The iOS 7 release date has arrived and while the jury may still be
out on iOS 7's radical redesign - for what it's worth we love it, with a
few reservations - there's no denying that it's the friendliest version
and most powerful of iOS yet.
But there's more to iOS 7 than
headline features such as Control Center, Airdrop and iTunes Radio: some
of our favourite improvements are little things that make our everyday
lives that little bit more pleasant.
These are our favourites - let us know yours in the comments.
Check out our
iOS 7 review for the full lowdown!
1. Camera: shoot in burst mode
The
redesigned Camera app has a nifty trick up its sleeve: if you want to
shoot in burst mode, taking multiple shots in quick succession, just
click and hold the volume-up button.
2. Multitasking: quit multiple apps
You
probably know that you can quit running apps by double-tapping the Home
button and flicking the offending app upwards, but you might not have
tried it with multiple fingers to force-quit more than one app at a
time. We've made it work with three apps on our iPhone, although doing
the same on an iPad means getting your nose involved too.
3. Notifications: begone!
When
you receive a new notification, you can still swipe right to open the
appropriate app - but if you just want rid of it you can now swipe up to
hide it.
4. All new balancing act
iOS 7 is bad news for
novelty app developers: not only has the Control Center killed the
market for flashlight apps, but Compass has done the same for spirit
level apps too.
If you launch the app you'll see the familiar
dots at the bottom of the screen that indicate there's a second screen:
swipe it and you'll see a spirit level for all your
checking-things-are-flat needs.
5. Phone, FaceTime and Messages: block contacts
Does
someone have your number and you wish they didn't? Successfully avoid
exes, creditors and the angry husbands and wives of your lovers with iOS
7's excellent blocking features. Add the number to your Contacts,
scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Block This Caller to
refuse incoming calls, messages (including SMS and MMS) and FaceTime
calls.
6. Messages: see the timestamps
iOS 7 likes to
keep things nice and minimalist, but if key information isn't visible
there's a good chance it's just a swipe away - so for example in
Messages, you won't see timestamps against each SMS, MMS or iMessage.
Want to know when they were sent? Swipe left.
7. Apps: swipe backwards
This
little tip is a handy time-saver: when you're finished reading an email
or message, or fiddling with Settings, or exploring a Music playlist,
swipe backwards to return to the previous page. If you're at the first
level (such as your list of mailboxes in Mail, or the first Settings
screen) nothing will happen.
8. Location Services: see where you've been
iOS
7 keeps an eye on where you go to help it personalise features such as
the Notification Center, and to help improve the accuracy of Maps. If
you fancy a look you'll find it in Settings > Privacy > Location
Services > System Services > Frequent Locations. You'll see a list
and a map, with blue circles showing where you've been and when. You
can clear the history from this page, and if you think it's a little
creepy you can turn it off from the System Services page.
9. Newsstand: put it away!
We
like Newsstand, but we don't like the way it can't be stuck in a folder
like Apple's other stock apps. Hallelujah for iOS 7, then, because at
last that absurd restriction has been removed.
10 . Settings: make iOS 7 easier on the eye
We
like the new interface, but it isn't for everyone. If you have problems
with your sight or just want to make iOS more legible, you'll find some
useful settings in Settings > General > Accessibility. You can
make all system text bold, increase the size of text in apps that
support Apple's Dynamic Type, scale down motion effects such as the
parallax effect or invert the colours to make iOS 7 look like a 1980s
electro-pop album cover.
11. Sounds: get some new tones
iOS 7's library of sounds
(Settings > Sounds > Sounds and vibration patterns) has been given
a regular update, and Apple says they're so good you might miss calls
because you're dancing. That, frankly, isn't very likely.
12. AutoFill: let Safari input your details
Feeling
trustworthy? Safari can automatically fill out web forms using your
Contact info, previous names and passwords, and credit card details,
should you so wish. You can toggle these AutoFill options individually
from Settings > Safari > Passwords > AutoFill.
13. Siri: now reads your emails
Siri
makes light work of not only listing emails in your inbox, but also
reading them out to you. Hold down the Home button and say, "Read my
emails" and Siri will give you sender, time and date sent, and the
subject of each in turn. When asked if you want it to read out your
mail, just say "Yes".
14. Apps: one folder to rule them all
Unlike
previous versions of iOS, there's no limit to the number of apps you
can file away in a single folder. Now you can simply pile icons onto
each other to your heart's content. Finally, an end to the Games 1,
Games 2, Games 3 (ad nauseum) home screen debacle.
15. Motion: reducing sickness
iOS
7 likes to advertise its existence to you with all manner of motions,
animations and alerts. If all the hullabaloo is leaving you slightly
queasy, put a dampener on things by selecting Settings > General >
Accessibility > Reduce Motion > Off.
16. Notification Centre: not on my lock screen
Notification
Centre got a visual overhaul in the latest version of iOS, offering a
neat snapshot of your appointments and message snippets accessible from
the lock screen. But not everyone wants their itinerary on show to all
and sundry. Happily you can turn off this overview from Settings >
Notification Centre, using the sliders listed under - you guessed it -
'Access on Lock Screen'.
17. Compass: invoke the spirit
The
compass is a mainstay of iOS, but has been redesigned to look less
'Forstall' and more 'Ive'. That's not all though, as a quick swipe left
in the app reveals: a spirit level now accompanies the navigational
tool, ensuring future DIY jobs should be a little less skewed.
18. Maps: walk or drive everywhere
Maps
still has its downsides, but it's useful for the most part - more so
now that you can choose a default mode of travel. If you're more rambler
than driver and want to avoid having to define your directions as such,
simply tap to Settings > Maps and select Walking under Preferred
Directions.
19. App Store: Near Me
A new tab in the App
Store app called Near Me automatically lists the most popular apps in
your general location. That might sound a bit gimmicky, but we found it
useful when visiting towns and cities for the first time, when it turned
up local transport and tourist information apps.
20. Apps: Background App Refresh
iOS
7 introduces the ability to selectively control which apps are allowed
to refresh their content while you're getting on with other business.
When battery life is at a premium, turn off any offenders by going to
Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
21. Apps: Automatic Updates
iOS
can now update your apps automatically. That's great as long as a) you
have an unlimited data plan, and b) your favourite app's functionality
doesn't get mangled with some poorly advised revisions. Control this
function either way by going to Settings > iTunes and App Store and
sliding the Updates option under Automatic Downloads.
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