What’s new in iOS.
iOS 9 is full of enhancements you’ll appreciate every day. Your apps become more essential. New multitasking features on iPad make you even more productive. Siri can do more than ever, and new proactive suggestions help you get things done before you ask. And improvements at the foundation of the operating system enhance performance, battery life and security. The more you do with iOS 9, the more you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.
Apps that help you domore every day.
iOS 9 brings key enhancements to the powerful built-in apps on your iPhone and iPad designed for the essential things you use them for every day — like mail, messages, web browsing, maps, making notes, and so much more.
Notes
Now more noteworthy.
The Notes app has always been great for jotting down your thoughts. And now it’s great for so much more. Want an easy way to make a checklist ofto-dos? Consider it done. Or add a photo, map or web link to a note. You can even draw a sketch with your finger. And thanks to iCloud, changes to your notes will be updated across all your devices and on iCloud.com. So you’ll always have your latest notes in hand.
Add to your notes. From whatever app you’re in.
Tap the Share button in Safari, Maps and lots of other apps to save attachments — maps, links, Pages documents and more — to a new or existing note. Can’t remember which note you added something to? The Attachments Browser organises all the items attached to your notes in one simple view, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
Turn lists into checklists.
Add bullets with a tap to create checklists. Make a grocery list, a wish list or a to-do list — and tick off items as you go.
Sketch your thoughts.
Use the tip of your finger to draw straight in your note. A selection of drawing tools lets you choose different brush styles and colours. And a handy ruler helps you keep things straight.
Note it with a photo.
Now you can take a photo from within the Notes app. Or tap to access your photo library and add an existing photo or video to a note.
All your notes across all your devices.
Notes works with iCloud so you can access your notes no matter which device you’re using. Create a shopping list on your Mac and then tick off items at the shop on your iPhone. All your changes are updated in real time.
Maps
Get around. And see what’s around.
Now you can use public transport with Maps as your guide. In selected cities around the world, a new Transport view shows you lines and stations for the metro, buses, trains and ferries on the map. When you plan a route, every step of your trip is laid out from point A to point B.
Transport
Maps now features Transport view, bringing you public transport information with routes and directions. Transport is customised for each city, where available — so you’ll easily recognise signs and be able to pinpoint the nearest metro station entrance or bus stop. You can even ask Siri for public transport directions. And since Maps is also an OS X app, you can plan a trip on your Mac and follow the route on your iPhone or Apple Watch when you’re on the go.
iCloud Drive
All your files, organised in one convenient place.
The new iCloud Drive app built into iOS 9 allows you to access any file you save to iCloud from just one place — your Home screen. Easily search within the app and find the file you’re looking for. Browse all your files by date, name or any tags you added on your Mac. You can also preview and organise your files without leaving the app. Goodbye to moving between apps to find the file you need. Hello to better organisation.
Mail
New features you’ll really get attached to.
iOS 9 brings powerful new features to Mail, so you can do more straight from your iOS device — and with a little flair. Markup lets you add drawings, comments or a signature to attached photos and documents. You can easily attach any files you have stored in your iCloud Drive. And new search options help you find the email you’re looking for faster by narrowing down results based on subject, sender, recipient or a combination of criteria.
Double up on productivity with iPad.
Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture give you new ways to multitask on iPad. New QuickType features make formatting and text selection even easier — and put shortcuts at your fingertips.
Multitasking
Do this. While you do that.
Your iPad is great for work. And for play. For creating incredible designs or powerful presentations. For building fun slideshows or video chatting with loved ones. And for tons of other stuff. Now you can make even better use of its large screen to do two of those things — at the same time.
Slide Over
Now you can open a second app without leaving the one you’re in. So you can quickly browse the web, respond to a text message or jot something down in a note, then slide that app away and get back to the one you were using before.1
Split View
With Split View, you can go a step further and have two apps open and active at the same time. Work on a sketch with the reference photo beside it. Or write a paper while copying citations from a book in iBooks. When everything you need is right in front of you, it’s easier to focus.1
Picture in Picture
While using FaceTime or watching a video, press the Home button and your video screen scales down to a corner of your display. Tap to open a second app and your video continues to play — even while you use the other app. So keep watching your favourite TV programme while you reply to the email that just came in.1
QuickType
Commands at your fingertips.
