What's New with iOS 9?

For those of you who missed WWDC 15, no worries! I've got all of the vital information you need to know about the new iOS 9 for your iPhone and iPad!

Installation of iOS 9
The new iOS 9 will be available for download for all Apple iOS devices that have iOS 8! So if your iPhone could get iOS 8, you can now get iOS 9 when it releases! The download file for iOS 9 will only be 1.3 GB, which is significantly lower than the iOS 8 download. And finally, for the first time ever, the new iOS beta for iOS 9 will be available to the public!

Battery Life and Performance
With the installation of the upcoming iOS 9, battery life will increase by 1 hour! There will also be a new feature called "low power mode," which when turned on, will simultaneously enable/disable certain iOS settings that will help make your battery last longer. With "low powder mode," it will extend battery life an additional 3 hours! 

Siri and Intelligence Apps
Siri will be faster to respond and introduce incredibly intelligent actions with iOS 9. With iOS 9, Siri will get to know you better and pick up on patterns of your day-to-day activities. For instance: if you normally go for a run in the morning and listen to a particular iTunes Radio station, Siri will learn that you do this and will automatically pull up your preferred iTunes Radio stations when you physically arrive to the location where you normally begin your run (i.e. if you go the gym vs. on the street). Another example is if you were listening to an audio book in your car and then go back into the house, the next time you come back to your car Siri will pull up your audio book for you so that you can continue listening from where you left off. 

Even further, there are a handful of new features that Siri introduces with iOS 9. Ever have a phone number come up when you get a call, but you are not sure who it is? Siri will look through your archives and email to see if she can find that phone number in your caller ID to locate the person calling you (e.g. Siri would share a message under the incoming call that would say "Maybe this person" and suggests a name/business). Finally, Siri can also make detailed reminders from within an app. If I received a text message from Adam and he told me to buy milk at the store, I can hold down my home button right from the Messages thread and say "Siri, remind me about this when I get to Safeway." When my location services sees I'm physically at a Safeway, the reminder would pop up with Adam's message (and remind me to buy milk). 

One thing to keep in mind on this is that Apple respects your privacy! All of the search and data collected through Siri and Intelligence Apps is completely anonymous, and not affiliated with Apple IDs or Apple services. 

The search "Spotlight" on iOS is getting a handful of helpful updates. Similarly on OS X, now when you search for a term like "potato," the iPhone will now suggest Yummly recipes highlighting potato as the ingredient. It also keeps your most recent contacts stored in your "Spotlight," as well as intuitive topics like nearby restaurants, events, etc. 

Apple Pay
Square is partnering with Apple Pay, so that local and small businesses alike can take part in the Apple Pay industry. Also, Pinterest and Etsy are developing in-app purchase which will be available exclusively for iOS 9 users; so now, when you're adding clothes to your "My Style" Pinterest board, you'll be even more tempted to buy it (since the button to tap on your iPhone will be right there!) 

With an update to the businesses that accept Apple Pay as a form of payment, with the iOS 9 release there will be over 1 million locations worldwide that accept Apple Pay (including the UK)! Also, with iOS 9, you will be able to add loyalty rewards cards and other store debit and credit cards to your Apple Pay, too!

The "Notes" app is getting a toolbar! This will allow for easier formatting including headers, images, checklists, etc. It also introduces a drawing tool, as well as a 'share' button that works with other iOS apps. For instance, if you're in Safari on your iPhone and want to copy a picture over to your Notes app, you can simply tap the "share" button from Safari and add it right to your note instantly!

Apple is introducing a 'Transit' map for trains, buses, subways, etc so you can see the lines and departure times for public transportation. There are limited cities in the United States where Transit will be introduced (Phoenix isn't one of them yet! Boo!), and majority of the cities announced are actually overseas in China. 

Introducing "News" App
This is the update that I am honestly not excited for at all. I hated the "Newsstand" app in the past, and I have a feeling that the new iOS 9 app "News" will also be hidden on my home page in a folder. The new "News" app features a seamless swiping and gallery filled interface, which connects you to all of the mainstream online news brands. It essentially sounds the same as Newsstand, but with a more updated look and better gestures to navigate between articles. 

Health Kit
Although it's not necessarily the most glamorous of features, Health Kit is adding new metrics: water intake, UV exposure, and also reproductive health! I am really excited about all 3 of those since I am already health conscious of how much water I drink, how much sun I get here in Phoenix, as well as carefully looking over my menstrual cycle. 

iPad News
Hold onto your seats, kids! The iPad just got sexier! 

The iPad with iOS 09 will now have Quicktype keyboard!! YES! If you're already using this on your iPhone, you know exactly why I am so excited. iPad keyboard will also get a cut/copy/paste format for native apps like Mail, Notes, etc. 

Multitasking just got easier with iPad, too! The "slide over" feature is being introduced in iOS 9, which allows users to quickly glance over an app while remaining inside an app. For example, if I'm looking at a website and I want to make a quick note, I can now drag my finger down and keep both the Safari page and the Notes app open--at the same time!! Even further, iOS 9 for iPad is bringing us split view! So I can be watching a video and want to check emails really quickly--I can bring up my email and have a small miniature screen floating above the Mail app of my currently running video (so I can watch/listen the entire time). FINALLY! I have been dying for split view! I am so excited about that. One thing to keep in mind: iPad Air and iPad mini 3 and later will be compatible with split view--so if you have an older iPad model than iPad Air or iPad mini 3, then you may want to upgrade your model. 

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