At WWDC at San Diego today, Apple has lifted the lid on the latest iteration of its iOS operating service for all its devices. The imaginatively named iOS 13 will be rolled out by the end of the year, and brings with it many enhancements that Apple went into in some detail. Apple iOS 13 includes such general improvements such as faster App launching, smaller App downloads and updates, and the all-new and much requested Dark Mode for iPhones and iPads.
Dark Mode launched the iOS 13 section of Apple’s WWDC conference, which also included the reveal of the new Mac Pro and the discontinuation of iTunes. iPhone’s Dark Mode works exactly as it does on other mobile devices, where it inverts the color scheme and gives apps a black background, which can be a lot easier to view under low lighting. Additionally, Apple reports that iOS 13 will decrease the size of downloads or updates by between 50% to 60%, and launch speeds for Apps should double. The company are also introducing the ability to “sign in with Apple” on websites, similar to how users can often sign in using their Google or Facebook accounts rather than create new IDs for specific websites.
Specific Apple Apps will also receive a range of updates, from small to complete revamps. Music, for example, receives time-synced lyrics and support for Dark Mode, and Photos will get sharing suggestions and face tags, similar to what Facebook does. Reminders and Maps, however, get far bigger updates. Reminders has been completely re-thought, according to Apple, with quick-typing, date suggestions, smart lists, tagged-in event reminders when you start talking to that person, and more. Maps go into a lot more detail, with general overhead views that have a semi-3D effect, and a far-smoother on-foot exploration mode, which appears to be more robust than Apple’s biggest competitor, Google Maps.
Apple says that iOS 13 will launch in the United States by the end of 2019, and will include unique OS versions for both iPad and TV.