Shape up your text with an all-new Shortcut Bar, convenient editing tools and a handy new way to select text with Multi-Touch gestures. And now when you use a wireless keyboard with your iPad, you can enjoy even more keyboard shortcuts too. We’ve also added new language keyboards for Punjabi, Gujarati and Telugu, and extended support for Hindi with transliteration and “Hinglish” keyboards.
Selecting text is as easy as 1, 2.
Control the cursor on your iPad by simply moving two fingers anywhere on the screen, including over the keyboard, to select, edit and move text.
A built-in Shortcut Bar.
Bold, italicise or underline — even copy and paste — with just a couple of taps from your keyboard. The Shortcut Bar can also be customised for third-party apps, so the tools you need are always right where you need them.
Keyboard shortcuts. On any keyboard.
Use keyboard shortcuts to perform even more commands on your iPad — like switching between apps or bringing up search with a wireless keyboard. And interact with your apps using their own built-in, custom shortcuts. Just press and hold a key like Command, Option or Control to see shortcuts in any app.
A smarter way to do just about everything.
Now Siri can search a wider range of topics for a wider range of answers. It understands what you say more accurately and delivers your results faster. iOS 9 is smarter in lots of other ways too — giving you helpful suggestions even before you ask.2
“Hey Siri, what else can I ask you?”
“Show me photos from Utah last August.”
Ask Siri to search through your photos and videos based on dates, locations and album titles. For example, say “Show me videos I took at Iva’s birthday party” and you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for.
“Remind me about this when I get in the car.”
Siri can remind you about things you’re looking at in your apps — like Safari, Mail and Notes — and want to follow up on later. If you’re halfway through an email, you can say “Remind me about this tonight.” Or if you’re looking at a place in Maps you want to stop at later, you can ask for a reminder when you get to your car.
Siri powers a more intelligent search.
You know Siri as a helpful assistant you can talk to, but Siri is also the technology that powers search on your iPhone and iPad. And now you can get even more answers when you type in the search field.
Calculations and conversions
Do simple maths and conversions in search.
Quick connections
Find contacts and call or message them straight from search.
Search deep within your apps
Can’t remember which app you saw that apple pie recipe in? Type “apple pie” in the search field, and if the app supports it, search will show you the recipe you were looking at earlier.
A head start on every search.
Your search screen is now pre-populated with contacts, apps and more. And it’s proactive in other places too — making lots of little things just a little easier.
Relevant people
See the contacts you talk with most, those you talked to last or even those you’re next scheduled to meet.
Suggested apps
Suggested apps are triggered by your routines and what you’re most likely to use. For example, if you always check how your stock is doing in the morning, your Stocks app shows up in the search screen at the time you normally wake up.
In the news
Based on your location, see local news that’s trending where you are.
Meet your proactive assistant.
Based on the apps you commonly use and the time of day you use them, you’ll get intelligent suggestions for what you might want to do next — even before you ask.
Listening to music and audio
Plug in your headphones and iOS 9 recognises that you might want to finish the podcast you started earlier. Or connect via Bluetooth in your car, and your favourite playlist is suggested for the ride home.
Creating email and events
When you start adding people to an email message or a calendar invitation, iOS 9 suggests the people you usually include with them. iOS 9 also suggests recipients when you add commonly used calendar event titles.
Adding events to Calendar
If you get an email with a flight reservation or a restaurant confirmation, iOS 9 can create a suggested event in Calendarfor you.
Who’s calling?
Incoming call from an unknown number? If that number appeared in an email, iOS 9 lets you know who might be calling. And if someone sends you an email with contact information, the details can automatically be added to Contacts.
Engineered to perform.At every level.
Under-the-hood refinements bring you more responsive performance, easier updates, better battery life and tighter security. So your device works that much better — for everything you do with it.
Even longer battery life.
