On the other hand, iOS 9 and iOS 8.4 also take on challenging third-party developers who currently offer apps in 5 thriving app store categories. Many developers behind the apps in these categories are venture-backed and now Apple has become their competitor.
Here are the 5 categories that will be deeply impacted by iOS 9 and iOS 8.4.
Apple Music will be available on June 30 as a part of iOS 8.4 update. The revamped music app on iOS will feature Apple’s latest music streaming service. There are three parts to the new service from Apple.
The service will be priced at $9.99 per month and $14.99 per month for family plan.
Apple Music will directly compete with streaming giants like Spotify, SoundCloud, Rdio, iHeart Radio, Pandora Radio, TuneIn Radio, and even Vevo to name a few.
iOS 9 will replace Newsstand with all new Apple News app. It allows publishers to create unique experiences by providing engaging content with brilliant typography, animated objects, transitions and more.
Users will be able to find articles and stories relevant to their interest, bookmark and view recommended content. The new app will support iAd advertising for publishers.
News app in iOS 9 will directly compete with Flipboard.
In iOS 9 Apple is going after productivity apps that let you take rich notes with the all new Notes app.
The updated app allows you to add photos, scribble on your note, insert checklists, embed links and maps. It also has a new Attachments Browser that “organizes all the items attached to your notes in one simple view, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.”
It will also support a share extension so that you can take notes within apps like Safari, Maps, and many more.
Notes in iOS 9 will compete with Evernote, Google News, Feedly, and many more.
Apple has been working on transit direction for iOS since a long time. The company is now ready to launch its own transit directions in iOS 9 Maps app. It will feature public transit information with routes and directions.
Since the Maps app works on both iOS and OS X, you’ll be able to plan your trip on the Mac and follow in on the way on your iPhone or iPad. It’s worth noting that Transit will be available only in select cities in the US for the time being,
The new Maps app in iOS 9 with transit information will compete with Moovit.
Apple announced its Health app as a part of iOS 8 last year. In iOS 9 the Health is receiving an update to track “Sexual Activity”. In the updated Health app users will be able to record the date and time you had sex and whether you used contraception or not.
With a special focus on women, the Health app will now be able to track menstrual cycles and help in monitoring physical changes.
This update will now put many third-party apps on alert. Some of the apps that help in tracking mensural cycles include Glow, Ovia Fertility, Clue and many more.
{via CB Insights}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ios-9-takes-challenging-5-thriving-app-store-categories/feed/ 0When the Apple Watch was launched it supported third-party apps however, those could only work as long as you were connected to your iPhone. watchOS 2 will now bring native apps to the Apple Watch along with many other refinements, performance improvements and features.
watchOS 2 includes 3 new types of watch faces: Photo, Photo Album and Time-lapse. With the new update even App Store developers will be able to add support for complications.
Time Travel allows you to turn the Digital Crown to view complications (events, weather, car charge etc.) as it would change in future or see how it was in the past.
All new Nightstand mode is a very handy feature which is activated when you charge your Apple Watch. The display comes illuminates when you touch the screen, digital crown or the side button. You can even turn off the alarm by pressing the side button or press the Digital Crown to snooze.
Native apps on Apple Watch will bring better performance and even more capabilities. Third-party developers will now be able to use the taptic engine, digital crown, accelerometer, heart rate sensor, speaker and microphone to create unique experiences.
Apple’s built-in apps have also been updated in watchOS 2. Mail app can now be used to reply to emails by either dictating, sending an emoji or selecting relevant preset replies.
With the new update adding more friends has become easier. The Apple Watch now allows you to add multiple Friends screens, each of which can hold upto 12 contacts.
Sending hand-drawn messages to friends who also have an Apple Watch has become more colourful. The new update makes it possible to use different colors to sketch your message.
Just like in iOS 9 Maps app received new transit feature, watchOS 2 also includes Transit navigation. Apple Pay on Apple Watch has gained support for loyalty and reward cards.
Lastly, Apple has brought activation lock to the Apple Watch. In order to activate your watch in case it gets lost or stolen the watch will prompt you to enter your iCloud Apple ID and password.
watchOS 2 brings many new features to the Apple Watch. Some of the biggest enhancements include native apps, third-party complications, and activation lock. The update will be available for free for all Apple Watch users this fall.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/watchos-2-brings-native-apps-features-improved-security/feed/ 0Just like most Apple products, Apple Music isn’t the first of its kind in the market. Apps like Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio and many more have been dominating the music streaming market.
