On June 5, at the opening of WWDC 17, Apple announced a new version of the iOS 11 operating system. Registered developers immediately received access to the first beta versions of firmware for mobile devices, participants in public testing will be able to try the new product until the end of the month, and the final release of iOS 11 is scheduled for autumn 2017 of the year.
In order not to keep you waiting, at iguides we have already installed a new version of the operating system on mobile devices and have prepared a list of all changes in design, settings and functionality. Please note that this publication is about the first beta version of iOS 11, so all changes cannot be considered final. During testing, Apple may change the operation of some functions, their availability, and visual design.
How to update to iOS 11
As always, we recommend backing up your device before updating any OS. Even though Apple has made the iOS update process smoother than before, there is still a chance that things can go wrong. In this case, it's worth making a local iTunes backup rather than using iCloud, as it's much easier to restore.
Most likely, an update is already available for your device and you have received an invitation to install iOS 11. If not, and you are in a hurry, you can go to the “General” section in “Settings” to check if the update has downloaded. Connect to a power source and keep Wi-Fi on during the entire installation process. iOS 11 weighs over 2GB, and the setup process takes about five minutes longer than it did in iOS 10.
Once the installation is complete, you will notice that the iOS 11 lock screen looks slightly different. There is no slider to unlock, you need to press the Home button again. Once you're done with the setup, you'll see that the design hasn't changed much and it's essentially the same iOS as last year.
Apple has improved many core iOS technologies
Along with improved Metal 2 graphics and HEVC video format, iOS received machine learning and augmented reality features for developers. By the way, this machine learning will also help a lot of developers make it easier for them to use Core ML.
There is a Vision API that gives developers an easier way to recognize faces and landmarks, for example. There is also an API for natural language processing for text recognition. Again, all this does not happen in the cloud, but directly on the user’s device itself.
Augmented reality features will also become easier for developers to use. ARKit will help developers implement augmented reality features into their applications. For example, Pokemon Go uses augmented reality to depict Pokemon over real-time video.
Apple also showed off a developer app that can easily add a virtual object to an allocated space. This app uses surface detection to then place the object you want on it.
New Control Center in iOS 11
In iOS 11 you will find an updated Control Center (swipe down). This is a two-screen format that has been around since last year. But this time, Apple has placed all the Control Center shortcuts on one screen. Honestly, it feels like chaos at first. The icons are easy to distinguish, but on the iPhone they are very close to each other, so it is not immediately clear where to click. In addition to buttons, the new Control Center has sliders for quickly adjusting brightness and volume. And, as before, you can use 3D Touch to activate additional options.
Media controls now have their own dedicated space in Control Center, and they have extras too. features that are activated with 3D Touch or long press on previous iPhones. This opens up the possibility of rewinding the track, as well as switching between different multimedia devices. This is useful if you need to choose between multiple wireless headsets or AirPlay devices.
Luckily, you can customize the crowded Control Center to your liking by removing and adding shortcuts. Never use a flashlight? Just delete it and replace it with a notes or voice memos shortcut. You can also rearrange the Control Center icons so that the most used buttons are on top. However, don't be surprised if Control Center starts to fill up most of the screen if you add icons.
While it won't be useful for everyone, the ability to quickly record screens and edit will come in handy for many. By the way, despite the fact that on Android phones you can’t change much in the settings window, the updated Control Center offers iOS 11 users a small tweak even in Apple’s limited operating system.
The control center has turned into a single 3D Touch page
The control point that appears when you swipe at the very bottom of the screen has been redesigned. Now it is a single page that includes all functions, i.e. you don't need to swipe left or right to use them (an aspect that has often confused people).
The control center has also become customizable. You can choose which settings will be displayed on this page, and you can also rearrange the order of control tools on the panel.
If you don't like the new look of Control Center, you can swipe from the top to the bottom in the application window to disable this feature. The Control Center will become available again if you swipe up from the bottom on the Home screen.
Improved camera performance
In iOS 11, the way you work with photos has changed significantly. Apple has updated the camera's Portrait mode to support flash and image stabilization, which should make photos much brighter and clearer. Developers will also be able to take advantage of the depth API to create new filters using data from portrait mode. And good news for everyone: Apple continues to develop its file formats (HEIF and HEVC) on iPhone 7 and later to reduce the size of your gallery.
As for the Photos app, you'll be able to transform Live Photos with three new effects: loop, bounce, and long exposure. The first two are self-explanatory - they will repeat the Live Photo and move it back and forth, while the latter simulates the dream effect you'll get from a long exposure on a professional DSLR camera. These are fun effects, but not particularly revolutionary at this point.
Keeping with the trend of artificial intelligence in iOS, Apple says the Memories feature—automatically created photo and video albums—will be significantly smarter in iOS 11. They will recognize new types of events, including weddings and anniversaries. And they'll also be wiser about the type of media they include (especially when it comes to detecting blinks and smiles) as well as accompanying music. Memories will even be able to straighten slightly crooked photos on its own using machine intelligence.
