Last updated September 16th, 2019 at 05:38 pm
iPhone friends: have you updated to iOS 9.0? This update was Apple’s most widely adopted update and there are a ton of great features! There were several GUI (pronounced gooey for you non techies!) updates that I think make it a little more fluid. GUI = Graphical User Interface.
My favorite new feature in iOS 9 involves reminder notifications. I use Siri ALL. THE. TIME. When I’m driving or busy, I will grab my phone and tell Siri to remind me at a certian time to do something. This is my digital to-do list! Prior to the update, if the reminder popped up and you didn’t mark it as complete it would remain on your reminder list but unless you chose to snooze, it wouldn’t pop back up again. Now, the reminders show on your lock screen every time you go back to it until you mark the item as completed or change the time on it.
Multi-tasking has finally come to iPhone! If you are in an app and receive a notification, you can click to go to a different app but it keeps your place on the original. You see this in the top left corner – it will say return to Facebook or whatever app you were on. You no longer have to double click the home button to move between apps when you get a notification.
Speaking of double click, the frequent contact list is no longer shown. When you double click you only see the open applications. I really like the way the open apps are now displayed. Very clean.
The Photos app is constantly changing. I’m a fan of the new Selfies folder and the Screenshots folder that come with iOS 9! The selfies folder is self explanitory (see what I did there?). It puts all the photos taken with the front facing camera into a folder together. The screenshots folder is so peferct because I am constantly scrolling through my Camera Roll to find a certain shot and this puts them all in one place. Siri can also help you find certain photos – just ask it to find photos from XYZ location and it will bring up the collection for you.
I haven’t noticed yet if there is a difference in battery life, but there is a new feature that will help when your battery is low. We’ve all see the Low Battery – 20% of Battery Remaining warning. Now, your phone gives the option to switch into low power mode to conserve the battery. If you haven’t already, snag the Mophie Juice Pack so you won’t have to worry about your phone dying!
The Maps app has been updated to include different categories for nearby locations! You can now search for nearby Food, Shopping, Fun, etc. Access this through the Maps app or the search on the left of the home screen.
Another of my favorite features in iOS 9 involves unknown callers. Now, if someone calls that isn’t saved in your contacts, the phone searches your email for names that might be associated with the phone number calling. If it finds a possible match, it says “Maybe [person’s name]” underneath the phone number on the call screen. This can help you decide to answer or not.
There are several new features I haven’t mentioned, but these are a few of my favorites and ones I think add the most value. As always, make sure you perform a backup before installing any new updates to your phone. Play around with this new update and let me know if you have questions about it!
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