Jimmy Iovine took the stage for the first time as an Apple employee during the WWDC keynote event and shared details about Apple’s upcoming music streaming service. Apple Music will allow users to stream unlimited music, offer 24×7 global radio station and include social media integration for artists to connect with their fans.
Apple Music will recommend songs based on the music you own and offer hand-picked playlists that match your taste in music. This will allow users to discover great tracks that otherwise could go undiscovered.
Beats 1 will be integrated into the default Music app on iOS 9 and will mark Apple’s entry into the world of radio stations as it will offer a global 24×7 channel for the latest music, interviews and culture.
Another feature as a part of the new music streaming service is Connect. It’s where artists will be able to share unreleased demo tracks, acoustic version of the latest hit, video shot in the studio and much more.
Apple Music will be publicly available on June 30 on iOS and Android. The service will offer a generous three-month trial and post that it will cost $9.99 a month for an individual user and $14.99 a month for family plan.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-music-ondemand-streaming-service-june-30/feed/ 0Apple is improving built-in apps that iOS already has and even bringing new default apps to iOS 9. Every-time the company expands functionality of some of its existing apps or introduces new apps it tends to disrupt the business of some of the third-party apps.
In iOS 9 Apple is all set to introduce News which will bring personalised news stories based on the type of articles you read and the topics you are interested in. Sounds a bit like Flipboard right? Apple will be releasing special set of tools to enable publishers to create content for the News app. This content will include immersive design, interactivity and beautiful typography.
These special print style layouts would be great for editorial and in-dept articles.
The Notes app in iOS 9 is getting a lot of love from Apple. The updated app will allow you to do more than just note taking. It now includes creating a checklist, adding photo, map or a URL to your note. Another addition to the app is the ability to sketch with your finger.
I use Notes app a lot and even though my devices have many third-party apps I’ve always gone back to the default Notes app in iOS. These new features would certainly make Apple’s Notes app a whole lot powerful and iCloud syncing will support all these features between OS X and iOS.
Ever since Apple and Google’s maps licensing ended, the company has been hard at work to improve its mapping solution. Apple Maps were initially criticised for inaccuracies and limited features. In iOS 9 Apple is bringing Transit vier with routes and directors. The new maps app will also include Nearby search to find local businesses from categories such as Food, Shopping, Fun, and more.
Passbook has been renamed to Wallet app in iOS 9. It will not just store credit cards you use but also include reward and loyalty cards. You will be able to use Apple Pay to redeem rewards or apply offer.
Apple has pulled the cord from CarPlay for the new cars that support wireless connection to your iPhone. You can have your iPhone in the pocket never take it out and still access CarPlay. The updated app will also support apps developed by car manufactures so that you can use the car’s features without leaving CarPlay.
With iOS 9 Apple has taken multi-tasking on the iPad to a whole new level. The upcoming software update will support slide over, split view and picture in picture which will utilise the true potential of the iPad. Apple has also improved the QuickType feature introduced in iOS 8.
Slide Over allows you to quickly take action in another app without ever leaving the first one. Split View allows you to have work in two apps simultaneously. Picture in Picture takes any video content and floats in on the screen when you press the home button.
Selecting text, copying and pasting while these tasks have been very easy to do on iOS. However, for getting some serious work done receptively selecting text, copying and pasting involves constantly lifting your finger from the keyboard the tap and hold on the screen to have controls appear on the screen. All this is changing with iOS 9. Two finger tap on the new keyboard in iOS 9 for iPad transforms it into a trackpad allowing you to move the cursor and then use dedicated keys for cut, copy, paste, text formatting and adding attachments.
Siri received a major upgrade in iOS 8 and now with iOS 9 it is getting much better. Apple is allowing Siri to search built-in apps to source answers, deliver results faster and even offering suggestions proactively.
Siri can now offer you quick access to different apps depending on the time of the day and your location. It can automatically create events when it detects invitations in an email and much more.
Apple has made a number of under-the-hood refinements to iOS 9 to make its performance faster and even improve battery life.
One of the biggest hurdles in users upgrading to iOS 8 was the amount of free space the software requested for over-the-air update. In iOS 9 Apple has reduced it by more than 70%. A new developer API called App Thinness will allow the App Store to download assets for the app that match the users screen density.
Security has also been improved in the OS. The devices will now require a six-digit passcode. Two-factor authentication will be required when you sign in from anew browser or on a new device.
iOS 9 brings many features that will enhance users productivity in performing day to day tasks. Intelligence and improved multitasking are certainly some of the best new features in iOS 9.
The public beta will be available in July followed by final release this Fall.
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