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Apple iOS 11 for iOS
Editors' Review
Apple iOS 11 is one of Apple's most exciting updates yet, bringing a new Files app, exciting Photos effects, a redesigned App Store, and a smarter Siri. Note: iOS 11 is available for iPhone 5s and later; iPad mini 2, iPad 5th generation, iPad Air, iPad Pro and later; and iPod touch 6th generation.
Pros
Files app: Files become even more accessible with the addition of a native Files app. Just open the app to view your recent files. Switch tabs to Browse and then easily search files stored on your device, on iCloud Drive, or in other services, such as Dropbox.
Live Photos Effects: Who needs Vine and Boomerang, when Photos now enables you to create loops, bounces, and live exposures out of your Live Photos? Photos' cool new photo filters might just give Instagram a run for its money.
Redesigned App Store: The new App Store is a wonder to behold. The Today tab puts the latest releases and all-time favorites in context via tips, how-to guides, and developer interviews. Influencers will also recommend their favorite apps here. Gamers will love the dedicated Games tab. If you still have trouble deciding which games or apps to download, then the new product pages should help, with more screenshots and videos and easier to find ratings and reviews.
Upgraded Notes: If you have an Apple Pencil, then you can now spare yourself the extra steps of unlocking your screen and tapping on the Notes app to begin the note-taking process. Going forward, just tap your iPad with the Apple Pencil to get going. The new Document Camera makes document scanning easier than ever. Just press the + button on the bottom corner, tap Scan Documents, position your document, and press the camera button to get the perfect scan.
Smarter Siri: If you're traveling abroad, Siri can now help you communicate better and faster by translating phrases into foreign languages. The new and improved Siri can also make great music recommendations for you based on your Apple Music history. Siri's wide influence is also felt in more personalized News story recommendations, based on your Web browsing and app usage history. Finally, Siri has gotten better at predicting and smart suggesting words and phrases when you're messaging or searching Safari.
Apple Music goes social: Siri's music recommendations are great, but there's nothing like an old-school endorsement from a trusted friend. With that in mind, Apple Music has granted users profile pages, so they can showcase their favorite artists and albums to friends.
More robust Maps: Better Lane Guidance helps you get to your location more efficiently. Indoor Maps tells you where to go once you get there.
Cons
Missing feature: We couldn't wait to start using Apple Pay peer-to-peer payments within Messages, but that feature won't be ready till fall.
Bottom Line
iOS 11 brings smarter file organization, photo editing, note-taking, and Siri assistance to your iPhone.
Full Specifications
What's new in version 11
General
Operating Systems
Popularity
Related Apps
Apple iOS 12
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Apple iOS 13
Developer's Description
iOS 11 sets a new standard for what is already the world's most advanced mobile operating system. It makes iPhone better than before. It makes iPad more capable than ever. And now it opens up both to amazing possibilities for augmented reality in games and apps. With iOS 11, iPhone and iPad are the most powerful, personal, and intelligent devices they've ever been.
The new Files app brings all your files together. You can easily browse, search, and organize all your files in one place. And there's a dedicated place for your recent files. Not just the ones on your iPad, but also those in apps, on your other iOS devices, in iCloud Drive, and across other services like Box and Dropbox.
iOS 11 makes it easier and more intuitive than ever to multitask. You can open a second app right from the Dock, and both apps remain active in Slide Over as well as Split View. You can drag the second app in Slide Over to the left. And you can get back to your favorite App Spaces in the redesigned App Switcher.
The new Dock is a foundational change for iPad. It's now available from any screen. So with just a swipe, you can open and switch apps instantly. And you can customize it with more of your favorite apps. The Dock also changes as you work. Intelligently suggested apps -- like ones you opened recently and the last one you were using on your iPhone or Mac -- appear in the right side of the Dock.
Now you can mark up a PDF or screenshot faster and more easily. Step one, pick up your Apple Pencil. Step two, touch it to the screen. Step three, start writing. It's called Instant Markup for a reason.
When you begin to draw or jot down something in Notes, the text around it can automatically move aside. And now handwritten words in Notes are searchable.1 It all happens on your device, so your private information stays that way. You can also add inline drawings in Mail.
iOS 11 introduces ARKit, a new framework that brings augmented reality to hundreds of millions of iOS devices by allowing developers to easily build unparalleled AR experiences. By blending digital objects and information with the environment around you, augmented reality takes apps beyond the screen, freeing them to interact with the real world in entirely new ways. Like never before, games and apps can offer fantastically immersive and fluid experiences that are out of this world, yet virtually within it.
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