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iOS

4,916 'iOS' stories August 2010 - November 2018
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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)

Apple Watch app icon upgraded from original model to Series 4 in iOS 12.1.1

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 1 2018 - 6:56 am PT
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iOS 12.1.1

iOS 12.1.1 sounds like a small point release for bug fixes and performance improvements, but the upcoming software update is shaping up to be a bit more interesting than just behind-the-scenes maintenance. FaceTime has two notable improvements to changes made in iOS 12 and iOS 12.1 as we discovered yesterday, and now the Watch app for managing paired Apple Watches is getting a generational upgrade.


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Apple releasing iOS 12.1 tomorrow with Group FaceTime, new emoji, more

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 29 2018 - 1:33 pm PT
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iOS 12.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will be available tomorrow as a free software update. The first significant update to iOS 12 brings a variety of features including Group FaceTime, dual SIM support, real time Depth Control for Portrait mode, new emoji, and more. iOS 12.1 is also expected to address the “beauty-gate” issue that affected the front-facing camera on iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.


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Gorgeous iOS concept imagines refreshed Siri, Dock, and multitasking for 2018 iPad Pro models

Avatar for Michael Potuck Oct 25 2018 - 11:40 am PT
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A couple of months ago, we saw a beautiful concept from Kévin Eugène that reimagined Siri for iPhone with a new intuitive and much less intrusive design that ditched the current full screen takeover. Today, he’s shared a super sharp new concept for a redesigned Siri, Slide Over, multitasking, and Dock for the upcoming new iPad Pro models. Head below to check it out!


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

Avatar for Guilherme Rambo Sep 26 2018 - 8:10 am PT
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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.


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

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Sep 26 2018 - 3:42 am PT
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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.


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