iOS 11 is a big update, not a massive redesign but instead, you get a boatload of new features. While all of these features are coming to the iPhone, this iOS update could be considered a rethinking of the iPad. Apple has introduced updates to Siri, Messages, Control Center, and many others.
A significant feature of iOS 10 was the App Store for Messages, and the drawer design has been updated. You can swipe through all of the Messages applications now at the bottom of Messages. It makes it easier to access them, and there is a new app arriving with iOS 11. And that is Apple Pay, as you can now send money to your friends through it– Plus it can happen directly within these Messages. While the keyboard is not just in Messages, it does get used a lot in this interface. Apple is also introducing available one-handed keyboard, that makes it easier to text on the iPhone 7 Plus, to say the least.
Control Center has a gotten a full redesign that could be called radical, and it now takes up about half of the phone. And the rumored customizations and 3D Touch integration that was missing from iOS 10, is here this year. While Control Center lives at the bottom, Notifications which is at the top had been combined with the Lock Screen.
Apple has updated Live Photos, and you can now easily share them and keep the motion, with three different output options; Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure. For the iPhone 7 Plus, the popular Portrait Mode effect now has Optical Image Stabilization, HDR, and True Tone Flash for an even better shot. Lastly, because of the new file system for iOS, photos will now take up less space, meaning you get more storage.
The Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are pretty great, and with that in mind, Apple has some updates for Siri. The personal virtual assistant can now predict what you may need and aims to be more natural. Voices across the board are more expressive, and this is made possible through machine learning and artificial intelligence. Siri can now provide instant translations to a plethora of languages, which is a neat trick. The assistant wants to learn more so that it can provide better suggestions when talking and with predictive text.
On the Augmented Reality front, Apple is finally making moves and has announced ARKit. This means developers can now harness the power of the hardware and software pieces to create new experiences. Apple has also redesigned the App Store with a new interface that puts the emphasis on great games and applications that do something unique.
iOS 11 also introduces some smaller updates to Home, News, Apple Music, and a few others. Apple also introduced AirPlay 2 alongside iOS 11 as well.
