iOS

4,859 'iOS' stories August 2010 - October 2018

See All Stories

The world’s most advanced mobile operating system

iOS is Apple’s mobile operating system that runs on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 13.

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and iPhone OS. During the event, Jobs referred to the operating system as OS X because it shared a similar Unix core compared to the Mac. When Apple launched the iPhone SDK a year later, they officially changed the name to iPhone OS.

In the summer of 2008, Apple added the App Store to iPhone OS with version 2.0, and this set the stage for the “app economy” that we still enjoy to this day.

Version 3.0 was released in 2009, and it included copy/paste, MMS support, Spotlight, mobile tethering, and push notifications for 3rd party apps.

In version 4, Apple finally renamed iPhone OS to iOS (with the iPad sharing the same software). The major features were multitasking and FaceTime.

iOS 5.0 introduced Notification Center, iMessage, Siri, and iCloud.

iOS 6.0 removes Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps and added the Passbook app (now known as Wallet).

Version 7.0 brought a dramatic redesign of iOS with a new font, flatter icons, a and new Photos app. The redesign was led by Jony Ive.

Version iOS 8.0, Apple finally allowed third-party keyboards and the ability to share files from different apps.

Version 9.0 included Apple Maps, an overhauled Notes app, and multitasking for iPad.

Version 10.0 included an SDK for Siri, Maps, and iMessages.

Version 11.0 included a new iPad Dock, Customizable Control center, drag and drop on iPad, and the Files app with third-party integration.

Version 12.0 added Screen Time features for managing your time on devices, the Shortcuts app, ARKit 2.0, and Memoji.

iOS 13 added Dark Mode, swipe-style typing, a redesigned share sheet, made app downloads 50% smaller, 2x faster app launch speed, Memoji Stickers and Memoji Makeup, HomeKit-enabled routers and HomeKit Secure Video, a new “Sign in with Apple” option for logging into third-party services, all-new Apple Maps, and much more.

Compatible Devices with iOS 13

iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE
iPod touch (7th generation)

Apps
iOS

Design tool Figma adds integration with Principle for animated app prototyping

Michael Steeber Oct 23 2018 - 10:11 am PT

Popular design and prototyping tool Figma is today announcing support for the macOS-based UI animation software Principle. The integration will allow Figma designs to be imported into Principle, where designers can add advanced animations to their app prototypes.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Fifth iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 developer betas now available

Zac Hall Oct 22 2018 - 10:03 am PT

iOS 12.1

Apple has released the fifth beta versions of iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 for developers. We’ll dig in to the new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV builds and update with any changes.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS

iPhone time limit: How to set a time limit for a specific app on iOS 12

Benjamin Mayo Oct 16 2018 - 2:56 am PT

Screen Time in iOS 12 offers a lot of different options for reining back how much you, or your kids, use your iPhone and iPad. You can track your activity, and also set time limits for apps and categories of apps to ensure you get some downtime. Here’s how to set an iPhone time limit for a specific app that you just can’t put down.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Fourth iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 developer betas now available

Zac Hall Oct 15 2018 - 10:08 am PT

iOS 12.1

Apple has released the fourth beta versions of iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 for developers. We’ll dig in to the new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV builds and update with any changes.

Expand
Expanding
Close

New Apple Music features I hope are added in iOS 13 and macOS 10.15

Bradley C Oct 14 2018 - 6:00 am PT

new apple music features

I’ve been thinking a lot about new Apple Music features that I hope are coming in iOS 13 and macOS 10.14. Earlier this year, I wrote up an Apple Music vs. Spotify comparison that summed up exactly how I feel about both services. Both are really good.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
Android

CIRP: Smartphone loyalty hits new high, suggesting Android switchers less targetable for Apple

Chance Miller Oct 11 2018 - 12:56 pm PT

CIRP is out today with a new report detailing smartphone loyalty among consumers. While Apple regularly touts “switchers” as an area of growth for the iPhone, the latest CIRP data claims that Android users are actually more loyal than iPhone users, at least over the last 12 months.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS

The popular farming RPG ‘Stardew Valley’ is coming to iOS later this month

Chance Miller Oct 9 2018 - 6:58 pm PT

The insanely popular farming RPG Stardew Valley is coming to iOS. The developer behind the hit game made the announcement in a blog post today, revealing that Stardew Valley for iOS will be available on October 24th through the App Store.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Third iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 developer betas now available

Zac Hall Oct 9 2018 - 10:02 am PT

iOS 12.1

Apple has released the third beta versions of iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 for developers. We’ll dig in to the new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV builds and update with any changes.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS

Apple stops signing iOS 11.4.1, preventing downgrades from iOS 12 to iOS 11

Chance Miller Oct 8 2018 - 4:29 pm PT

Following the release of iOS 12.0.1 to the public today, Apple has stopped signing iOS 11.4.1. With this change, users can no longer downgrade from iOS 12 to iOS 11. Though, downgrading from iOS 12.0.1 to iOS 12.0 is still possible.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS

Halide Camera updated with new ‘Smart RAW’ feature for iPhone XS, more

Chance Miller Oct 7 2018 - 7:23 am PT

Halide

Halide, the popular camera app for iOS, has been updated this week to version 1.10. The update includes a handful of new features to Halide for iOS, including a new Smart RAW capability for iPhone XS, optimization for Apple Watch Series 4, and more.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
iOS 12

Second iOS 12.1 and watchOS 5.1 developer betas coming today [U]

Zac Hall Oct 2 2018 - 9:28 am PT

iPhone Face ID

[Update: iOS 12.1 beta, watchOS 5.1 beta, macOS 10.14.1, and tvOS 12.1 beta 2 are now available.]

