iOS 10: What Features And Enhancements To Check Out

Yup, recently this week Apple officially launched the final version of iOS 10, the latest iteration of the iPhone maker’s mobile operating system. The company is deploying iOS via over the air updates via the Settings app, and also through a wired update wherein owners of iPhone and iPad devices just plug their handsets into iTunes and download the updated version. But for those looking forward to experience what iOS 10 can do, here’s a primer on which features to check out.

Apple Music’s New Design

The music library is now the first thing a user sees when he launches the Apple Music app, plus a brand new section that lets the user know the audio tracks that actually saved on his iPhone or iPad’s built in memory (not those saved in the cloud).

iMessage Gets More Playful

Emoji have gotten bigger (thrice as big as before), and are integrated in the predictive text functionality. Moreover, users can now put bubble effects (short animations indicating a message has been successfully transmitted) and full screen effects (animations that playfully invade the screen) on messages. Then there’s invisible ink, which lets recipients of your messages scratch the screen to reveal hidden messages or images.

Lock Screen: New Look

Gone is the old “swipe to unlock” text, and in its place is a much cooler “raise to wake,” which means that yes, the simple act of picking up your iOS powered device will activate its screen. Also, alerts and notifications are now displayed in clean white bubbles, and users can directly interact with these from the lock screen. Swiping left will launch the camera, while swiping to the opposite direction will display a screen that contains widgets like the calendar, frequently used mobile apps, news, or weather, among many others.

Preinstalled Apps Can Now Be Deleted

iOS 10 comes with an option to erase the apps that come preinstalled on your Apple handset but don’t really need. Of course, there are other apps that can not be deleted, such as Phone, Messages, Safari, Wallet, Clock, Camera, Settings, Photos, and the App Store, but for nearly everything else, they can be done away with. But remember though -- if you delete a particular app by mistake, you will have to redownload from the App Store.

Siri Levels Up

Siri can now integrate with third party mobile apps. Users can now seek Siri’s assistance when chatting via WhatsApp, booking a ride through Uber, or making a phone call using Skype.