Apple has come up with a solution to prevent your iPhone from clinging onto
weak WiFi signals.
Having to manually switch to a data connection when your handset has latched
onto a one-bar network is a familiar gripe, but iOS 9's new WiFi Assist feature
solves the problem.
When activated, WiFi Assist allows the iPhone to fall back on cellular data
when an internet connection is poor - whether this is because you're out of
range from your home router or connected to a dodgy public network.
The feature has just appeared in the public beta build of iOS 9 to be tested by
anyone who has opted in, reports 9to5Mac.
The final build of iOS 9 will be distributed in the autumn and come
pre-installed on the upcoming iPhone 6S.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6S alongside a successor to the iPhone
6 Plus at a press conference next month.
iOS 9: Everything you need to know about the new iPhone and iPad software, from
release date to battery life
Apple will update its smartphone and tablet lines later this year, not only
with the likely introductions of the iPhone 6S and iPad Air 3, but with iOS 9,
a new software update set to transform existing iDevices.
Introducing a number of new features, functions and services, the software
patch will offer a variety of enhancements, from an improved Siri experience,
to battery life benefits and revamped multitasking options. Set to be rolled
out in a matter of months, iOS 9 will revitalise iPhone and iPad ownership for
millions of users. Here's what you need to know.
iOS 9 early review: First impressions of the iPhone and iPad beta update
What's new in iOS 9?
Unlike in recent years, the iOS 9 update is more about adding new features than
a new look and feel. The Apple Watch maker has claimed the update will "elevate
the foundations of the platform", addressing everything from search and maps to
in-car options and Android migration.
Many of the new iOS 9 features are about bringing the platform into closer
competition with Google and its Android OS. This is no more true than with
Apple's reworked search offering. Populating your screen with contacts, apps,
news feeds and nearby services, Apple wants to give you instant access to the
most relevant data possible.
Taking things to the next level, it doesn't want you having to search for
information at all where possible. A smarter caller ID system will do all of
the leg work for you, looking through your emails in a bid to pair unattached
numbers to a name you might recognise. This is just the tip of the iOS 9-themed
offering, however.
Notes
Ignored by some, loved by many, Apple's Notes app is set for a sizeable
refresh, becoming more relevant and useful to your daily life.
Gaining access from whatever app you're in, Notes will be about far more than a
simple location to jot down your latest musings, with checklists, category
headings and image, map and URL support all being added. With iCloud backing
also joining the mix, the new Notes app will even let you use your finger to
create handwritten reminders and image annotations - just like a real notebook.
Maps
Once the laughing stock of Apple's app line-up, Apple Maps has moved on from
warped roads, lost locations and bendy buildings. Now a legit challenger to
Google's market-leading free service, it's gaining transit directions in iOS 9.
Throwing public transport into the mix alongside walking and driving-based
navigation, nearby points of interest, including landmarks, restaurants and
cafes will now also be highlighted.
News
One of the biggest new additions to Apple's next software refresh is the
introduction of an all new News platform. The company's latest can't-delete app
is an imitation of sorts of Flipboard or HTC's Sense skin on Android. News will
collate all of the articles you might be interested in, presenting them in one
stylish, easy to access location.
With thousands of leading news creators on board for launch, Apple will package
the written word alongside all manner of high-production image and video
content.
The more you read, the more personalised the service will become, learning your
interests and better attuning the promoted content collection to you.
Wallet
Replacing Passbook, Wallet will be the new one-stop app for all things
payment-based. Apple Pay - the company's contactless mobile payment service due
to launch in the UK later this month - will be managed through the new Wallet
platform, gaining new features courtesy of the latest iOS push.
Joining your banking information in your digital wallet, store cards and reward
cards are also being cloned, living in your handset for more convenient
shopping.
iPad-exclusive iOS 9 features
Introducing something that users of Apple's slates have been requesting for
years, iOS 9 will finally bring split-screen multitasking to the market-leading
tablet line.
