iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. and was first released as iPhone OS in June 2007, coinciding with the launch of the first generation iPhone.[1] iPhone OS was renamed iOS following the release of the iPad, starting with iOS 4.[2] With iOS 13, Apple began offering a separate operating system, iPadOS, for the iPad. iOS is also the foundation of the newer audioOS and tvOS, and shares some of its code with macOS. New iOS versions are released every year alongside new iPhone models. From its launch in 2007 until 2010, this occurred in June or July, since then, new major versions are released in September or October. Since the launch of the iPhone in June 2007, there have been 16 major releases of iOS. The current major version of iOS is iOS 16, released in September 2022.
^ abFor the first generation iPhone and iPod Touch, the latest supported version is iOS 3.1.3, released February 2, 2010.
^Released as iOS 4.2.10 for the CDMA variant of the iPhone 4.
^ abFor the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (2nd gen), the latest supported version is iOS 4.2.1, released November 22, 2010.
^ abFor the Wi-Fi-only iPad 2, iPad (4th gen), and iPad Mini (1st gen), and for the iPod Touch (5th gen), the latest supported version is iOS 9.3.5, released August 25, 2016.
^ abFor the iPhone 5C and Wi-Fi-only iPad (4th gen), the latest supported version is 10.3.3, released July 19, 2017.
^iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and iPads with an M1 SoC and later only.
Apple announced iPhone OS 1 at the iPhone keynote on January 9, 2007, and it was released to the public alongside the first-generation iPhone on June 29, 2007.[3] No official name was given when the iPhone was released, and Steve Jobs just said "iPhone runs OS X".[4][5] During the development phase of iPhone OS 1, "probably 16, 17 different concepts" were developed. Many on the team were skeptical of the feasibility of a touchscreen keyboard, and believed that users would prefer hardware keyboards. A number of different user interfaces were prototyped, including one that involved a multi-touch click-wheel.[6]
iPhone OS 1 was criticized for its lack of support for Adobe Flash web content, copy and paste, and Bluetooth stereo headphones.[7] It also lacked support for third-party native apps, and only supported web apps,[8] which was criticized by reviewers and developers,[9][10] including John Carmack.[11]
iPhone OS 1.1 was the first version supported by the first generation iPod Touch.[12] iPhone OS 1.1.4 is the final version of iPhone OS 1 for the first generation iPhone, with iPhone OS 1.1.5 being the final version of iPhone OS 1 available for the first generation iPod Touch.[13] It was succeeded by iPhone OS 2 on July 11, 2008.[14]
Initial release; included a default set of pre-installed set of apps like Safari, Camera, Clock, Maps, iPod, Text, and Settings, among others, and served as the release that shipped on the original iPhone.
Initial release on iPod Touch (1st generation). Unavailable on iPhone. Adds the iTunes Store app, allowing the purchase of music, movies, and ringtones on-device.
Minor security update that adds support for international languages and keyboards, fixes a security issue regarding the TIFFimage file format, adds a field for assigning a custom ringtone to a contact, and fixes various bugs.
1.1.3
January 15, 2008
Free update on iPhone, $19.95 fee on iPod Touch; commonly called the iPhone "January '08 Update" and January Software Upgrade by Apple.[20][21]
Recent calls contact details now show most recent call times.
'Locate Me' feature for Maps; determines the phone's approximate location using a combination of cellular triangulation and Wi-Fi data from Skyhook Wireless. Also adds hybrid map support, traffic information, and the 'Drop Pin' feature.
Apps on the home screen can be rearranged and placed on multiple home screens (up to nine).
iTunes gift cards can be redeemed on the iTunes Store.
Movies downloaded through iTunes have chapter support.
Music now supports lyrics.
Web Clips can be added to (and subsequently removed from) the home screen.
SMS messages can be sent to multiple contacts in the Messages app.
SMS storage capacity increased from 1,000 to 75,000 messages.
Defaults to IMAP for new Gmail accounts (formerly defaulted to POP3).
The clock timer now remembers the last used options (bug fix).
Incoming SMS messages now prompts the user to "Close" or "Reply" (formerly "Ignore" or "Reply"). Pressing either option now marks the message as "seen".
Labels for contact data can now be deleted.
Applications on the phone no longer run as root; they run as the user "mobile" instead.
The ability to listen to music through a Bluetooth headset by going to Voicemail and choosing "Bluetooth" as the audio source no longer works (still works as long as phone is not locked or voicemail screen is active).
Content on iPhone and iPod touch can now be manually managed in iTunes[22]
Minor update; fixes bugs including Bluetooth bugs and a bug where the order of messages in conversations could get scrambled[23] and adds several performance improvements to the interface and Camera.
