10 Most Important Feature Improvements to Apple’s iOS 11

As promised, Apple on Sept. 19 launched iOS 11, the latest version of the company’s mobile operating system version. Available as a free download, iOS 11 works with the majority of recent iPhones and iPads, as well as the sixth-generation iPod Touch. It comes with several new features including an improved file management app and several additions to the iPad version designed to make the tablet feel more like full-featured computer. In iOS 11, the Control Center is now a far more usable service and the App Store has been redesigned. Overall, iOS 11 is a nice upgrade over last year’s iOS 10. This slide show will discuss the features that make it worth installing on your Apple mobile device.

Apple’s iOS 11 includes a new Files app that brings together all of the files and folders stored across a user’s Apple devices, Dropbox accounts and more. The app provides access to iCloud Drive, the company’s cloud data storage service, and can help users find files on other devices.

Apple’s iPad support gains several improvements in iOS 11, including a better Dock app. The Dock now can stretch across the screen to include more apps that can be swapped out when users swipe across the Dock. It also displays apps that have been opened recently and used on the iPhone or Mac.

Apple iOS 11 has improved Apple Pencil support, making it easier to mark up files and folders and access notes. iOS 11 also includes support for inline drawing on e-mails that can be sent to others. Also, scanning and signing support comes standard.

Apple’s App Store gets a revamp in iOS 11. The App Store’s new design, the company says, will make it easier for find apps and search for programs related to specific topics. There’s also a dedicated Games tab, suggesting video games still are an important attraction for Apple’s mobile users.

Apple’s Camera app has a modified design that includes new filters to add flair to photos. According to Apple, the Camera app enables better portrait photos with skin tones “more natural.” Photo compression is also improved, reducing file sizes by 50 percent without sacrificing image quality.

Apple’s virtual assistant Siri has gotten an update in iOS 11. Siri now can immediately translate words or phrases from English to several different languages including Spanish, Italian and Mandarin. Siri also can learn user music preferences and play only tracks that it knows the user will like. Also, Siri can better anticipate what users want and proactively deliver content and make suggestions.

Apple’s Control Center has been rebuilt in iOS 11. Users can customize Control Center to include access to apps used most often and remove apps they don’t use. Control Center also now works with Apple’s 3D Touch feature, so users can access more controls by varying the amount of pressure they place on the screen.

The Lock Screen also has been reworked in iOS 11 to provide better access to the notifications users care about. By swiping up from anywhere on the screen, users can see their most recent notifications as well as missed notifications from both Apple and third-party apps.

In a nod to the one-thumbed typist, Apple has added one-touch support to its keyboard. Users simply touch and hold the emoji or globe keys and the keyboard will shift to a one-handed mode. Apple says it should be easier to type with only one finger, with all the keys close enough to type out messages.

The upcoming iPhone X doesn’t have a physical home button, and iOS 11 has been designed with that in mind, including new gestures. Any gestures that relied on the home button are gone in the iPhone X version—accessing iOS 11 for iPhone X’s multitasking feature now requires swiping up from the display. Swiping down now brings up the Control Panel, and screenshots are done differently.