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Apple iOS 11: Release Date And New Features Including Messages, Siri, Apple Pay And More

Your iPhone won’t know what hit it.

Apple has unveiled iOS 11 at WWDC 2017. While visually it's very similar to iOS 10, this new version of Apple's mobile operating system comes with a huge amount of new features.

It will be available to download in September/October and will be a free update for all iPhone/iPad/iPod touch users.

Without further ado we'll get stuck into some of the biggest features that have been announced.

Messages:

Apple

Apple's Messages app has been given a subtle but important update. Before you bring up the keyboard, conversations will now allow you to quickly access your iMessage apps.

Your iMessage conversations are now also synched across all your Apple devices automatically which means everything from conversations to individual messages can now be synched and deleted across all devices.

Apple Pay

Apple

Now this is a big one. You can now pay each other using Apple Pay. It works through Messages which means that you can simply bring up Apple Pay within the app, select the amount you would like to pay and then authenticate it using the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone or iPad.

Siri

Apple

This is also a big deal. Siri has been given a massive personality overhaul. Not only does it get a new logo and look but machine learning means Siri sounds more human and can be interacted with in a more human way. This is clearly a big move by Apple to tackle the increasing competition from Alexa and Google Assistant.

Siri is also now able to learn more about you across all your devices, from automatically creating a calendar event based on tickets you bought in Safari, to suggesting Apple News stories based on subjects you were browsing.

Last but not least is translation. Siri can now translate for you and then speak on your behalf.

Camera

Apple

The camera gets a small update but one that's going to make a huge difference to your storage woes.

Apple's moving over from JPEGs to a new type of image formate called HEV. It's still compatible with everything you use currently but thanks to compression that's twice as good it now massively reduces the amount space it's going to take up on your phone.

Control Centre

Apple

Control centre now has a new minimalist look that takes up just one screen so there's no swiping between different cards. It looks more simplistic but Apple's using 3D Touch on the newer iPhones to let you expand them into more complex settings menus.

Do Not Disturb While Driving

This is pretty self-explanatory but it's also very necessary. Your iPhone will now intelligently know if you're driving and then helpfully turn off all the notifications on your phone. Then if someone messages you they can get an automated response telling them that you're driving.

Apple Music

Apple

Apple Music hasn't been given the major overhaul it was given last year. This time it's about bringing your friends into the mix. You now have a profile that can be set as public or private.

Your friends' Apple Music listening habits will then appear on your app and help you find new music or allow you to tap into their playlists and music tastes.

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