As expected Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) had a hat full of stellar announcements for both desktop and mobile devices and also as expected one of the major ones was the latest rundown of features and compatibility for the new iOS 10.
Apple’s biggest ever software release for its mobile brand will pave the way for the iPhone 7 with both software and hardware expected to arrive this fall (autumn to us Brits) and the company has teased a whole host of brand new message focused goodies for its next iOS as well as improvements across many of its native functions.
Messaging:
New to the Message app will be some amusing additions to keep conversation interesting. These will include stickers, drawings and animations which can be placed at any point in your conversations. You will also be able to replace a word with an emoji which will be selected from the closest icon related to that word and there’s the option to type in “invisible ink” – offering a fun way to reveal a message with a finger swipe on the touchscreen.
Also included will be a neat handwriting feature (well, neat for some) allowing you to send your message in written form rather than typed text, the message will appear to scribe itself on the recipient’s screen. For even more personalisation there’s also a way to customise what your speech bubbles look like to make them unique or to emphasise a point with a shout or a whisper.
If this is too involved for you and you’re not really keen to type a big long message a feature called Tapback will allow you to choose from a selection of quick generic responses. A little impersonal perhaps but ideal if you don’t have time to send an essay back to someone.
iOS 10 will let you access a selection of favourite iPhone apps without leaving messages, thus allowing you to share links and content from other software with your mates in a conversation.
Also on iOS 10:
As well as keeping social interaction fresh with the Messages app, iOS 10 will also introduce Siri to other applications on the Apple App Store. Select apps will support the voice assistant tool so verbal instructions can replace touching the screen.
Likewise with the Maps app you will now be able to make reservations or travel arrangements thanks to the integration of other apps such as OpenTable and Uber. Maps will also become intelligent enough to suggest alternate routes if your current one is blocked or will cause a delay, as well as making suggestions as to points of interest of usefulness along the way. Need to top up the tank? Maps will point out the nearest petrol pumps or where to grab a snack for the road.
iOS 10 will become much more of a lifestyle companion than ever before with the Home app and there is so much more to come. Check out Apple.com for a full run down of the developments so far and have a look below to see if your current device will be compatible when the update goes live.
Compatibility:
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone 5s
iPhone 5c
iPhone 5
iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
iPad Pro (9.7-inch)
iPad Air 2
iPad Air
iPad (4th Gen)
iPad mini 4
iPad mini 3
iPad Mini 2
iPod Touch (6th Gen)