Apple will release the second iOS 12.1 developer beta for iPhone and iPad today after releasing the first version two weeks ago. iOS 12.1 beta includes new features on iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Telegram releases major update for iOS built on Swift with improved speed, notifications, more

Michael Potuck Sep 28 2018 - 1:57 pm PT

Telegram is out today with a big iOS update. The latest release has been rebuilt with Apple’s Swift and offers users improved speed, battery efficiency, in-app notifications, and more.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS App Store bug makes apps including Facebook look a lot larger than they actually are

Guilherme Rambo Sep 26 2018 - 8:10 am PT

Update 10/01: this bug has been fixed by Apple.

App size has been a controversial topic for a while now, since we’ve been noticing a trend of apps getting larger and larger as time goes by. Larger apps are bad not only because they take a lot of space on your device once installed, but they also consume a lot of bandwidth for downloads and updates, and there is a limit of 150MB which can be downloaded over cellular.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS

Apple rolls out TestFlight public invite links to make it easier for developers to distribute iOS app betas

Benjamin Mayo Sep 26 2018 - 3:42 am PT

Apple is rolling out a new TestFlight feature which enables developers to share a public URL for an app beta. Customers can simply open the link on their iPhone or iPad and automatically enroll into the beta testing group through the TestFlight app.

This feature was announced back at WWDC in June but has only just started showing up for developers inside the App Store Connect interface. Previously to public links, developers had to manually ask people for email addresses and then send out invite in emails to each person individually.

Expand
Expanding
Close

setup Bedtime on iOS

iOS
How-to

iPhone & iPad: How to setup Bedtime on iOS and get more sleep

Michael Potuck Sep 25 2018 - 12:00 am PT

Both iPhone and iPad offer a handy feature called Bedtime to help you get the right amount of sleep. Follow along for how to setup Bedtime on iOS.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
How-to

How to get off the iOS public beta

Peter Cao Sep 20 2018 - 4:27 pm PT

iOS 12 released to the public this past Monday, and not too soon after new iOS 12.1 public beta. Typically users stay on the major release betas to try out the new features announced at WWDC, however, most want to leave as soon as the major release is updated because minor updates don’t really have a “wow” factor to them.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Greyhound finally offering mobile tickets in its iOS app, can convert existing tickets

Ben Lovejoy Sep 19 2018 - 6:19 am PT

It seems hard to believe there are still companies that don’t allow the option of e-tickets on your iPhone, but until today, intercity bus company Greyhound was one of them …

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS 12.1 suggests iCloud syncing for Memoji coming soon

Guilherme Rambo Sep 18 2018 - 6:30 pm PT

Today, Apple released the first beta of iOS 12.1. While it may seem too soon to start yet another beta cycle, software is never really completed, so it makes sense for Apple to offer betas to allow developers and users to start filing bug reports and testing new features, including the much-awaited group FaceTime.

As usual, Apple’s software release also offers some hints as to future features…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple releases first iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1, and tvOS 12.1 developer betas [U]

Zac Hall Sep 18 2018 - 10:02 am PT

One day after the official release of iOS 12 and watchOS 5, Apple has released new developer software beta versions for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Both iOS 12.1 developer beta 1 and watchOS 5.1 developer beta 1 are now available for testing. tvOS 12.1 developer beta 1 is also available.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
iOS 12

iOS 12 is now available with performance boosts, Screen Time, smarter notifications, much more

Zac Hall Sep 17 2018 - 10:00 am PT

iOS 12 is officially out of beta and now available for everyone. The major software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch runs on any device that runs iOS 11 — including iPhone 5s and newer, iPad mini 2 and newer, and the latest iPod touch.

For older devices, iOS 12 should noticeably improve performance when launching the keyboard, share sheet, taking a photo, and much more. The update is also the first version to include Screen Time which helps you manage time spent in apps and significantly upgrades parental controls. Notifications are also grouped intelligently and Do Not Disturb is much more flexible.

Read on for the official release notes to see everything new in iOS 12:

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
iOS 12

What time will iOS 12 be released today? [update: now available]

Benjamin Mayo Sep 17 2018 - 1:33 am PT

Update: iOS 12 is now available!

iOS 12, watchOS 5 and tvOS 12 are released today, on September 17. iOS 12 is available for all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models that run iOS 11, so there’s a lot of customers ready to upgrade. When will the iOS 12 update be released?

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS dominating enterprise with 79% of mobile business use coming from iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Sep 4 2018 - 8:40 am PT

New research from the data protection and file sharing company, Egnyte, is shedding more light on iOS use in the enterprise market. While Apple is still a minor player when it come desktops in business, it has become the clear leader for mobile devices with iPhone and iPad. We’ve also got a look at the most popular devices from iOS, Android, to Surface.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iOS
iOS 12

Apple releases iOS 12 beta 12 to fix ‘new iOS update’ alert

Zac Hall Aug 31 2018 - 8:12 am PT

You may have heard there’s a new iOS update out and you should update from the beta … every time you unlock your iPhone or iPad. While iOS 12 is technically still in beta, Apple has issued the twelfth developer beta version (and tenth public beta version) to address the pesky alert that started spamming users last night.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple Wi-Fi

iOS
How-to

iPhone & iPad: How to disable Wi-Fi Auto-Join

Peter Cao Aug 30 2018 - 12:00 am PT

One of the most annoying things about Wi-Fi are those offered by big corporations. Local Starbucks or library have terrible cell reception? Join the Wi-Fi network. However, a separate location might have better or faster cell reception than what the Wi-Fi offers.

Expand
Expanding
Close