As part of its Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2017, Apple announced iOS 11 - the next version of its iPhone and iPad operating system, included with the iPhone X.
While core components like iMessage, Siri, the App Store, and the Control Center got updates, with major new features that made it easier for developers to build augmented reality apps, send money to friends using Apple Pay, and make your phone less distracting when driving.
iOS 11 was released on September 19, 2017, coinciding with Apple's announcement of the iPhone X.
Augmented Reality
One of Apple's biggest announcements for iOS 11 was ARKit: a tool that will make it easier for iPhone and iPad developers to make augmented reality (AR) apps such as Pokémon Go.
The kit will let developers use the iPhone's camera, GPU, CPU, and motion sensors to help create more realistic AR experiences. For example, Pokémon will actually sit on the ground in Pokémon Go, and Poké Balls will bounce off the environment in a more realistic manner.
Apple said ARKit was set to make the iPhone the largest augmented reality platform in the world.
Do not disturb while driving
Using your phone when you're driving is pretty dumb, and Apple was going to try and save you from yourself in iOS 11. Relying on either Bluetooth or the Wi-Fi Doppler effect, iOS 11 put your iPhone into "do not disturb while driving" mode when it knows you're on the move.
This will prevent your phone from displaying notifications when driving, and will automatically respond to people trying to get in touch with a message to let them know you're behind the wheel. If they really need to contact you, they'll be able to shoot through a message that says "urgent" to get through.
Apple Pay
iOS 11 gives you the ability to send money direct to friends using Apple Pay and iMessage. Transactions will be authenticated using Touch ID, and whoever you're sending money to will be given a virtual Apple Pay cash card that can then be used to pay for purchases, transferred to their bank account, or passed onto someone else.
Notably, if you're a bugging a friend for money they owe you, Apple Pay will come up as an option for them in autosuggest (and vice versa).
iMessage
On an iMessage related note, iOS 11 keeps your conversation history in iCloud, meaning your texts will be automatically synchronized between your devices. Thankfully, deleting a message on one device means it gets deleted everywhere, and the move won't change iMessage's end-to-end encryption
The iMessage app is also getting a bit of touch up, making it easier to access stickers.
Control Center and App Store Redesign
The Control Center and App Store was redesigned in iOS 11.
The Control Center displays as a single pane with a mixture of simple switches for on/off settings like the torch, and sliders for settings like volume and brightness. 3D touching a group of settings will open up other options, such as a more granular controls for music playback.
The App Store received its first major redesign in nine years, and took on a distinctly Apple Music inspired aesthetic. Opening the store fires up a "Today" tab to highlight featured content, and applications will then be broken down in "games" and "apps". Notably, in-app purchases were displayed as part of the App Store, and can be purchased without the need to launch the app in question.
Siri
Siri received a couple of new skills in iOS 11, with the biggest being translation, giving Siri the ability to translate English to Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
Other new functionality includes deeper integration with other apps (meaning third party developers will be able to hook Siri into their applications), better contextual awareness, and cloud synchronization - so that Siri's learnings about you are shared across all of your devices.
Camera
iOS 11 imade iPhone and iPad cameras more efficient. Both benefit from better compression, meaning that photos and videos will take up half as much space as they currently do without compromising on quality, at least when they're on your iDevice.
The camera app is also be able to create long exposure shots from Live Photos, and the Photos app will be able to better identify memories to create smart galleries around pets, activities, and anniversaries.
Screen recording
The iOS 11 update also allows you to record your own screen. You can show people things on your phone by recording a video and sending it in a text message.
On the iPad
iOS 11 gives the iPad a whole suite of exclusive features, further helping to bridge the divide between tablet and PC. iPads got a larger app dock - much like Macs - that can be accessed from anywhere without having to return to your home screen. In addition to letting you swap apps, the dock will also let you start multitasking faster.
Mac comparisons don't end with the dock, with Apple giving iPad users an improved app switcher that remembers your split-screen app pairings, support for dragging and dropping images, texts and URLs between apps, and a Finder-like Files app that not only shows you the documents you have on your iPad, but also on your connected cloud storage services such as OneDrive and Dropbox.
iOS 11 also improved Apple Pencil support, and even allows for text you've entered in handwritten notes to be searched. Well, provided that your handwriting isn't too terrible.
Will my iPhone get upgraded to iOS 11?
The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, and iPhone 5s all received upgrades to iOS 11.
All iPad Pro and iPad Air models also received the upgrade when it comes to Apple's tablets. The 5th-generation iPad got it too, as did the iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPad mini 4.
In terms of iPods, only the 6th generation iPod Touch got iOS 11.
Chris Holmes
Staff Writer
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