Apple Announces iOS 10, Opens Siri, Maps and Messages to Developers

Apple has announced iOS 10, the next major software update for the iPhone and iPad at the WWDC 2016. This is the biggest release ever, bringing animations, stickers and more to Messages, ability for Siri to do more by working with apps, redesigned Maps, Photos, Apple Music and News apps, and the Home app that lets you manage home automation products in one place. The iOS 10 SDK includes new APIs and services that enable new categories of apps and features. Apps can now extend to Messages, Siri, Phone, and Maps to provide more engaging functionality.

Features of iOS 10 :

• Messages: Animations, such as balloons, confetti or fireworks, invisible ink to send a message only revealed after a friend swipes over it, handwritten notes, Automatic suggestions to replace words with emoji, Tapback creates a quick and simple way to respond with just a tap, send fireballs, heartbeats, sketches, and more or even draw over videos. Rich links let you see content inline and play media without ever leaving your conversation. Share content, add stickers, make payments, and more, without leaving Messages
• Messages now open to developers: New App Store to make developer’s apps available for download directly from the App Store for iMessage and create sticker packs for purchase. iMessage Apps to enable users have easy access to apps without having to leave Messages. They can conveniently share content, edit photos, play games, send payments, and collaborate with friends within a custom interface that you design.
• Siri Opens to Developers: SiriKit enables iOS 10 apps to work with Siri, so users can get things done with your content and services using just their voice. In addition to extending Siri’s support for messaging, photo search and phone calls to more apps, SiriKit also adds support for new services, including ride booking and personal payments such as asking Siri to book a ride through Lyft, or send money to someone with Square
• Redesigned Maps now open to developers: Beautiful redesign that makes it even simpler and more intuitive to use. Now open to developers with new extensions, apps like OpenTable can integrate bookings right into Maps, and services like Uber and Lyft can make it easier for users to book a ride, without ever leaving the Maps app. Can make proactive suggestions for where you’re likely to go and the fastest way to get there and see what’s around the corner and easily find the closest places for gas, food, or coffee.
• Photos: Helps you rediscover favorite and forgotten occasions from your photo library by automatically surfacing them in Memories. Memories scans all your photos and videos and finds favorite and forgotten events, trips and people, and presents them in a beautiful collection. A Memory also contains the Memory Movie, an automatically edited movie with theme music, titles and cinematic transitions. Memories uses advanced computer vision to group the people, places and things inside your images into albums with on-device facial, object and scene recognition.
• Home App for Simpler Home Automation: The new Home app deeply integrated into iOS lets you turn on lights, unlock doors, and even raise your window shades — all at once if you like. Accessories can be managed individually or grouped into scenes so they work together with a single command and can be controlled by using Siri.
• HomeKit: Brings support for thermostats, lights, window shades, door locks, video cameras and more to the Home app.
• Redesigned Apple Music & News: The simple, intuitive design makes it even easier to enjoy your favorite songs. You can also view the lyrics while you’re listening to them. Easily find the stories that matter to you most, in distinct sections of the beautifully redesigned News app.
• iOS Experience: Raise to Wake automatically wakes the screen as you raise your iPhone, making it easier to view all your notifications at a glance, right from the Lock screen. Notifications, Today view and Control Center are accessible with just a swipe or a press, and deeper 3D Touch integration with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus makes interacting with apps even easier.
• Phone: Integration for third-party VoIP calls, voicemail transcription and a new caller ID extension for spam alerts.
• QuickType features: Contextual predictions to surface relevant information based on location, calendar availability or contacts; and predictive typing supports multiple languages without switching keyboards
• Built-in app updates: Safari split-view for iPad, Notes collaboration and Live Photos editing.
• Apple Pay: Can now be used to make easy, secure and private purchases on participating websites using Safari, in addition to paying in-stores and within apps.
• Multilingual typing: Now you can type in two languages at the same time without having to switch between keyboards.
• Privacy in iOS 10: Software and services like iMessage, FaceTime and HomeKit use end-to-end encryption. On-device intelligence lets it identify the people, objects and scenes in Photos, and power QuickType suggestions. Differential Privacy to help discover the usage patterns of a large number of users without compromising individual privacy.

iOS 10 Developer preview is now available to iOS Developer Program members starting today, public beta program will be available to iOS users in July and will be available this fall for iPhone 5 and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 4th generation, iPad mini 2 and later, and iPod touch 6th generation.

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