Updates to the operating systems for the Apple iPhone and iPad were released this week.
The latest update of the operating system -- version iOS 9 -- is free and full of new features.
Each fall for the past few years, Apple has released a new version of iOS that adds features to its mobile devices. This year, Apple released features that promise improvements and battery-saving options.
The Apple's devices and operating systems are so popular that the download might be slow or unavailable because the demand by users is so great. If your update is slow or fails, try waiting a few days and try again.
And be sure to back up your device before updating. If you lose data like photos or messages, the backup will let you reinstall them.
New Features of iOS 9
iOS 9 brings new features to your iPhone and iPad.
Apple is launching a News app to help you find news and information in one place. Since June, when the News app was announced, Apple and news publishers have been partnering to deliver articles via the News app. You can choose interests, such as business, sports, technology and fashion. Or choose to see news from established publishers, like the New York Times, ESPN, Time magazine and CNN.
The News app will gather stories and deliver them to you, complete with images. You won't have to open multiple apps from different sources. You can share articles with others and save them to read later. You can read saved articles even when you're not connected to the Internet.
Notes App
Apple's Notes app has been improved to make note-taking more easy and more powerful. You can add check lists, maps, photos and links to your notes. Handwriting and drawings can also be added to notes in the updated Notes app.
Maps App
With iOS 9, Apple's Maps app includes directions for taking public transportation in some cities. You can see schedules for subways, buses, trains and ferries. You can ask Siri, Apple's voice assistant, for directions.
Cities with public transit information in Apple Maps:
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York City, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- San Francisco, California
- Washington, D.C.
- Toronto, Canada
- 30 cities in China
- London, England
- Mexico City, Mexico
In China and the U.S., Apple Maps gets a feature called "Nearby" that shows places near you, like restaurants, grocery stores, cafés, bakeries, desserts and popular places.
Check the Apple website for more information about the availability of Apple Map features in various countries.
New iPad Views
iOS 9 makes good use of the iPad screen size, now allowing you to do two things at once. Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture let your iPad do double duty.
Slide Over opens a window on the side of your screen that shows apps such as Messages and Email. You can check for texts, surf the Web, or add a Note without leaving the app.
Split View lets you open two windows side by side on your iPad screen. Picture in Picture lets you watch a video or make a FaceTime call in a small window on top of another app.
Siri Gets Smarter
iOS 9 adds more features to Siri. Now you can ask Siri to find photos based on place names, dates or album titles: "Siri, find me photos of Alaska from 2013."
You can ask Siri to remind you at certain times or places. Siri will also show recent apps used, and search within those apps.
Siri can be totally hands-free now. No need to press and hold the Home button to activate Siri. Just say, "Hey, Siri" and ask your question. You can turn off Hey Siri in Settings if you prefer.
Smaller But Stronger
iOS 9 promises longer battery life for your device, up to an extra hour between charges. Your device will keep the screen turned off when it's face-down on a surface to save power. A new Low Power mode will try to make your battery last as long as possible before you can get to a power supply.
iOS 9 makes better use of hardware so your device should run faster and more smoothly.
You will have more storage space on your device after you update to iOS 9. Last year, iOS 8 took up 4.58 GB of space, forcing many people to delete photos, songs and apps to make room for the update. This year, iOS 9 uses only 1.3 GB of space, freeing up 3.28 GB of space for you to use as you wish.
Availability
In past years the release of a new operating system meant that older devices of Apple products became obsolete. If you were hanging on to an older device, you probably waited anxiously to learn whether that device would be included in the update.
This year Apple has not made any older devices obsolete with iOS 9. If your mobile device could be updated to iOS 8, then it can update to iOS 9. You can't use iOS 9 as an excuse to upgrade to a new device, it runs on all devices compatible with iOS 8.
Although the Apple Watch was supposed to get an update to its operating system with Watch OS 2 at the same time as iOS 9 was released, the Watch update has been postponed. Apple detected a last minute bug in Watch OS 2 and will release the update at a later time.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this story for Learning English.
Words in This Story
iOS - n. an operating system used for mobile devices manufactured by Apple Inc.
app - n. chiefly US, computers, informal an application, or program, that runs on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone
obsolete - adj. no longer used because something newer exists
Which new features of iOS 9 are the most exciting for you? Are there any features that you wish would come to Apple devices? Have you updated to iOS 9 yet? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
