Apple iOS 6 explained – the best new features
What is iOS 6?
iOS 6 is the latest version of the Apple iPhone and iPad operating system – the software they run on. It adds several new features, including a new maps app that includes turn-by-turn navigation, Facebook integration and several other smaller improvements.
When can I download it?
iOS 6 will be available for download on September 19, just ahead of the iPhone 5 launched on the 21st.
Will my Apple device support it?
The new operating system will be supported by the iPhone 3GS and later models, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPad 2 and the new iPad.
What are the key features?
There are lots of new features in iOS 6 – some are very big and some very minor. Below are the top 5 best iOS 6 features, starting with one particularly important one…
1. New Maps app
Up to now the Maps app on iPhones and iPads has been provided by Google, but in iOS 6 Apple has dropped Google in favour of its own maps specially developed maps app.
This provides vector-based maps, which means you can zoom in without losing detail and smoothly pan through maps. It also has turn-by-turn navigation like a sat nav and can present a 3D view in major urban areas. The app can keep track of traffic and will offer a new route if an accident or roadworks means it will be faster.
This will put it in direct competition with sat nav apps such as the AA satnav app and Co-pilot live. See our satnav app reviews to see how they perform and compare with dedicated satnavs.
Major cities can also be viewed from the air with flyover, which presents a photo-realistic 3D view of the area which can then be rotated and tilted to give you the view you want.
Flyover gives 3D maps of major cities
2. Improved Siri and now on the iPad
Siri, Apple’s ‘smart’ voice recognition system, is finally coming to the iPad – or at least the iPad 3 anyway. Apple has added functionality to allow users to search for sports, movie and restaurant information – although until it launches we won’t know how ‘optimised’ it is for the UK.
New features such as being able to find restaurants by cuisine or outdoor seating should be useful – probably more so in California for outdoor seating – but like previous versions of Siri may be US only. One new feature that should definitely make it to the UK version is the ability to launch apps using Siri.
Some new features may not work in the UK
3. Integrated Facebook
Like Twitter before it, Apple has integrated Facebook into the operating system so it will be easier to share photos and videos with your friends and post updates directly from any any app. Contacts and calendar information will be synced so events will automatically show up on your calendar and you will also be able to see who has liked apps, movies and songs on iTunes.
Facebook events will show up in your calendar
4. Facetime over the mobile networks
Apple has removed the wi-fi only restriction on its video calling app, Facetime, letting users make video calls over the mobile network – as long as their network lets them anyway. There’s no information yet on whether this will be available on any of the UK networks, but if it is introduced it’s worth bearing in mind that it may use a lot of your data allowance and cost you a lot to use.
Users can now video call over mobile networks
5. New Passbook app
Passbook is a new app designed to give you a single place to go to find things like vouchers and boarding passes. It is also time and location based, so if you arrive at the airport at the right time it will present a link to your boarding pass on your lock screen so you can quickly get the barcode to hand for the staff to scan.
You can keep your vouchers and tickets in one place
What else is new?
But Apple wouldn’t be happy with just five new features so what else is new? Shared Photo Streams gives users the ability to share specific photos or albums through iCloud. You just select the photos and then choose who you want to share them with and they will receive a notification. Users can then add comments to photos and view them on any iCloud connected device.
Apple has made some improvements to the everyday experience of using your phone with the ability to reply to a phone call with a message rather than picking up a call. Set messages such as ‘I’ll call later’, ‘I’m on my way’ and ‘What’s up?’ are included to speed up the process – or if you’re too pressed to even reply with a template message you can choose for it to remind you to call them back later, either in 1 hour, when you leave your current location or when you get home.
Do not disturb is a new feature that allows you to stop all notifications and call alerts during a set period. You can also set it to only allow a certain group of people to call you so you won’t miss anything important from friends or family.
Apple has given its Mail application an overdue overhaul with an improved interface and addition of a VIP inbox to make sure you don’t miss emails from the most important people in your life. There is also a faster way of adding photos or videos to emails.
The Safari web browser has been improved with the introduction of full screen browsing and iCloud Tabs so you can pick up your web browsing in the same place on a different product. Reading List now also saves entire web pages rather than just links so you can read a page later even if you don’t have signal.
Guided Access allows you to restrict a device to a single app or to turn off areas of a screen for use by children. Apple has also expanded the VoiceOver tool to work with the Maps, Assistive Touch and Zoom features to help blind or partially sighted users.
