Apple iOS 9 Preview, Release Date & New Features

WWDC 2015, Apple released its latest iPhone OS iOS 9 along with Apple Music, MAC OS X EI Capitan and WatchOS 2. The iOS 9 has got some new features like the Apple Music, proactive Siri, News App, Improved battery life, iPad multitasking and some other small features that Apple didn't mention at WWDC, but you will know about them here.

Currently iOS 9 is released as a developer preview and is not released for public beta testing, however if you are not a developer then you can sign up for the beta testing program and wait until it becomes official.

iOS 9 New Features

1. Proactive Assistant : Based on the apps you commonly use and the time of day you use them, you’ll get intelligent suggestions for what you might want to do next — even before you ask.

• Listening to music and audio : Plug in your headphones and iOS 9 recognizes that you might want to finish the podcast you started earlier. Or connect via Bluetooth in your car, and your favorite playlist is suggested for the ride home.
• Creating email and events : When you start adding people to an email message or a calendar invitation, iOS 9 suggests the people you usually include with them. iOS 9 also suggests recipients when you add commonly used subject lines or event titles.
• Adding events to Calendar : If you get an email with a flight reservation or a restaurant confirmation, iOS 9 can create a suggested event in Calendar for you.
• Timely reminders : If your Calendar events include locations, iOS 9 assesses traffic and notifies you when it’s time to leave. You can choose to snooze or ignore the notification, or get directions and get going.

2. News App : iOS 9 adds a new app to your Home screen. News conveniently collects all the stories you want to read, from top news sources, based on topics you’re most interested in — so you no longer need to move from app to app to stay informed. News also combines the rich and immersive design found in print with the interactivity of digital media, letting you enjoy stunningly crafted articles just how the publisher intended.

3. Maps : Now you can use public transportation with Maps as your guide. In select cities around the world, a new Transit view shows you lines and stations right on the map. When you plan a route, every step of your trip is laid out from point A to point B. And with the Nearby feature, it’s easier to see what’s around you and decide on places to shop, eat, and more.

4. Use More Cards With Apple Pay : Now you can use Apple Pay to make purchases with your Discover card or store credit cards, like Kohl’s Charge or JCPenney Credit Card. Add reward cards, like Dunkin’ Donuts DD Perks, Walgreens Balance Rewards, and MyPanera, to your Wallet app and receive and redeem rewards using Apple Pay. And now you can just double-click the Home button when your iPhone is locked to access Wallet and quickly pay with Apple Pay.

5. CarPlay : If your car supports wireless connection to iPhone, you can use CarPlay without plugging in. CarPlay also plays audio messages, so you can hear from people in their own voices. If you use your car’s knobs to control CarPlay, you can now take full advantage of the way they tilt and spin to scroll through lists or pan around in Maps. And apps developed by car manufacturers are supported, too — so you can control more of your car’s features without ever leaving CarPlay.

6. iPad Multitasking : Your iPad is great for work. And for play. For creating incredible designs or powerful presentations. For building fun slideshows or video chatting with loved ones. And for tons of other stuff. Now you can make even better use of its large screen to do two of those things — at the same time. Now you can open a second app without leaving the one you’re in. So you can quickly browse the web, respond to a text message, or jot something down in a note, then slide that app away and get back to the one you were using before.

7. iPad Split View : With Split View on iPad Air 2, you can go a step further and have two apps open and active at the same time. Work on a sketch with the reference photo beside it. Or write a paper while copying citations from a book in iBooks. When everything you need is right in front of you, it’s easier to focus.

8. Longer Battery Life : Across the entire operating system, apps and key technologies have been made more efficient to trim battery usage wherever possible — so you get more battery life for the things you do every day. Thanks to ambient light and proximity sensors, your iPhone knows if it’s facedown on the table and prevents the screen from turning on, even when you receive a notification. And the new Low Power mode lets you extend your battery life even further.

9. Smaller Updates : iOS 9 does even more to efficiently stream new updates to your device without having to first download and unpack them — which means you don’t need as much free space to update. And when it’s time for an update, you’ll get new notification options that let your device update while you sleep or when you use it least.

10. Improved Security : Keeping your devices and Apple ID secure is essential to protecting all the personal information you store with and access through Apple — like your photos, documents, messages, email, and so much more. iOS 9 advances security by strengthening the passcode that protects your devices, and by making it harder for others to get unauthorized access to your Apple ID account. These new security features are easy for you to use. But they make it much harder for anyone else to access your personal information.

• Six-digit passcodes : The passcodes you use on your Touch ID–enabled iPhone and iPad will now have six digits instead of four. If you use Touch ID, it’s a change you’ll hardly notice. But with one million possible combinations — instead of 10,000 — your passcode will be a lot tougher to crack.
• Two-factor authentication : A password alone is not always enough to keep your account secure. With two-factor authentication, when you sign in from a new browser or on a new device, you’ll be prompted for a verification code. This code is automatically displayed on your other Apple devices or sent to your phone. Enter the code and you’re quickly signed in — and any unauthorized users are kept out.

11. Android To iOS Migration : Just download the Move to iOS app to wirelessly switch from your Android device to your new iOS device. It securely transfers your contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, calendars, wallpaper, and DRM-free songs and books. And it will help you rebuild your app library, too. Any free apps you used — like Facebook and Twitter — are suggested for download from the App Store. And your paid apps are added to your iTunes Wish List.

12. App Thinning : This change could be a big one for those with 8 or 16 GB devices: the App Store will automatically optimize app downloads for your device to only include the bits you need. If you use a iPhone 5, for example, you’ll only download the components needed to run the app on that phone which will save a significant amount of space per app.

13. Replay Kit : An interesting new feature allows developers to record clips of your game in the background, so you can quickly share video of you playing games to social media or for re-watching later. Developers will need to switch this feature on, but it could mean you can quickly share a replay of yourself playing a game like Dots with your friends.

14. Disable Vibration : In iOS 9 you can disable vibration. iOS 9 will allow you disable vibrations throughout iOS, including for emergency alerts and inside apps, under a new accessibility setting.

15. Hidden iCloud App : Apple's vision for file management on iOS has always been to let things happen behind the scenes with minimal user input, but with iOS 9 the company appears to be making at least a small concession to those who feel more comfortable delving into folders and files themselves. iOS 9 has an optional iCloud Drive app that lets users manage their iCloud files, much like they can on the web or with the Finder on Mac computers.

The app is apparently optional and needs to be switched on in Settings before it appears on the home screen, so Apple likely doesn't plan to make it a core part of the iOS experience. But the app could make iCloud Drive a more usable alternative to competing cloud services like Dropbox, giving users a more familiar and traditional way to handle their files and saved data from other apps.

iOS 9 Is Compatible With

iPhone : iPhone 4s, iPhone 5/5C/5S, iPhone 6/Plus, iPhone 6S.
iPad : iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad 2, iPad 3rd generation, iPad 4th generation, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini.
iPod : iPod touch 5th generation.

iOS 9 Release Date

• Developer Beta is available today;
• Public Beta will be available in (early?) July;
• Global roll-out of iOS 9 will commence in the Fall, likely mid-September

Source : Apple | TNW | The Verge