iOS 9: The Best Apple Update Yet?

iOS 9 was officially announced last week and has been dubbed the best Apple update yet. Find out about all the major iOS updates here:

A smarter Siri

Siri is finally about to catch up with Google Now by adding proactivity to their operating system.

Siri will now suggest appointments to add to the calendar and can pull up photos based on location and time through commands.

Siri’s location based knowledge appears to be quite promising too. For example, if you are at the gym and plug in headphones, Siri will offer the playlist you normally listen to in the gym.

It will even tell you when to leave for an appointment.

By saying “Hey Siri” you will activate Siri (it doesn’t need to be plugged in anymore), however this is only available on the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

Siri will now also be able to give you context to random numbers that call you, checking your emails to try and match the digits.

Apple has said Siri currently takes over a billion requests a week, which will only increase with this update as Apple have promised Siri is 40% faster and 40% more accurate.

Better Apple Maps

Apple Maps may not be your favoured maps service but with Siri and certain built-in apps opening it by default, you are likely to still use it occasionally. However, with the Apple Maps update you may find yourself using it more.

The biggest update for the app is that it now features public transit directions which mean bus routes, trains, subways and even ferries are now available on Apple Maps. However this will only be available later on this year in Baltimore, Berlin, Chicago, London, Mexico City, New York City, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto and Washington D.C.

This may not sway you away from Google Maps but when you are forced to use the app hopefully it will make it more bearable.

Apple News app

Apple is replacing the Newsstand with News, which is a personalised feed that puts all the news you’re interested in all in one place meaning you don’t have to hunt through all different apps.

Articles will be pulled from a wide range of sources and the stories are chosen based on what you like to read. And the more you use the app, the better it becomes at picking out the stories you like.

Upgraded Notes

The Notes app has always been a great little tool for jotting things down in and Apple have now made it even better. You can now create easy to make checklists or to-dos, add photos, maps and/or even web links to a note with ease. You can even draw sketches with your finger. All new notes will be updated across all devices using iCloud.

Longer battery life

iOS 9 has been made more efficient to save more battery life, giving you one hour of additional battery life (thanks to a new Low Power mode).

Improved security

Your iPhone is about to get a little more secure, with passcodes going from 4 digits to 6 digits, making it slightly harder for people to get into.

 

iOS 9 will be available for download today, a week and a half before the release of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus on September 25^th.