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Dale
I think the accessibility features that are being added are taking mobiles to anew level, and the hearing aid announcement is ground breaking.
Brian
Where is the announcement re hearing aids?
Ben Stevens
I like the look of the Do Not Disturb feature. I often keep my phone on silent and the flashing LED for alerts is bright enough for me to see even when the phone’s in my pocket. But it’s also bright enough to wake me up when I get an Words with Friends alert in the middle of the night when someone in another time zone has played their move.
Kenny
I too like the look of Do Not Disturb. I’ve been habitually placing my iPhone on Airplane Mode at night, so clearly Apple have caught on to this kind of habit. The increased privacy controls look good also. I’m enjoying exploring the Facebook integration (appears very similar to Android), alongside further API integration in the SDK (particularly PassKit).
Regarding Siri, it seems functionality for UK users has greatly improved. Because Apple has linked up with new third party content providers (beyond Wolfram Alpha) such as Yelp.com and TomTom, Siri is able to direct me to nearby pubs, restaurants and shops. Even speaking the sole (and somewhat random) word ‘toast’, Siri was able to produce nearby restaurants featuring the word ‘toast’ in descriptions or reviews. Because of the new maps service, Siri can finally tell me where I am and give me directions (and traffic information) to aforementioned shops (or anywhere else, for that matter).
I have little interest in sports, but thought I’d ask the odd football question. Siri asked me which ‘league’ I was interested in: College or NFL. I haven’t the slightest interest in football, but even I know Siri is talking about American Football. Some work here may well be needed, but we’re only at the first beta stage.
Siri appears unable to give movie showtimes outside the USA at the moment. I have a feeling more content providers will be joining the party to support movie showtimes (among other things) in other countries. Why do I suspect this? Apple has expanded Siri language support to include more languages and there are also various improvements for Chinese users (including inbuilt support for various Chinese internet services such as Baidu [a Chinese language search engine]). It would thus appear Apple is broadening its horizons and moving for greater International compatibility. So far so good.
There are certainly a lot of interesting features for developers to explore. The Pass Kit (for Passbook) looks exciting. There are already Airlines, etc with their own iOS Apps and I imagine Passbook will be very attractive to both developers and consumers alike. This is just the start (beta 1) and I’m already impressed.
Rob
I want to know that when ios 6 release….coz i am waiting i saw the features of ios 6 its incredible
Mark Allan
I was looking forward to the turn-by-turn navigation, but apparently it’s only going to be available on the 4S, which is rather disappointing :(
John W
I’ve been impressed by, and using, Apple products for many years now. But I am truly disappointed with iOS6. How useful are these new features?
Maps. Who provides the maps is of no interest whatsoever. The maps now have sat-nav capabilities. Capabilities that are already available through third party apps. And flyover is a gimmick; the novelty will wear off after 15 minutes.
Siri. Apart from it being US-centric, who really wants it? I’ve never used it, and I don’t know anyone whose imagination is inspired by it. It’s a very clever technological solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Facebook. My eldest daughter will often be found glued to Facebook. But each and every one of my other friends and family uses it rarely if at all.
FaceTime. I’m a child of the fifties. It was de rigeur in science fiction for the hero to have some sort of communicator that acted as a videophone. Funnily enough even 50 years later, with the technology readily available, no-one cares.
Passbook. This could have been useful to me when I did a lot of business travel. But I can also see many potential problems, each one of which would prevent the system from working.
Photo streams. No thanks. I like to edit/vet my photos before sharing.
“reply to a phone call with a message’. More than half of those who ring me do so from a landline….
Do not disturb.. …was on fairly basic Nokia phones 15 years ago. I and all my work colleagues used it extensively. And it was FAR more flexible and useful than Apple’s current offering.
Mail. Minor cosmetic improvements.
Safari. Trivial improvements.
Guided access. Sounds useful.
Mark
So don’t buy it!
Toby
Why is Which? trumpeting iOS6 when I didn’t see an equivalent article on ICS, the latest Android OS (v4)? I’m not trying to start a flame war here, but some of these new features, like turn-by-turn navigation, have been on Android for ages, and not just for the most powerful phones either (Nov 2009 on OS v1.6, see http://the-gadgeteer.com/2009/11/23/android-1-6-gets-turn-by-turn-navigation/).
