone is locked.
Other new features of Messages include an app-specific “store” allowing developers to create features of their own for Messages, as well as new animations and other visual treats.
Improved Lock Screen
The new lock screen in iOS 10 has many added improvements. Raise to Wake is an exciting addition where the screen automatically wakes up when the phone is picked up without fully unlocking the phone. This feature will make it easier to view notifications and necessary information at a glance. The “slide to unlock” method we’ve all come to know and love is no more; it has been replaced by pressing the home button.
Goodbye, Stock Apps!
Apple has also made a surprising move which will leave a vocal group of smartphone users jumping for joy. For years, Apple has included many apps on the iPhone that could not be uninstalled. With iOS 10, this restriction will be lifted. No longer will those apps you never use continue to clutter your phone! If you ever wish to use the apps again, they can be downloaded from the App Store just like any other app.
The Smart Photo Album
The Photos app has received almost a complete overhaul in iOS 10. Although you can still organize photos in albums like you always could, you can now enlist the help of Siri to organize your photos and videos based on location, time of day, specific people, and more. Siri can also take your photos and video and create a video slideshow of certain “memories” and can edit the video based on your preferred “mood.”
When Can I Get iOS 10?
No exact date has been set for iOS 10’s release just yet, but fall is the targeted time frame. If you are a member of the Apple Developer Program, you can download the iOS 10 beta right now, but this is at you own risk and could cause issues with whatever device you install it on!