Echoing a number of Android slates, the single-screen, multi-programme options
will see users able to have a second app share the screen space equally with
another, or display as a small sidebar. The result - more natural, intuitive
cross-app collaborations and a smoother, quicker working experience.
What's more, FaceTime will no longer be an all or nothing affair, with the
video calling service able to run as a picture-in-picture option while
performing other tasks - such as checking your calendar while on a work call,
or searching for gig tickets while chatting with your beau.
Siri graduates in iOS 9
Forget 0 ÷ 0-themed backchat, Siri is about to become less gobby and more
helpful. iOS 9 will see the voice-activated personal assistant become 40%
faster and far more accurate in its feedback. In true Her fashion, it will soon
understand context too, allowing for a more conversational tone - creepy.
Siri's updates aren't just about polishing the service, though. In a slightly
sinister Google Now fashion, the digital PA will soon be able to pre-empt your
likely requests, surfacing information it thinks will be useful before you've
even asked the questions.
It does this by monitoring your daily activities, picking up on your regular
habits - say, playing music when you get home - and learning when to
second-guess your next move and cut out the middle man.
Gaining the ability to search your image library for people and places, in iOS
9 Siri will also gain the skills required to automatically add events to your
calendar based on details received in email. She's getting smarter.
iOS 9 will make your devices more secure
If, like many, you use the same four-digit code to unlock your iPhone as you do
to get money from a cashpoint, things are about to change. Doing away with
four-figure codes in favour of a new six-digit method, Apple is switching the
number of possible passcodes from 10,000 to a cool million.
This isn't the only way the Cupertino-based company is keeping your data
secure, either. Having pledged not to share your personal information, even
between internal Apple services, the company is also adding dual-factor
authentication for those with multiple Apple products.
iOS 9 will boost your battery life
Draining batteries are the bane of any smartphone owner. Apple is looking to
address this with iOS 9, introducing some clever software tweaks which will
better manage your handset's staying power, all without you noticing the
difference.
Instead of simply throttling the device in order to conserve power, iOS 9 will
use your iPhone and iPad's ambient light and proximity sensors to work out when
the device is face down, preventing the screen from turning on, even when you
receive notifications.
This is just one of a number of battery usage trimmings which will add up to
around an hour's additional use on a single charge, a figure not to be sniffed
at.
What is iOS 9's release date - and is there a beta?
Keeping with tradition - and its annual launch cycles - Apple first debuted iOS
9 during its annual developers' conference back in June, confirming the
software would be rolled out to consumers this Autumn. Although an exact
release date has yet to be announced, it is expected that the patch will launch
in mid-September, in the days leading up to the company's next smartphone
introduction.
Can't wait till the autumn? Well Apple has decided to be kind and give you an
early play. An iOS 9 public beta launched on July 9, providing access to
upcoming features including enhanced Notes support and split-screen
multitasking.
Like the final release, the beta can be used on all manner of devices,
including all iPhones from the iPhone 4S onwards and all but the very first
iPad.
This is the first time Apple has offered a public beta on its iOS software,
having previously limited avid fans to Mac OS X previews.
Is my device iOS 9 compatible?
Unlike when new Android updates drop, Apple is pretty hot in ensuring most
existing smartphone and tablet owners are offered the patch on day one. iOS 9
is no exception, heading to all versions of the iPhone and iPad launched in the
past couple of years.
On the phone front, everything from the iPhone 4S onwards - yes, that includes
your recently purchased iPhone 6, don't worry - will be offered iOS 9 in some
capacity, while all but the original iPad will make the move on the tablet side.
Still clinging on to an iPod touch? Sadly, only the fifth-gen offering will be
making the move to the new OS.
The iOS 9 died Last year, iOS 8 saw Apple's annual software update cause
millions of users to struggle for storage space. Lining up at 4.58GB in size,
the hefty patch forced many to delete apps, photos and files in order to free
up the necessary space.
For 2015 the new iOS update has been trimmed and toned down, requiring just
1.3GB of available space. Hopefully this should do away with storage concerns
for most.