Across the entire operating system, apps and key technologies have been made more efficient to trim battery usage wherever possible — so you get more battery life for the things you do every day. Thanks to ambient light and proximity sensors, your iPhone knows if it’s face down on the table and prevents the screen from turning on, even when you receive a notification. And the new Low Power mode lets you extend your battery life even further.
1hour
of additional time before charging
Smaller, more convenient updates.
iOS 9 does even more to efficiently stream new updates to your device without having to first download and unpack them — which means you don’t need as much free space to update. And when it’s time for an update, you’ll get new notification options that let your device update while you sleep or when you use it least.3
iOS 91.3GB
iOS 84.58GB
Faster and more responsive.
The apps in iOS 9 now take advantage of Metal, making more efficient use of the CPU and GPU to deliver faster scrolling, smoother animation and better overall performance. Email, messages, web pages and PDFs render faster. And multitasking features on iPad feel fluid and natural.
Improved security.
Keeping your devices and Apple ID secure is essential to protecting your personal information — like photos, documents, messages, email and so much more. iOS 9 advances security by strengthening the passcode that protects your devices, and by making it harder for others to get unauthorised access to your Apple ID account. These new security features are easy for you to use. But they make it much harder for anyone else to access your personal information.
Six-digit passcodes
The default for passcodes on your Touch ID–enabled iPhone and iPad is now six digits instead of four. If you use Touch ID, it’s a change you’ll hardly notice. But with 1 million possible combinations — instead of 10,000 — your passcode will be a lot tougher to crack.
Two-factor authentication
A password alone is not always enough to keep your account secure. That’s why iOS 9 and OS X El Capitanhave built-in support for two-factor authentication. Once enrolled, any time you sign in from a new device or browser, you’ll be prompted for a verification code.4 This code is automatically displayed on your other Apple devices or sent to your phone. Enter the code and you’re quickly signed in — and any unauthorised users arekept out.
Android Migration
Move to iOS from Android. Easily.
Just download the Move to iOS app to wirelessly switch from your Android device to your new iOS device. It securely transfers your contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts and calendars. And it will help you rebuild your app library too. Any free apps you used — like Facebook and Twitter — are suggested for download from the App Store. And your paid apps are added to your iTunes Wish List.
Help make iOS even better.
The Apple Beta Software Program gives you a sneak peek at iOS releases before they launch. By participating in the programme, you’ll be able to try out pre-release versions of iOS and let us know what you think.
More power for developers.
iOS 9 gives developers APIs and services that enable new categories of apps and features. Multitasking and gaming APIs help enhance app functionality and create immersive games. Expanded search capabilities and new support for HomeKit and HealthKit extend iOS to more places than ever before. Swift 2 brings improvements to compile speed and execution performance, which means smoother animation and faster response times. And later this year, Swift will be available as open source.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
A Google Developers blog post revealed the Android 6.0 name along with some more information on upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow features. The changelog for API level 23 details what these are but as the blog post states: "Compared to the previous developer preview update, you will find this final API update fairly incremental."
The two most significant changes are user-facing app permission controls – what most are calling granular app permissions – and the change to API level 23, which introduces stock fingerprint scanner support for Android 6.0 security.
Here's the short version from Google:
Android platform change:
Final Permissions User Interface – we updated the permissions user interface and enhanced some of the permissions' behavior.
API change:
Updates to the Fingerprint API – which enables better error reporting, better fingerprint enrollment experience, plus enumeration support for greater reliability.
Android Marshmallow Theme
While there is no Android Marshmallow theme available for devices yet (that we're aware of), that's probably because it looks pretty much the same as Lollipop. However, you can get the new app drawer on your phone right now, and download the latest Marshmallow wallpapers, to get the look and feel. Head to the links below for those.
Android M Developer Preview 3
The third and final update to the Android M Developer Preview is now available for selected Nexus devices – namely the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player – via Google's Developer Preview site. We'll get flashing and bring you all the latest on the latest Android M preview 3 as soon as possible.
