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Apple announces iOS 9 with Proactive Spotlight, new Siri, News app, iPad split-screen, better battery life, more

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At WWDC, Apple has officially announced the new version of its mobile operating system, iOS 9. The update will be available in the fall for free. iOS 9 runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

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iOS 9 includes:

New Siri

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New Siri UI with additional functionality. Such as photo lookups, reminders including when you get in and out of you car, contextual reminders about current app content. If you are in a message conversation, saying ‘Remind me about this’ understands the current context and adds a link to the message conversation as part of the Reminder.

Proactive and Intelligence

Intelligent features to help you based on context. Phone can look in email to find contact information on incoming call screens.

Apple says these new features are anonymous and happens on the device, nothing is sent to a server. It is not shared with third parties and can be disabled in Settings.

New Font

Like OS X El Capitan, iOS 9 includes a new system font. It closely resembles San Francisco.

Spotlight Siri Suggestions

Spotlight includes a new section which bubbles up relevant nearby locations and contact details. For instance, apps bubble up based on the current time.

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Spotlight Search

Many new ways to search for content. This includes video search. Spotlight Search also has an API so third-party apps can integrate with the Spotlight view, to find content inside third-party apps. Spotlight has also been moved to the left of the first home screen.

Transit In Maps App

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iOS 9 Maps adds transit support in select cities — buses, trains and subways. Tapping on an individual station shows all the upcoming calling points. Transit support is also integrated into Siri. Transit for iOS 9 will start off in Baltimore, Berlin, Chicago, London, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington and China.

iPad Split-Screen

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Apple has finally expanded multitasking on the iPad to include split-screen apps. There is a new task switcher when double-clicking the Home Button. Other apps can be added to the side with a ‘slideover’ mini-app. Apps on the side remain docked as you switch between apps on the left screen. Side-by-side apps can be expanded to fill half of the screen. You can pull across at any time to make one app fill the display.

As a special case, you can even have picture-in-picture video. Videos in applications can be pulled to a little corner view which can be scaled up and down. Videos carry on playing regardless of how you use the rest of the iPad.

News App

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The Newsstand app is gone, replaced and superseded by the News app. News brings together stories from many sources, in a rich and interactive user interface. This is similar in purpose to Flipboard. You can subscribe to many different feeds including some built in an ‘Apple News’ format which offers rich typography, fun animations and fluid layouts. The News app is also ensured to be private — it doesn’t share your data. Great content will be included from all sources: ‘local newspapers, blogs or special interest publication are all welcome’.

Wallet App

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Wallet replaces Passbook as a new central hub for passes and bank cards. Wallet will include credit cards, debit cards (Discover coming soon) for Apple Pay support. Apple Pay will also be coming internationally, with support for Apple Pay in the UK in July. Apple Pay will even work like an Oyster card for London transportation.

New in iOS 9, Wallet app will also let you add store, loyalty and rewards cards. All these cards will appear in the Wallet app. Boarding passes and everything else from Passbook will also appear here.

Updated Keyboard

The Keyboard now uses lowercase letters on buttons when typing in lowercase. This shows users more clearly when they have Shift key turned on or off, a frequent complaint on iOS 7 and iOS 8.

New Features In iOS 9 Notes App

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Notes now supports rich text messages, with numbering and checklists. You can also add photos inline. A new drawing tool lets you sketch straight into the note. All of this data is kept up to date through iCloud.

Improved Battery Life And Low Power Mode

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iOS 9 can improve battery life by up to 50% on certain tasks, with an additional one hour of battery for a typical iPhone charge. A low power mode turns some features off to enable users to get an additional 3 hours of battery out of their devices.

Apple Previews iOS 9

SAN FRANCISCO — June 8, 2015 — Apple® today unveiled iOS 9, giving a preview of new iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® software that will be available this fall. In this upcoming release, iOS devices become more intelligent and proactive with powerful search and improved Siri® features — all without compromising users’ privacy. New multitasking features designed specifically for iPad allow you to work with two apps simultaneously, side-by-side or with the new Picture-in-Picture feature, to keep watching a video while browsing the web, composing email or using any other app. Built-in apps become more powerful in iOS 9 with detailed transit information in Maps*, a redesigned Notes app with new ways to capture ideas, and an all-new News app for the best news reading experience on any mobile device.

“iOS 9 is packed with more intelligence throughout, and delivers big updates to the apps customers use most — Maps supports public transit, a redesigned Notes app provides great new ways to capture ideas, and a beautiful News app delivers content that’s personalized to your interests,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With our new iPad features, users can take advantage of the power of iPad, working in two apps at the same time with Split View, Slide Over or Picture-in-Picture.”