Apple Watch update to add improved Music app and more
Apple Watch will gain a new set of features this autumn when watchOS 2 lands,
and a report has outlined what some of them will be.
A new and improved Music app with a Quick Play option for shuffled playback is
one of the headline features of the update, according to 9to5Mac.
The revamped Music app also displays the volume level indicator and the source
of the audio file on the Now Playing screen.
Post-update users will have the option to keep their Apple Watch display on for
up to 70 seconds, a significant increase on the current 15-second limit.
Many apps will perform better on watchOS 2 as third-party developers have
gained access to the wearable's sensors, particularly beneficial to fitness
software.
Dozens of other features are included in the update - such as native app
support - which will be released as a free download in the coming months.
Apple Watch review: The stylish smartwatch for iPhones in search of a killer app
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you'll have clocked
that Apple's long-awaited smartwatch has at last started shipping to paying
customers. My Apple Watch arrived a week ago, in a box with the dimensions of
two house bricks laid end to end, and since then it's left my wrist only for
its nightly charge.
Typically, after a couple of days of swiping, pressing, tapping and gazing at a
new bit of kit, I'd have reached a conclusion about whether it's the latest
monster hit to emerge from Cupertino, or destined to appeal only to die-hard
Apple completists. But this time, it's different - an all-new category of
product means there are just so many conflicts to resolve. But here's where we
are after seven days...
The Good
a.. Looks stunning
a.. Screen is excellent
a.. There's something very satisfying about using a watch as a phone
The Bad
Needs an iPhone (at least an iPhone 5)
a.. Limited battery life
a.. Where's the Walkie-Talkie, already?
Apple Watch: Design
First, the good news: the Apple Watch is every bit as lovely to look at and
wear as you'd expect from a product made by Apple. While much has been made of
the Beyoncé-troubling £8,000+ Watch Edition model, even the cheapest Sport one
(from £299), with its brushed aluminium chassis and rubberised strap, is a
sight to be seen. The 42mm face I chose (the bigger of the two on offer
alongside a 38mm one) sits neatly on my relatively small wrist, rather than
dwarfing it as I'd feared.
The screen is crisp, colours neither muted nor over-saturated, and detail
resolved very well indeed. The pixel count (390x312) may not be high, but at
this size it's more than adequate. The microphone and tiny speaker on the side
of the Watch are barely noticeable, but more than adequate to allow you to use
Siri as your wrist-based sidekick, plotting map courses, replying to messages
and taking notes. Sadly, the Dick Tracy-style Walkie-Talkie feature promised
last year hasn't made the cut.
On the back of the watch, getting up close and personal with your arm, is a
circular panel - made of plastic on the Sport but ceramic on the more expensive
versions - which hosts an optical sensor to measures the blood flow in your
wrist. Providing you're not too heavily tattooed, it monitors your heart rate
well enough, alongside other sensors including GPS for finding where you are
and an accelerometer to tell if you've fallen over.
Apple Watch: Interface
The slimmed-down operating system is a surprising success, keeping the overall
interface simple by reining in the need for finger taps with the highly
flexible Digital Crown employed to browse options, just as Siri is relied upon
to bark orders rather than type them in. It's a good thing, too, as the home
screen arranges the circular app icons as such that those in the centre are
larger, which certainly looks the part but can lead to mis-taps on the smaller
outliers. 'Glances', the snippets of information in apps that you access by
swiping upwards over a watch face, work well, too, while a plethora of watch
faces can be assigned.
Watch faces are customisable in lots of different ways, depending on your
chosen face, with each displaying Complications, a raft of additional pieces of
information such as the date, a timer, etc, depending on your taste. The faces
range from stylish and clever to plain fun. The Astronomy one, which lets you
monitor the position of the Earth and the phases of the moon, is particularly
fascinating and has a neat trick to boot. Tap the solar system Complication and
you're presented with an image of the planets in relation to the Sun and to
each other at the current time; turn the Digital Crown and you can see their
positions, a sort of two-dimensional digital orrery.
