Earlier this year at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) formally announced iOS 11 at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The announcement of iOS 11 was no surprise considering the fact that Apple has been announcing the new version of iOS at the conference every year. However what did turn heads were the extensive changes and features revealed as part of the new iOS 11 update.
It is worth noting that every version of iOS has included major changes of some form or other – such as the introduction of apps in iOS 2, multitasking in iOS 4, Siri in iOS 5, and so on. Expectations are always high for every new release of iOS, yet this 11th iteration is impressive even by those standards.
Now that it is it is in beta and users are able to try out the new the new iOS 11 features, anticipation for its release has only grown. Although they may be some changes between now and the time it is released, most of the ‘big’ changes are likely to remain as is. Despite, the number of enhancement and addition of new features makes iOS 11 the biggest update Apple has rolled out ever.
Customizable Control Center
Over the years the Control Center in iOS has undergone several changes, and iOS 11 is set to revamp it yet again. It can be accessed in the same manner as it was in the past by swiping up from the bottom of your screen, but will now take up the entire screen with the settings that you use most often.
More importantly, the new Control Center is customizable, allowing you to add (or remove) buttons and settings as you see fit. 3D Touch is integrated more deeply into this area, and the settings for many of the buttons can be opened using it.
Updated App Store
Another very noticeable visual change in iOS 11 will be the fresh new look of the App Store – it’s very first design update since it was launched. The new design will have a dedicated ‘Today’ page to help make it easier to discover new apps as well as dedicated tabs for games, apps, and updates.
The individual product pages in the App Store will also receive a much-needed facelift that will highlight important details better. Additionally, any screenshots and videos on the pages can be localized – which is a feature that developers have requested for some time.
File Management Without Jailbreaking
News of the possibility that Apple may (finally) be adding a file management app to iOS leaked just before WWDC – and it was confirmed shortly thereafter. The new app called ‘Files’ will let you access folders, recent files, and integrated cloud locations such as iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox.
In the past, many users who wanted a proper file management solution were forced to jailbreak their iOS devices, which will now no longer be necessary.
New Screenshot Workflow
When you snap screenshots they will now appear in a picture-in-picture box at the lower-left corner of iOS 11 and you can immediately edit the image prior to saving it. The selection of editing tools available with Instant Markup should take care of most essentials, including the ability to draw, crop, add text, magnify, and much more.
Screen Recording Tool
Although it was not part of the formal announcement, users were happily surprised to find that the iOS 11 beta included a screen recording tool. It can be enabled in the Settings and added to the Control Center.
Previously to record the screen of iOS devices you would have to jailbreak them or connect them to a computer in some way. Now there is a built-in screen recorder for iOS. However, currently, it offers basic functionalities unlike many third-party screen recorder for iOS, like Movavi, which is more convenient instead.
Improvements to Siri
One of the biggest beneficiaries of iOS 11 is none other than Siri. Its artificial intelligence has received an upgrade, and you will start to notice it learning from your usage patterns to deliver more personalized search results.
The two most noticeable improvements to Siri, however, are its new (more human-sounding) voice, as well as the fact that it can now translate phrases into different languages. The latter feature is still very much in beta, however, and is likely to be expanded on in the future.
Make no mistake there are countless other features in iOS 11 but the ones highlighted above should give you an idea why it is being billed as the biggest iOS update yet. Many of the improvements, updates and new features that are included are items that iOS users have been clamouring for over the years and so their addition is bound to be well-received.