Intelligence
Siri features an all-new design in iOS 9, contextual reminders and new ways to search photos and videos. Proactive assistance presents the most relevant information without compromising users’ privacy and suggests actions at a particular moment — even before you start typing — automatically suggesting apps to launch or people to contact based on usage patterns, and notifying you when you need to leave for appointments, taking into account traffic conditions. iOS 9 can even learn what you typically listen to in a certain location or at a particular time of day, so when you plug in headphones at the gym or hop in the car before work, it can automatically display playback controls for your preferred app. Typed search queries deliver more relevant results from more categories, including sports scores and schedules, videos and simple math calculations.

New iPad Features
With a simple swipe, the new Slide Over feature lets you simultaneously work in a second app without leaving the first. And with a quick tap, you can access the new Split View feature so you can work in two apps at the same time, side-by-side. Picture-in-Picture lets you continue a FaceTime® call or video while using your favorite apps. These new multitasking features are supported by built-in Apple apps, and APIs make it easy for third-party developers to add support into their own apps. Typing is faster and easier with an all-new Shortcut Bar that displays actions tailored for the app you are in, and new Multi-Touch™ gestures make it even easier to select and edit text.

Built-In Apps
In iOS 9, Maps adds support for metropolitan transit systems and schedules, and subway station entrances and exits are precisely mapped, providing every step of your trip. When you plan your trip, Maps can offer a combination of trains, subways, buses and walking, and with the new Nearby feature, quickly see what’s around by searching for food, drinks, shopping and more.

New features of the completely redesigned Notes app include the ability to draw a quick sketch using your finger, easily create checklists to keep track of your to-dos, or snap a photo directly in a note. Easily save important items to your notes directly from other apps, and keep them in sync across all your enabled devices with iCloud®.

The News app delivers a reading experience that combines the rich, immersive design of a print magazine with the interactivity of digital media. News can learn your interests and suggest relevant content that’s easily shareable with friends or saved for later. News delivers the best articles from a variety of publishers and over one million topics to help you personalize your reading experience, all presented in an elegant, uncluttered design. News is powered by the new Apple News Format™, a digital publishing format supporting custom typography, galleries, audio, video and interactive animations, allowing publishers like Condé Nast, ESPN and The New York Times to create beautiful editorial layouts for iOS users.

With iOS 9, Apple Pay™ adds support for Discover, rewards programs from merchants such as Walgreens and Kohl’s Department Stores, and participating store-issued credit and debit cards. Shoppers will be able to manage their cards in the new Wallet app. Apple Pay will also be available to users in the UK starting next month.

Foundation
iOS 9 makes the foundation of iOS even stronger with refinements including battery optimization that provides a typical user with an additional hour of battery life**, and a low-power mode to help further extend battery life. Software updates require less space to install and an Install Later feature can perform updates to your device when it’s not in use. Enhanced security features in iOS 9 keep your devices and Apple ID secure by strengthening the passcode that protects your devices and improving two-factor authentication by building it directly into iOS, making it harder for others to gain unauthorized access to your Apple ID.

Developer APIs
iOS 9 APIs and tools for developers include:

  • extensible search that deep links directly to content within third-party apps;
  • GameplayKit and Model I/O for building better games and ReplayKit for recording gameplay;
  • new HomeKit profiles for motorized windows and shades, motion sensors and home security systems;
  • wireless CarPlay™ and support for auto manufacturers to develop apps within CarPlay; and
  • new HealthKit data points for reproductive health, UV exposure, water intake and sedentary state.

Swift™ 2 brings powerful new features and performance improvements that produce faster apps. The Swift compiler and standard library will be made available as open source later this year, putting the language in the hands of even more developers.

Availability
The iOS 9 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com, and a public beta program will be available in July at beta.apple.com. iOS 9 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and later. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.

*Transit information in Maps will be available in select major cities this fall, including Baltimore, Berlin, Chicago, London, Mexico City, New York City, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto and Washington D.C., as well as over 300 cities in China, including Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai.
**Battery life depends on usage and settings.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple’s three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Press Contacts:
Trudy Muller
Apple
tmuller@apple.com
(408) 862-7426

Jacqueline Roy
Apple
jacqueline_roy@apple.com
(408) 862-4386

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Siri, FaceTime, Multi-Touch, iCloud, Apple News Format, Apple Pay, CarPlay and Swift are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Comments

  1. fernandofppinto - 9 years ago

    What is the best place to get iOS9 beta?

  2. Bodom_ - 9 years ago

    Still no Apple Pay announcement for Canada -_-

    Rumors are rumors, I want something official.

  3. Oh man. i really want that waves wallpaper!

  4. bpbatch - 9 years ago

    I still would like to know what is holding up the new Apple TV launch. Considering the shape of the device is in the WWDC logo, and the tagline, “The Center of Change,” would’ve been most appropriate for the new Apple TV as the smarthome hub, it looks like any TV announcements were scrapped?

  5. Stephen Ellerington - 9 years ago

    Apple News looks like bad news for Feedly?

  6. sudipsikder07 - 9 years ago

    Thanks for this nice post. I know many thing from this post.
    For IOS 10 News visit…. http://ios10news.com

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.