The Friends screen, accessible with a push of the side button from any app, is
another winner, placing up to 12 of your family and anointed pals in a circle
and allowing you to scroll around them using the Digital Crown. You can then
message or call them direct, which is great, although your short, sharp
interactions will make most sense if your friends all have Apple Watches, too.
The camera app lets you control your iPhone's camera remotely, too, which is
rather fun to show off.
Apple Watch: Fitness Features
The Activity glance, which displays how you're performing against preset
targets for activity, standing and exercise, will be a little light on data for
seasoned runners, but it's well-realised, even if the insistent alerts telling
you it's now time to stand up again can be somewhat annoying. You can both hear
and feel those alerts, of course, as the subtle "taptic" (haptic meets tap, see
what they did there?) feedback engine in the Watch vibrates against your wrist
whenever there's new info, such as a right turn or a goal reached. It also
allows you to send beats you tap out on screen, or even your heartbeat, to
another Watch wearer, if that's your thing.
Apple Watch: Battery Life
So that was all the good news - here's where the bad starts to seep in. First,
the obvious one: battery life. Yep, it's a problem - a big one. And while I've
been able to get through every day on one charge, with more than moderate use,
it is another device that has to be charged every night. Also, the battery only
lasts that long because Apple has designed the OS to save as much power as
possible, making the screen go completely dark until you lift your wrist. For
the most part that's OK, but there's a palpable delay on displaying the time
that you just don't get on a physical watch, while eating with one on and
watching the screen appear and disappear every time you lift your fork to your
mouth can be very distracting.
Apple Watch: Apps
Pretty much every other app on my iPhone has been screaming out to be updated
to be compatible with Apple Watch, and there are many interesting ideas
floating around to hit your wrist. There's loads to play with and you'll lose
hours just messing about with what's there.
However, Apple Watch doesn't do any of the heavy lifting work when running
apps, it's all done on an iPhone and the results just displayed on Watch's
screen. This means that you need at least an iPhone 5 to even use the wearable,
and it needs to be paired by Bluetooth in order to do almost anything other
than tell the time. When you fire up an app, there's a palpable delay while a
connection is made, and data transferred back and forth.
The software is limited in other ways, too. Because of the lack of a keyboard,
app features are strictly limited. You can view Calendar events, say, but you
can't create new ones. You can read emails, but can't reply directly to them -
at least not directly. You can ask Siri to send an email or message, or create
a Calendar appointment, but the helpful voice assistant will explain that it
needs to "handoff" to your iPhone to complete the job.
It makes sense, although it's not always the smoothest juncture - it at least
means that when you unlock your iPhone, Siri is waiting for you there, primed
and ready to go, though.
Apple Watch: Price, competition and verdict
While many pitch the Apple Watch against the Pebble and Moto 360, wearables
that have impressed tech early adopters, there's actually more going on here
than that - Apple is trying to establish, and some would say validate, an
entire new category of product for the masses, which is a bit of an ask first
time out of the blocks.
So many people still don't really get smartwatches, and while Apple's Watch has
the inevitable issues of a first-generation product - some crinkles to iron out
in the hardware, killer apps needed - it shows a great deal of promise as a
platform, whether you're paying £299, £479 or in excess of £8,000 for the
pleasure.
But it's still very early days, though - most app developers only got theirs a
week ago, too, and were testing their wares on a simulator before then. The
truth is, we may not know what Apple Watch is really capable of until the
necessity to run apps on an iPhone, rather than directly on Watch, is removed -
and that may be a while yet. For now, though, the Apple Watch is more an
attractive curiosity than a necessity, but a beguiling one all the same that
can be genuinely useful when it finds the right mix of functionality.
Do you need one? Nope, but that's probably reassuring when you'll likely have
to wait to July now to get yours even if you order today. Should you buy one?
Now, that's an altogether different question, and one which, even after a week
of intensive use, I still can't really answer.
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