You might have noticed a new update available for your iPhone. Before you download it, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- There have been some reports of the update messing up phones, resulting in trips to the Apple store. That being said, it’s happening to a small minority and usually they are people with older phones. Apple is working on a fix so if you are concerned, maybe wait a week while they iron out the bugs. We were able to download without any issue.
- You want to make sure to have your backups figured out. If you are backing up to a computer, make sure to run a backup before you download the new update so you transfer any purchases, photos, videos, etc. If you’re backing up to iCloud, make sure all your photos and videos have been uploaded before you update.
- It’s always best to wait until you’re at a place with Wi-Fi and that your phone is adequately charged (at least 60%) before you start the upgrade process.
There, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get into what is new with this update!
- There’s a new News app you’ll notice that gets downloaded automatically. The idea behind News is that you don’t have to go looking all over for what’s happening, you can just go to one spot to get your daily news. And, as you use News more often, it will get better at serving up news to you that you care about. It will be interesting to try that one out.
- The Calendar app had some changes as well. It can now add things from your email automatically to your calendar (appointments, flights, etc.) For instance, if you get an email about an upcoming trip, it will add the flight info to your calendar and can even alert you when it’s time to leave to get to the airport on time.
- If you use Notes, you’ll notice some changes as well. Much like Evernote or some other note capturing tool, you’ll notice some similarities. You can capture images, create checklists, doodle things, etc. You can even save pictures or emailed attachments to a Note. From within apps you can share to your Notes as well. I would say it’s become more of a notebook than just a simple notepad. Pretty cool.
- If you use Maps, you’ll notice a much stronger showing. The war is still on between Google Maps and Apple Maps. It will be interesting to see if this update brings the battle any closer.
- For those on an iPad, there are some new multi-tasking features that should make using multiple apps at the same time a bit easier with picture in picture and a split view option. There have also been some changes you’ll notice when switching between apps on your iPhone. Pretty neat experience actually.
- Siri got smarter as well. You can enable “Hey Siri” so whenever you say that, it will then activate Siri (without having to hold down the Home button).
- One major benefit that is being touted is an additional hour of battery time. Will definitely be interesting to try that out.
Enjoy!
