iOS 9
iOS 9 now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners globally Getty Images

Apple has rolled out its ninth iOS mobile operating system, unveiled at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference, as a free software update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners across the globe. Apple claims the update makes the iOS devices more intelligent and proactive with new enhancements that include improved Siri, new multitasking features for iPad and built-in apps. These new additions further enhance performance and security while extending battery performance. Here is a detailed list of changes you should be able to experience upon updating your device to iOS 9.

Intelligence

Proactive assistance

  • Presents relevant information even before you start typing
  • Notifies you when you need to leave for appointments using traffic conditions
  • Learns what you listen to in a certain location or at a particular time of day and can automatically display playback controls for your preferred music and audio apps
  • Suggested events and contact details are added to apps based on information found in Mail

Siri improvements

  • Search your personal photos and videos based on dates, locations and album names
  • Ask Siri to remind you about things you are looking at in your apps, including Safari, Mail, Notes and Messages
  • Request directions via public transit

Spotlight search improvements

  • Get sports scores, weather conditions and stock prices
  • Simple math calculations and conversions
  • Initiate messages, phone calls and FaceTime calls from contact search results

New iPad Features

Slide Over

  • Quickly use a second app without leaving the one you are in
  • Easily switch between Slide Over apps
  • Support for Apple apps and enabled third party apps

Split View

  • View and interact with two apps at once
  • Ability to resize your view to give equal attention to both apps or prioritise one app over another
  • Support for Apple apps and enabled third party apps

Picture in picture

  • Continue watching a video while using your favourite apps
  • Support for Safari video, FaceTime, Videos and Podcasts and enabled third party apps

QuickType improvements

  • Multi-Touch gestures for easier text selection on iPad
  • Quick access to text editing tools with Shortcut Bar on iPad
  • Support for hardware keyboard shortcuts
  • Support for all Unicode emoji flags

Built-in Apps

Map improvements

  • Support for public transit lines, station details with exits and entrances, schedules and directions in select major cities
  • Browse for places around you by category, including Food, Drinks, Shopping, Fun and more
  • Apple Pay support is indicated on place cards at participating retail locations
  • Place cards include Wikipedia information for landmarks and cities

Redesigned Notes app

  • Add photos to your notes with the built-in camera or from your Photo Library
  • Create useful checklists and check off completed items with a tap
  • Sketch a quick thought using just your finger
  • Save interesting items directly from other apps using the Share menu

All-new News app

  • Read your favourite newspaper, magazines, and blogs, or choose from over a million topics
  • Beautiful typography and layouts, photo galleries, videos, animations, and more
  • Browse articles that are chosen based on your interests in For You. Find channel and topic recommendations in Explore. News gets more personalised the more you read
  • Easily share articles with friends or save them to read later — even when you are offline

Mail improvements

  • Search improvements help you quickly find what you're looking for by filtering results based on sender, recipient, subject or a combination of options
  • Support for Markup lets you annotate an image or PDF attachment with text, shapes and even your signature, then send it back — without leaving Mail
  • Easily save the attachments you receive or add files from iCloud Drive or other document providers while composing a new message

Apple Pay and Wallet improvements

  • Support for Discover cards
  • Support for rewards cards and store credit and debit cards
  • To check out even faster, you can prepare an upcoming payment by double-clicking the Home button from the Lock Screen and keeping your finger on Touch ID

New iCloud Drive app

  • Easily search for a file or browse in the new iCloud Drive app by date, name, or tags you added on your Mac
  • Open files in any compatible app or share with those you choose
  • Organise folders and files
  • Get the iCloud Drive app in Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive and select Show on Home Screen

CarPlay improvements

  • Plays back audio messages, letting you hear from people in their own voices
  • Full support for car knob controls, so you can tilt and spin to scroll through lists or pan around in Maps
  • Support for CarPlay apps from auto manufacturers

Foundation

Longer battery life

  • Up to one hour of additional time before you need to charge your battery
  • Facedown detection for turning display off when not in use
  • Low power mode optimises device performance to extend battery by up to an additional three hours
  • Software updates require less space to download and offer an option to install later
  • iOS apps and user interface now use Metal to deliver faster scrolling, smoother animation, and better overall performance
  • Improved security with two-factor authentication support and a default six digit passcode support for Touch ID devices

Other improvements

  • New San Francisco system font
  • Leave a message option if recipient is not available for a FaceTime call
  • Share voicemails from the Phone app using the share sheet
  • Flight and package tracking for data detectors
  • Health app adds support for reproductive health, UV exposure, water intake and sedentary state data types
  • HomeKit adds support for motorised windows and shades, motion sensors and home security system accessories
  • Podcasts has an all-new design, makes it easy to find the latest episodes of your favourite shows and notifies you when new episodes become available for you
  • Support for Wi-Fi calling on iPad, iPod touch and Mac, without iPhone in proximity on participating carriers
  • Wi-Fi Assist to automatically use cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor
  • Transfer content from an Android device with the Move to iOS app, visit http://www.apple.com/move-to-ios for more details

Expanded language support

  • New PingFang Chinese system font
  • Improved predictions, learning and autocorrection for Chinese in QuickType
  • Redesigned punctuation input on 10-key Chinese keyboard
  • Redesigned User Interface for right-to-left languages
  • Added Siri support for Austria, Belgium (French and Dutch), and Norway
  • Added Spotlight search support for Mexico
  • New keyboards for French (Belgium), German (Austria), Gujarati, Hindi (Transliteration), Hinglish, Punjabi, Spanish (Mexico), and Telugu
  • Predictive input for French (Belgium), German (Austria), Korean, Russian, Spanish (Mexico), and Turkish
  • Dictation support for Dutch (Belgium), English (Ireland, Philippines, South Africa), French (Belgium), German (Austria), and Spanish (Chile, Colombia)
  • Spell check for Finnish and Korean
  • Definition dictionary for Hindi, Norwegian and Swedish
  • Bilingual dictionary for French-English and German-English
  • New Japanese autocorrection and improved predictions and learning in QuickType
  • Option to switch between number systems for Arabic and Hindi

Enterprise & Education

  • Assign apps directly to iOS devices without needing to have an iTunes Store account configured
  • Improved calendar reliability for customers using Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync v16
  • Expanded Per App VPN support for the built-in IPSec and IKEv2 VPN clients
  • New networking controls for managed apps to help limit international data roaming costs
  • New restrictions to prevent changes to passcodes, device names and wallpapers, or to disable AirDrop on managed devices
  • Third party app extension support for VPN, advanced content filtering, and captive Wi-Fi networks

Accessibility

  • Touch Accommodations provides additional touch control for those with physical motor limitations
  • Switch Control Recipes to customise features or create your own
  • Support for Siri Voices for VoiceOver users
  • Additional customisation of AssistiveTouch
  • Hardware keyboard support for Key Repeat, Slow Keys and Sticky Keys
  • Improved MFi hearing aid audio routing to choose where audio is played

However, note that all the features will not be available in all regions. Click here to learn more about the security content in iOS 9.

More about iOS 9
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