What to Expect From iOS9 at WWDC 2015

WWDC 2015 is here soon and so we’ve decided to talk to you about what we expect from iOS9. iOS over the past couple of years has garnered a negative reputation for having a few more bugs and problems with it than customers are used to with their iDevices. This is in part to the incredible performance reputation the initial iOS garnered but also the update to iOS7 resulted in poor performance over a flatter and more contemporary design.

Therefore, we expect to see lesser features in this update of iOS and more of a general sweep of improvements of the iOS including getting the frame rate back up, lessening force closes, improving performance on older devices and more. However, with a whole OS update, we definitely expect to see a few new features for your iDevices to get excited about.

Summer Cleaning

As we mentioned, we expect the update to come with some major cleaning of the OS as a general. Over the past couple of years, iOS has received some negative press as a result of updating the UI to be contemporary and arguably forgetting to optimise the software for the devices that Apple released alongside it. With the new Apple iPad’s incredible levels of processing and graphical power, to see any hiccups when navigating the OS is absurd. Especially when we are starting to see Google work hard on optimising Android to work at 60 frames per seconds, have great animations, transitions and UI all in one. iOS has a reputation to keep up and we have no doubt that Apple will have had this reputation at the forefront of their minds when building iOS9.

Customizable Lock Screen

This sounds a lot unlike Apple, however with the introduction of the Apple Watch, we saw a great feature that allowed you to customise your watch face to include weather details, different clocks and more. Therefore, it’s not too far of an expectation to see something similar to this happen with iOS9 for your iPad and iPhone devices.

The ability to go into the lock-screen setting and potentially add on a few widgets and their placement is something that we expect quite a few people would enjoy. Imagine unlocking your iDevice and being able to see your steps taken or your calories burnt of the current weather information in the top right, left or below the time without having to go into the relevant information.

Split-Screen Multitasking

This is something that has been rumoured for a little while now. With more RAM being brought into the newer iPad and the new iPhones having larger and larger screens, there’s been some speculation as to whether Apple may try and implement some form of split-screen allowances in their OS. Android has seen great success with this from LG and Samsung on their phones, making the feature easy to use and useful for a few tasks.

However, the ability to use split-screen apps on an iPad would take real advantage of the big screen size and of the more amount of RAM. If optimisations are to come in iOS9 then the ability to run multiple applications at once with good performance (especially on the latest hardware) isn’t beyond a reasonable doubt.

An Answer To Google Now

Without a doubt, one of ANdroid’s highlight features over the past few years has been the introduction of the incredible Google Now. For those of you who don’t know, Google Now is a single screen that requests some permissions to track your search terms and search your email details to bring you information that is relevant to you. Rumours have circulated that Apple are looking to build something in similar based on your Siri search terms and Safari search terms.

Rumours have circulated that Apple are looking to build something in similar based on your Siri search terms and Safari search terms. Initial problems arise that not even half the people use Safari as many as use Chrome (it synchronises across desktop and mobile devices) and also Siri isn’t everyone’s favourite feature either. However, if we were to see implementation with all search engines and an improved Siri of some sort, this could work out quite well.

Updated and Improved Maps

Finally, we may see an improved Maps experience on iOS devices. Maps have been the biggest controversy for Apple in a decade, causing one of the biggest names at the huge tech company to quit out of embarrassment of the product. The release saw a poor user experience, directions being wrong and the app being difficult to use. With some updates, Maps is better. But Maps is still not Google Maps (the biggest maps service on the planet) and therefore Apple aren’t happy with the product.

Apparently, Apple will be releasing an improved Maps service that includes transit directions, improved directions, in general, a faster experience and in general just a Maps application that warrants the Apple name. Without a doubt, Maps isn’t a popular app for iOS devices and Apple is thinking cleverly to try and improve it. We will see just how much.