Overview: The latest iOS updates and features including a small security fix and some FaceTime upgrades
Apple has finally decided to bring the most requested features as updates to the iOS ecosystem: widgets.
Along with the phenomenal popularity at launch, the latest iOS updates has ushered a new way to customization where users can create custom icons and shortcuts – one of our favorites updates!
A BRIEF INTRO TO IOS:
In April 2021, iOS was running on over 90% of eligible devices. While iOS doesn’t come up with visual changes, it manages to bundle up a substantial amount of refinement that will pave the way forward for new interactions:
- FaceTime received major upgrades and introduced SharePlay.
- Notifications are redesigned for the users to identify them easily.
- Maps have new ways to explore cities with leverages augmented reality to direct walking directions.
- Safari is redesigned to support extensions and enhanced accessibility.
- Focus helps minimize the distractions by filtering out the notifications based on what the user is doing.
The latter is one of our personal favorite iOS updates. Let’s talk a bit more about it.
FOCUS & NOTIFICATION:
Visual Changes:
Notifications have a fresh look focusing on large app icons, contact images, or relevant media.
As an example, communication apps display a prominent picture of the person you’re interacting or chatting with on the left side of the icon. In contrast, media apps, including podcasts, show appropriate media on the right side of the notification.
Notification Management & More:
Two new features are impacting the interruption of app notification:
- Notification Summary
- Focus
Notification Summary:
The purpose of this feature is to gather notifications and present them at the scheduled time. Turning it on means that users will be shown the notifications twice a day: in the morning and the evening. Users can customize the frequency and choose to have notifications from a particular app delivered immediately, or disable them entirely.
Focus:
With the recent changes to iOS, you can enable Focus Mode on specific apps for notifications (which we find pretty cool). This update is great for business owners who stay in “work mode.” The update allows users to focus solely on work by filtering what types of messages prompt a notification.
Custom Product Pages:
With this update, you can augment your promotional material from 33 to 35 pages with multiple texts, images, visuals, and app reviews. However, the URL for each custom page has to have a new PPID.
This feature turns out to be ideal for developers who entertain a varied audience.
For more information about App Store discovery updates, check out Apple’s developer page and the WWDC talk: Get ready to optimize your App Store product page.
Privacy:
Last but not least is privacy. With new updates, a section in privacy shows you how your information can be/is being located and how often the applications you install have access to the camera, gallery, contacts, or other media. It also grants restricted access to your Photo library for data security.
IN CONCLUSION:
We might not always like change, but iOS updates are creating a better user experience with impactful changes inspired by users first.
The new updates have a significant focus on notification management and interruptions. So if you’re correctly defining or limiting your notifications, the interruption level is crucial to ensure your app’s security system.
It’s possible that your device is simply too old to update, but is eligible for an upgrade.”