Camera improvements: videos and photos now take up less space
iOS 11 will use the HEVC format to encode video images, meaning the video you shoot will take up half as much storage space on your device. The same rule applies to images: Apple has switched from JPEG to HEIF, so the photos you take take up half as much storage space on your iPhone or iPad, and you can still share those photos with other people on other devices.
Other iPhone improvements
Apart from the new Control Center, most iPhone changes in iOS 11 are minor. The App Store and Messages have been redesigned to resemble Apple Music; There is a big emphasis on large texts and images. The look and feel is better, although it is very reminiscent of the old Microsoft Zune style. The messaging redesign also greatly improves control, making it easy to scroll your apps to the bottom of the screen. This is a big improvement over last year's interface.
The App Store now has a little more than editorial apps: there are curated lists as well as short articles for popular apps. Apple also separates games and apps into different sections, which should help people who never play games avoid clutter. Overall, it's much easier to find useful new apps in iOS 11. This is especially important because consumers only use about 26 apps per month on average, according to a 2015 Nielsen survey.
As usual, Siri has gotten a little smarter this year. It sounds more natural and can translate sentences into Spanish, French, German and even Mandarin. Of course, there are apps that already do this, but Siri does a pretty good job. Developers will also be able to use Siri hardware in their apps. As a first example, it can play music personalized to you in Apple Music. And Siri also works as a DJ now - you can ask her to play "something sad" and she'll put together a list of tracks.
Apple Music is also more socially oriented in iOS 11. You can now follow other users and share your playlists. Yes, that's all Spotify has allowed you to do for a long time, but it's nice to see Apple finally joining in on the fun.
You'll also be able to send and receive money using Apple Pay in the Messages app later this fall. Apple's ARKit support suggests we'll see a whole new batch of augmented reality apps that are years ahead of Pokémon Go. For example, Ikea has already announced an app that will allow you to see exactly how furniture fits in your home. He did a great job of providing furniture in physical spaces using the iPhone 8.
On the navigation side, Apple has also added indoor maps to the Maps app, as well as driving assistance while navigating. Of course, these are features that Google Maps has offered for years on iPhone and Android. iOS 11 can automatically turn on Do Not Disturb mode when it detects you're driving, which is useful for keeping you focused on the road.
(+) Installation for the Do Not Disturb While Driving mode
Driving mode automatically responds to SMS The system has the ability to increase the safety of your movements while driving thanks to the “Do not disturb while driving” setting.
The Do Not Disturb feature has long been known to smartphone users. It allows you to silence notifications, calls and messages when your device is locked. The new feature expands the previously existing capabilities. When it is active, the smartphone recognizes if you are in a moving vehicle. In this case, the device will not display alerts or let calls or SMS through. You can set up an answering machine and tell your interlocutors that you cannot answer right now.
If necessary, you can whitelist certain people so that their calls and messages can go through.
Rebirth of the iPad
If we talk about the iPad, then iOS 11 brings significant changes (but not for my iPad mini 3, alas). Apple has now made a Dock that first debuted in OS X. It replaces the bottom row of shortcuts you used to use on the Home screen. The Dock can be opened not only on the main screen, but also in any application. This makes it easy to switch between shortcuts and app launches.
A longer scroll brings up windows showing all your apps, as well as the Control Center on the right side of the screen. The new Control Center doesn't look as confusing on the larger display as it does on the iPhone.
The Dock opens up a whole new way of multitasking in iOS. You can now drag an app and display it in a tiny window on the side of your screen. Even better, you can drag and drop text and images between them. This is especially useful in the new Files app because you can easily save images and other files from the Internet. If you prefer the old split-screen multitasking code from iOS 9, you'll just need to scroll down on the small window.
Speaking of the Files app, this is a particularly notable update from Apple. Previously, the company was opposed to introducing any kind of file management into iOS. But with Files (which also works on iPhone), you'll have an experience similar to what you'll find on Windows or MacOS. The app helps you connect to third-party storage services such as Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox. Finally, you'll have an easy way to store documents you download from the Internet, as well as share files via email and messages.
Apple has also redesigned the iPad's keyboard to make it more comfortable to use. Instead of pressing the shift key to type numbers and symbols, you can simply scroll through the existing keys to display the special ones. simpols. If you have an Apple Pencil, you can also start taking notes right away by simply tapping on the lock screen. Plus, it's easier than ever to lay out web pages and documents with the stylus—no need to go into a special editing mode.
It's clear that iOS 11 was Apple's biggest attempt to transform a mobile OS into more of a desktop platform. The Dock allows for seamless multitasking, and finally adds decent data management with the Files app. It's hard not to think you're looking at a Mac when you have an iPad running iOS 11 with a keyboard. iOS 11's improvements alone have made using the iPad Pro more bearable, although it's still a long way from what you can do with a full PC. However, the new OS shows that Apple is slowly getting closer to what we need.
(+) Installation for storage management
If you want to be able to manage the internal storage of your iPhone and iPad, there is now a tool for that.
The system provides recommendations for cleaning up disk space. To get them, you need to open the Settings > Storage section.
If you have many unused applications installed, the system may advise you to remove them.
You may also receive recommendations to view large attachments and long text conversations in the Messages app.
All this will make it possible to clean the device as quickly as possible, without the need for detailed monitoring and analysis.