As you probably know, the Android M Developer Preview 3 release date had been pushed back by Google just like the second update. It was initially due to roll out in late July, but on 30 July, Android Developer Advocate Wojtek Kalicińskitook to Google+ to announce the delay, writing:
"We want this to be a near final release to test your apps on, but we need a little more time to get it out to you.” Kaliciński went on to call for people to “be patient and refrain from posting speculations about the release date in the community."
Android M Developer Preview 2 update: what's new?
Visual Voicemail
Information gleaned from the Android Developer Preview issue tracker page has indicated that Android M will include Visual Voicemail service accessible from the dialer. According to a report by Android Police, it appears that T-Mobile and Orange France will be the only two carriers to support the functionality, but more are sure to follow (after all, Android M is still in its early stages).
What is visual voicemail? It's basically how it sounds: visual voicemail presents your voicemail with a visual interface, rather than the audio-based setup like in current Android smartphones — whereby you call your carrier and listen for instructions. Though it may seem like a small addition, the functionality requires cooperation from carriers, which may suggest why few are currently on board.
Rotating home screen
Another surprisingly slow feature to make it to Android, the screen rotation function for the home screen has finally made an appearance. Now you can use your phone in landscape format both in apps and on the home screen.
Dark theme is gone
The dark theme in the first version of Android M kind of stole the show when everyone flashed it at I/O. Sure, the other changes were great but stock support for themes has been a long time overdue. For some unknown reason though, Google has decided to remove the dark theme from the second version of the Android M preview.
We're not sure why this has happened or if it's a permanent removal, but we're hoping to see the dark theme make a triumphant return – in more than just the Settings menu – when Android M is finalized in a couple of months.
App drawer has been fixed
While we commend Google on trying a new, vertical-scrolling app drawer, the alphabetical dividers on the left and negative space at the end of some sections was a bad idea. The new Android M removes these and is faster to navigate because you have more app icons on screen. It still scrolls vertically though.
Delete screenshots
The second version of the Android M developer preview has added a new delete option to the screenshot preview in the notifications shade. Previously you just had the option to share a screenshot from the notifications. Now you can delete it as well.
Remove status bar icons
This is possibly my favorite new feature: toggles for which icons you see in the status bar. If, for example, you always have Bluetooth on and don't really need a persistent icon taking up space in your status bar, now you can simply remove it. The same goes for the Cast icon, hotspot, Do Not Disturb, alarm set, work profile, Wi-Fi, cellular data and more.
They're available in the new System UI Tuner, which needs to be enabled in Developer Options (to enable this, go to Settings > About Phone and tap Build Number seven times. You'll now see Developer Options at the bottom of the Settings menu.)
RAM Manager
The memory section is now located front and center in the Settings menu. I'm not sure how often the average user is going to want to check in on memory usage, but having it plainly visible will hopefully cause more people to become familiar with what RAM management is and what you can use it for.
Network Settings Reset option
Hidden away in the Backup and Reset settings is another new feature called Network Settings Reset. This lets you instantly wipe all of your network settings, including Wi-Fi connections, cellular data and Bluetooth connections.
Storage gets a makeover
Internal storage is always a hassle for smartphone users. Even with microSD expansion and USB On The Go (OTG) you always seem to need to keep an eye on available storage space. The new version of Android M introduces a simple line bar that shows how much space you have on your device with a breakdown of what is using up your internal storage.
Android M developer preview (version one): what's new?
At I/O, Google VP of Engineering David Burke outlined six major Android M features. Read on for the full list or find out how to install Android M right now.
1. App permissions
First up, app permissions. As had previously been speculated, app permissions have been overhauled in Android M, with users now being able to choose to accept or deny individual permissions as they see fit. Permissions have also been simplified.
Permissions will now be requested the first time you try to use a feature, not at the point of installation. "You don't have to agree to permissions that don't make sense to you," Burke said, and used WhatsApp to give an example of how this works.
If you want to record a voice message, WhatsApp will prompt you with a one-time request for permission to use your mic: if you still wish to give it access and record the message, you can, but you don't have to. Android M is giving users greater control of the information apps can access, and this is a truly positive step forward for Android.