And by including the words “The world’s most advanced mobile operating system” on this page Which? is endorsing this viewpoint, which in fact is just Apple’s advertising.
I look to Which? for impartial advice, and I think it’s falling flat here.
arther2
Have to agree,
A comparison comment /table of which features are new to all systems (genuinely innovative) and which are merely catchup to Android (or even symbian/pre-OS phones – nokia maps etc) would be good.
And given that Apple misleadingly/likes to claim their iOS is in use on all its phones cf android ‘upgrades’ yet actually just cuts down the features on older devices, unlike Android where the OS version defines the features set more directly.
A table showing feature v IOS6.[apple device support] and [android OS version ]
would be a fair comparison.
Like Siri, apple do have genuine innovation (even if of dubious long term value), again highlighting the above acknowledged issue of US centric feature focus.
Skype video has worked for a long time, and over 3G (at least on THREE’s all you can eat plan) on the iPhone – and is device agnostic, so facetime again in catchup mode and as it is limited to apple devices, good for apple but not all users – like imessage.
In any other product review, those limitations would be listed under CONS ?
So yes, good to have a a quick look of the new IOS, (and android releases when they come) but a comparison of where it is in the market place would be more useful. Many people struggle to compare the two independant of being pro or anti the apple eco system. (which as no android device can use it, any device using it can hardly be a copy ? facetime on android anyone ? – OK,sidetracked argument ;) )
Morag
Apple push updates out direct to users and new versions are compatible with a variety of previous models of iPhones, iPads and iPods. That means a huge percentage of the current market will have iOS6 and are interested in hearing about it. Android users have to wait for the manufacturers and networks to interfere with new versions before they finally get them (if at all) which means most people won’t ever update the phone they currently have. Only 7% of Android phones have ice cream sandwich and it’s about to be obsolete (jellybean is out this year). Android manufacturers just want you to buy a new phone. TBH, as an Apple user, I find Which? heavily biased in favour of Windows so it’s refreshing to see an Apple software review.
Toby
@Morag
“…a huge percentage of the current market will have iOS6 and are interested in hearing about it.”
Yes I agree, however I don’t think Which? should be the publication to list new features – there are other publications & websites that do that. I think there’s a trend within Which? to simply report what’s new about a product – they do it with cars, teapots etc etc, and I don’t like it. I expect Which? to report cons as well as pros, and to compare products, which they didn’t do here.
“…most (Android users) won’t ever update the phone they currently have.”
Yes I agree, but that’s irrelevant to my argument that Which? should give impartial advice, not just give a list of features.
“Only 7% of Android phones have ice cream sandwich”
In which case, a comparison of what iOS6 features will be available on which devices, and a comparison to both ICS and previous Android OSes would seem to be in order. That would enable people to decide whether they want to upgrade their Apple or Android device, or change system.
“(ICS) is about to be obsolete (jellybean is out this year).”
No phones will stop working, however I get your point that not all phones will have the latest Android OS. It’s the same for Apple devices, although the % of devices that will get an upgrade is much, much higher. It’s definitely a “con” on the pros and cons list for Android. Unless you’re a techie like me who ‘roots’ their phone and installs updated ROMS (eg CyanogenMod), which I agree isn’t for everyone.
“Android manufacturers just want you to buy a new phone.”
Yes I agree, but that’s not really relevant to my argument that Which? should compare OSes.
“TBH, as an Apple user, I find Which? heavily biased in favour of Windows so it’s refreshing to see an Apple software review.”
Well, fine, but also not really relevant to my argument.
Just to make it clear, I think the iPhone is great and suits people who want something smooth that just works, whereas Androids tend to cater for those who want to fiddle more. Each have advantages and disadvantages, and that’s what, I think, Which? should be highlighting.
Also, to be clear, my beef is with Which? for not doing a proper comparison of OSes (Apple, Android and Windows), rather than with any particular OS.
Toby
There’s an interesting graphic of how Android phones slip away from having the latest version here: http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
Paul
Is there a price attached to the new software?
Kenny
The update is expected to be free of charge, when it is released in the Autumn.
lukerow
I think the new Passbook app is going to be game changing… watch this space!
Amir
Will the new iOS6 have you tube or anything equivalent?
Ben Stevens
Updating to iOS 6 removes the integrated YouTube app, so you’ll have to download the newly redesigned one, which I’m not too keen on at present. It may grow on me.