iOS 9 Updates and Features — What You Need to Know

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If you have an iPhone or iPad, good news. The latest update for your device, iOS 9, is now available to give your device new features and maybe even extend its battery life. iOS 9 was released Wednesday as a free update that could make your current device feel like a new one.

iOS is the operating system software that runs on mobile devices made by Apple. Each fall for the past few years Apple has released a new version of iOS that adds new features to its mobile devices. This year Apple released iOS 9 that promises both improvements and battery-saving options.

[note]Downloading iOS 9 during the first few days it’s available may be slow due to overloaded servers. If your time to download is long, try waiting a few days to update to iOS 9.

=> Also be sure to back up your device before updating. [/note]

New Features of iOS 9

iOS 9 brings new features to your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Apps

News App

Apple is launching a News app for you to find interesting articles all in one place. Since June, when the News app was announced, Apple has been signing up publishers to deliver articles via the News app. You can choose interests, such as business, sports, technology and fashion, as well as publications such as The New York Times, ESPN, Time magazine and CNN.

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The News app will gather stories and deliver them to you, complete with images, so you don’t have to open multiple apps from different sources. You can share articles with others and save them to read later. You can read saved articles even when you’re not connected to the Internet.

Notes App

Apple’s Notes app has been improved to make note-taking easier and more powerful. You can add check lists, maps, photos and links to your notes. Handwriting and drawings can also be added to notes in the updated Notes app.

Maps App

With iOS 9, Apple’s Maps app includes directions for taking public transportation in certain cities. You can see schedules for subways, buses, trains, and ferries.  You can ask Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, for directions.

Cities with public transit information in Apple Maps:

• Baltimore, MD, US
• Chicago, IL, US
• China (30 cities)
• London, England
• Mexico City, Mexico
• New York City, NY, US
• Philadelphia, PA, US
• San Francisco, CA, US
• Toronto, Canada
• Washington, DC, US

In China and the US, Apple Maps gets a Nearby feature that shows you what places are near to you. You can see restaurants, grocery stores, cafés, bakeries, desserts and popular places.

Check the Apple website for more information about availability of Apple Map features in different countries: Apple Map Features by Country in iOS 9

New iPad Views

iOS 9 makes good use of the larger iPad screen, now allowing you to do two things at once. Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture let your iPad do double duty.

Slide Over opens a window on the side of your screen that shows apps such as Messages and Email. You can check for texts, surf the Web, or add a Note without leaving the app you’re in.

Split View lets you open two windows side by side on your iPad screen.

Picture in Picture lets you watch a video or make a FaceTime call in a small window on top of another app.

Siri Gets Smarter

iOS 9 gives added power to your voice with more features in Siri. Now you can ask Siri to find photos based on place names, dates or album titles: “Siri, find me photos of Alaska from 2013.”

You can ask Siri to remind you of something at a certain time or when you arrive at a place. Siri will also show you which apps you used recently and can search within those apps.

Siri can be totally hands-free now. Just say, “Hey, Siri” and ask your question. No need to press and hold the Home button to activate Siri. You can turn off Hey Siri in Settings if you don’t like this new feature.

Smaller But Stronger

iOS 9 promises longer battery life for your device, up to an hour between charges. Your device will keep the screen turned off when it’s face-down on a surface to save power. A new Low Power mode will try to make your battery last as long as possible before you can get to a power supply. iOS 9 makes better use of hardware so your device should run faster and more smoothly.

You will have more storage space on your device after you update to iOS 9. Last year, iOS 8 took up 4.58 GB of space, forcing many people to delete photos, songs and apps to make room for the update. This year, iOS 9 uses only 1.3 GB of space, freeing up 3.28 GB of space for you to use as you wish.

Availability

In past years the release of a new operating system meant that older models of Apple products became obsolete. If you were hanging on to an older device, you probably waited anxiously to learn whether that device would be included in the update.

This year Apple has not made any older devices obsolete with iOS 9. If your mobile device could be updates to iOS 8, then it can update to iOS 9. You can’t use iOS 9 as an excuse to upgrade to a new device, it runs on all devices compatible with iOS 8.

Although the Apple Watch was supposed to get an update to its operating system with Watch OS 2 at the same time as iOS 9 was released, the Watch update has been postponed. Apple detected a last minute bug in Watch OS 2 and will release the update at a later time.

Your Thoughts

Which new features of iOS 9 are the most exciting for you? Are there any features that you wish would come to Apple devices? Have you updated to iOS 9 yet? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Voice of America

If English isn’t your first language, you may want to check out my article at the Voice of America Learning English website:

Longer Battery Life Among Apple iOS9 Updates

That article includes a podcast of me reading the article so people can learn how to pronounce words in American English.