These iOS 10 Upgrades are Going to Totally Transform Your iPhone
Your old iPhone ain’t dead yet.
Along with every shiny new iPhone, Apple releases an improved version of its mobile operating system to make your old i-device feel that much shinier. And along with every major OS update come bugs, annoyances and other problems—such as how some early iOS 10 adopters yesterday wound up bricking their phones, essentially rendering them as paperweights before restoring them.
Whenever you decide to upgrade your i-thing to iOS 10 (the iPhone 7 series comes with it pre-installed), thoroughly back it up ahead of time. And in the meantime, take a look at some of the top features waiting for you on the other side:
Easier Wake-Up
Now you just have to pick up your phone to wake it and see your notifications, calendar, sports scores and weather right on the screen, without having to unlock it. Pretty simple, but the kind of thing that makes a big difference based on how often you do it.
Removable Default Apps
For the first time, you can remove such pre-installed apps as Stocks, Find My Friends, or even Mail. Of course, you’ll lose functionality. But think of the peace of mind and space you’ll gain—and you can always get them back.
Advanced Messaging
A ton of attention was spent on making your texting more lively and personal. You can handwrite a message, add all sorts of stickers and full-screen animations, even change the way your text bubbles appear. But the two most interesting features are Tapback, which allows you to quickly send one of six canned responses, and Invisible ink, which hides a photo or text until the recipient swipes to reveal it.
More Siri
Everyone’s favorite disembodied AI assistant will now be accessible in third-party apps. So you can do useful and soon-to-be intuitive stuff like dictating a message to send in WhatsApp, ordering a car in Lyft, or purchasing movie tickets in Fandango.
Better Organized Photos
Intelligent filters will help you automatically sort and find images by face, date, location and subject matter and then stitch together a video compilation, a nice way to relive memories and events.
Smarter Maps
In addition to a cleaner interface and the ability to book a ride or reserve a table right in the app, it’ll come up with proactive suggestions for you based on where you’ve already been and where you’re going.
Of course, that’s just an abbreviated list of what to expect in Apple’s newest mobile OS. If you’d like to check out the whole enchilada—and have half an hour to kill—grab some popcorn and watch the above video, which goes into excruciating detail about all the ways iOS (and therefore your life) will be improving.