You can modify the permissions granted to apps at a later date in your Settings, or you can view permissions by type and see which apps have that permission granted. It's all about giving the user complete control over their Android.
2. Web experience
Google has been exploring trends in the way web content is consumed to provide a better user-experience when interacting with websites and apps. "Chrome Custom Tabs is a new feature that gives developers a way to harness all of Chrome's capabilities, while still keeping control of the look and feel of the experience," said Burke.
Chrome Custom Tabs will allow apps to open a customized Chrome window on top of the active app, instead of launching the Chrome app separately. This will provide a faster and more intuitive user-experience when navigating between apps and the web.
Chrome Custom Tabs supports automatic sign-in, saved passwords, autofill, and multi-process security to assist the integration of the app and web experience. So, for example, a Pinterest custom tab will have a Pinterest share button embedded in it, can include custom overflow menu options and doesn't require the Pinterest developers to build their own web browser.
3. Fingerprint support
Google will "standardize support" for fingerprint scanners on phones running Android M. The new functionality will allow fingerprint scanners to be used not only to unlock phones, but to make purchases shopping in real-life or within Play Store apps.
Of course, your device will need a hardware fingerprint scanner to begin with, but with Google's full support, expect to see these appear on many more devices in the future.
4. Mobile payments
Android Pay is Google's new mobile payments system designed to make the checkout process easier and faster. Google is aiming to provide "simplicity, security, and choice" with Android Pay, allowing you to use your existing credit cards to pay for products in more than 700,000 stores in the US.
Compatible with any device housing NFC capabilities (and running 4.4 KitKat or above), the Android Pay platform is being supported by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, as well as carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Google's response to Apple pay is here.
5. App links
"When a user selects a weblink from somewhere, Android doesn't know whether to show it in a web-browser, or some other app that claims support for the link." This was the problem facing the Google developers before Android M.
You may be familiar with the 'Open with' dialogue box which appears when you try to open a link within an app on Android. You might be asked if you want to open a link with YouTube, or with Chrome, for example.
App links are being changed in M so that Android has a greater awareness of which apps can open content directly, instead of stopping users every time with the dialog box. If you tap a Twitter link in an email, for example, the Twitter app will open automatically instead of prompting you to ask if you want to use Twitter to view it.
This is almost a blink-and-you'll-miss-it improvement, but it's representative of Google's attention to detail: Android M is probably going to feel more usable without the user ever understanding why.
6. Power and charging
Android M makes use of a new function known as Doze to improve device standby time. By using motion detectors, Android will recognize when devices haven’t been interacted with for a while, such as when a person is asleep or a device has been left on a table, to reduce background processes.
Burke said that Google tested two Nexus 9 devices, one running Lollipop and one running the Android M preview, and learned that M will provide up to two-times longer standby time. Even in Doze mode, your Android can still start alarms or notify you of priority notifications.
Android M also supports USB Type-C which provides faster charging, and lets users charge other devices with their phone.
What else is new in Android M?
Auto Backup and Restore for Apps
Possibly the most interesting aspect of Android M not discussed in Google’s I/O keynote speech was Android Auto Backup and Restore for Apps. This feature will be used in conjunction with Google Drive to automatically backup app data and settings with a file size of 25 MB or less.
These backups occur no more than once per day, and run only when the device is idle and connected to Wi-Fi and power. The uploaded data does not count towards your Google Drive storage quota, and is encrypted.
If you lose your device or delete the app, your previous progress will be restored the next time you install it, and it even works with apps which are side-loaded or accessed through a third-party app store.
New app drawer
One of the most immediately noticeable visual changes to Android M is the new app drawer. This now scrolls vertically instead of horizontally, and is held against a white background, rather than a muted shade of your homepage wallpaper. Across the top of the menu you will see your four most recently used apps.
Android M RAM manager
Google has introduced a new RAM manager to Android M with the aim of providing users with more accurate and comprehensible information regarding the maximum and average RAM usage of apps.
