On September 13, Apple released iOS 10. According to them, this is “the biggest release of iOS ever.” iOS 10 has a bunch of new, interesting features. Some of them, you may not know about. Here are a few highlights:
Lock Screen, Control Center and 3D Touch:
One of the first changes you might notice was the “Slide to Unlock” feature is now gone. Now, all you have to do is press the home button to unlock your iOS device. “Raise to Wake” is another feature Apple has added. Whenever you pick up your iPhone or iPad, it will automatically turn on. Swipe to the right, and you are taken to the camera. Swiping to the left takes you to your widgets. Apple also improved the Control Center. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to see two or three cards. Apple split it up, and made music its own card. The first card is the array of shortcuts you already know, but new and improved. 3D Touch, or press and hold, any of the four bottom options (the flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera) to get more cool features. You can now control how bright you want the flashlight to be, set a timer from one minute to an hour, or chose what kind of photo/video you want to take.
Messaging:
Apple has added so many new fun features to iMessage; you might not be able to catch them all. Some emojis will show up in the suggested bar if you type in a specific word. For example, if you type “happy,” a smiley face emoji will appear in the suggested bar. When you are done with your text, press and hold the send button to add an effect to your text, such as making your message invisible, or adding a firework effect in the background. Do you want to show your friends how well your penmanship is? You can, with the new handwritten message feature. Turn your phone horizontally to handwrite a message to your friends. Apple also added new options located to the left of the text box. The good ol’ camera is still there, but a heart-shaped icon and an App Store symbol are brand new. The heart icon lets you use digital touch to send out a kiss or heartbeat effect. With the App Store icon, you can send stickers, gifs, and music to your friends. You can also buy sticker packs from the mini App Store.
Home:
Home is a new app included in this update. Home allows you to control your home automation products from your iOS device. Control your lights and thermostat, all from your fingertips.
Siri:
Apple has improved Siri for iOS 10. Siri now has the ability to talk to third-party apps. You can now ask Siri to order an Uber or Lyft, or send money to friend with Square Cash. You can also ask photo apps to search for photos for you. I asked Siri to search for photos from last December, and a second later, all my December 2015 photos were available to me. If you have a specific exercise app, you can ask Siri to start, stop, and pause a workout.
For full details on the new iOS 10 upgrade, visit this link.
Caesar Torres
Features Editor