The menu can be found in Settings > Apps > Options (three dots button) > Advanced > Memory. Though it's a little hard to navigate to, the page offers a far clearer insight into app demands, and the overall effect they will have on your device.
With a reading of an individual app's RAM consumption, as well as how often it is running in the background, users will be able to better determine which apps should be removed in endless bid to increase device performance and battery life.
Android M even includes a simple bar at the top of the page displaying the current performance status of a person's handset; if it says "good performance", you're likely running an efficient set of apps.
Adoptable Storage Devices
Though Google has in the past tried to step away from external storage use (the reason why none of its Nexus devices house a microSD card slot), it appears that Android M is striking a compromise.
Adoptable Storage Devices is Google's new storage feature which essentially takes an external storage source (such as an SD card or USB drive) and formats it like an internal storage space. This means that app and personal data can be moved freely between a devices internal storage and its "adopted" storage source.
Adopted storage devices are wrapped in a layer of encryption to soothe security concerns and both microSD cards and USB OTG drives are currently supported.
Dark Theme
Buried within the Android M settings is a "Dark theme" option which transforms the menu background to a dark grey color rather than the normal pale shade. Currently this only affects the settings menu, not the app drawer, and its function is purely cosmetic. Still, it looks nice on our Nexus 6 and we hope it gets developed further.
You can find the dark theme in Settings > Developer Options
Google Now
Google Now has been improved upon once again in Android M. Focusing on three key ares: being aware of different contexts, providing answers and helping you take action, Google Now is now smarter than ever.
Google Now's context awareness understand over 100 million different places, so when you ask "How far is it to there?" Google Now know exactly which "there" you're referring to. This awareness is compounded by Google's Knowledge Graph, which understands one billion different entities, from sports teams to gas stations, TV shows to recipes.
Google Now is also rolling out a pilot program called Now on Tap with 100 popular apps. Now on Tap provides Google Now-like content right where you are, without having to leave the app you're in. So if you're in Spotify and say "Ok Google, what is his real name?" Now on Tap will know you're talking about the musician you're listening to and provide search results right there an then.
The same goes for content in emails. If someone asks you a question about a restaurant and to not forget something on your way home, Now on Tap can automatically pop up a restaurant card with Maps info, Yelp, OpenTable and the dialer, as well as offer to set a reminder for whatever it was you were supposed to not forget.
§ What you need to know about Google Now on Tap
Google Chrome
Chrome is also leaner and faster than ever before. Initially revamped with Android One devices in mind, where stable and speedy internet connections are not always possible, Chrome's new optimizations are set to arrive for everyone.
Chrome is now aware of network strength and can modify what you see as a result. For example, if your connection is bad, you might see colored squares rather than preview images in Search results. Optimized web pages will load four times faster and use 80 percent fewer bytes. You'll also see a memory usage reduction of up to 80 MB. Chrome will also support offline mode.
Google Photos
As expected, Google pulled the wraps off its new Google Photos service. Previously a part of Google+, Google Photos is now standalone photo and video storage and sharing service that provides unlimited free storage for up to 16 MP photos and 1080p video. That is seriously impressive.
The Google Photos service stores high-quality compressed versions of your photos and movies but doesn't store anything on your device, so you can search through thousands of photos at high speed and without bogging your device down with gigabytes of photos.
Popular features like Auto-Awesome and Stories are a key highlight, accessible through a new Assistant feature, which will automatically suggest creative uses of your images and footage. Through simple pinch gestures you can see tiled images for particular days, weeks, months or even years and then zoom right back in at any point you like.
Google Photos is also powerful for search, as you'd expect. You can search by People, Places, Things and Types, which are all automatically created, and you can drill down in each of those categories to see, for example, every picture you have of a particular person, all without ever tagging them.
Sharing is also a breeze. You don't even need you contacts to have the Google Photos app. You can simply share a link that they can view in Chrome. If they are logged in they can easily download an entire album in seconds.
How to download and install Android M
If you want to learn how to download and install the Android M preview on a Nexus device, hit the link.
Are you impressed by what Google has been up to in Android M? What would you have liked to have seen?
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