1.1.5
July 15, 2008
Minor update for iPod Touch users who chose not to pay $9.95 to upgrade to the previously released iPhone OS 2.0.[24]
Apple announced iPhone OS 2 at a March 6 keynote,[25][26] and it was released to the public on July 11, 2008, alongside the iPhone 3G.[14]
iPhone OS 2 was the first release to have the App Store and to come with an official iPhone SDK allowing third-party developers to create native iPhone apps.[27][28] It also added many enterprise features, including Microsoft Exchange support through ActiveSync for push emails, push contact and push calendars, and support for IPsec VPNs.[26]
Apple did not drop support for any of its devices with the release; iPhone OS 2 was compatible with all devices released up to that time.[14] The release of iPhone OS 2.1.1 brought support for the second generation iPod Touch.[29] iPhone OS 2.2.1 is the final version of iPhone OS 2. It was succeeded by iPhone OS 3 on June 17, 2009.[30]
Initial release on iPhone 3G; $9.95 upgrade for iPod touch[32]
Added language support.
Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese are now supported on iPhone after having been available on iPod Touch since the version 1.1.1 update.
More keyboard languages including Chinese, Korean, and Russian.
Support for Traditional and Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition.
Mail, contacts, calendars
Grouped settings.
Mail
Added support for Push e-mail.
Ability to select an outgoing email account within Mail application.[33]
Support for blind carbon copy (BCC) in Mail.
Added the ability to move / delete multiple emails.
Added the ability to view Microsoft Office attachments.
Added the ability to view iWork attachments, including Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.[34]
Contacts
Contacts icon on "Home" screen (iPhone only, it was formerly on the iPod Touch).
Ability to search contacts.
Global Address List.
Push contacts.
Ability to import SIM contacts.
Calendar
Multiple calendars supported in Calendar with colour-coding (desktop colours only preserved if using Mobile Me).
Transition from music list to Cover Flow has changed.[40]
Tilt to left from landscape no longer switch to portrait when watching video, fixes 2.0 bug.
The "Update All" button in the App Store's update tab has been removed.
iPhone OS 2.1
2.1 / 2.1.1
September 9, 2008
Initial release on iPod Touch (2nd generation) (as 2.1.1); free of charge for iPod Touch users who upgraded to iPhone OS 2.0.
Bug Fixes and Improvements
Security fix for the double-click home button exploit.
Fixed hangs and crashes for users with many third-party applications.
Faster installation speed and update speed of third-party apps.
Updating applications keeps their icons in place on the home screen.
Improvements to Mail stability.
Improved email reliability with POP and Exchange accounts.
Faster loading and searching of contacts.
Auto-correct now appears above the text instead of below (fixing a usability problem people were having where auto-correct would appear above the first row of keys).
Faster browsing in Safari, particularly when scrolling up or down on a web page.
Decrease in call set-up failures and calls dropping.[41]
More accurate display of 3G signal strength.
Bug in the Calculator app that affected calculations involving Pi was fixed.[42]
24-hour clock is now usable with English (UK) language
OS enhancements
Triple-click on the control button of headphones now jumps music to prior track played.
SMS app can alert up to two additional times if the user doesn't acknowledge an incoming text message (will play the alert sound/vibrate again after a period of time as if a new message just came in).[42]
Update supporting languages.
Option to wipe all data from device after ten failed passcode attempts (after 5 attempts, the device will disable itself for 1 minute. After the 6th attempt, it will disable itself for 5 minutes. In the 10th attempt, it will wipe all data).[42]
The camera can now be turned off within the restrictions page.[42]
When taking a screenshot, there is now the camera shutter noise.
iPhone never gets locked when placed in dock or playing music.
New application features
iPod: ability to create Genius playlists
More information provided within iPod Music lists (artist and album are now shown below song title when selecting music in addition to remaining time on podcasts).
More information is provided for audiobooks, such as displaying time left in active audiobook.[42]
New podcasts and videos had "filled" blue bubbles next to them to indicate that they were new, now if the user has "half-played" a podcast or video, it will include a half filled blue bubble.[42]
Sound from iPod now fades out if the user starts syncing device with iTunes.[43]
Bookmarked home screen apps open in full screen.[44]
iPod Touch only
Settings for individual speaker sounds. Sounds can no longer be turned off en masse. All sounds must be turned off individually to mute sounds.
Minor update. Adds support for iPod touch (2nd generation). Fixes crashes in Safari; images saved from Mail now appear in Camera Roll; and fixes an issue on iPod touch where Apple Lossless audio files would skip during playback.[52]
Apple announced iPhone OS 3 on March 17, 2009,[53] and it was released to the public on June 17, 2009, alongside the iPhone 3GS. Apple did not drop support for any devices with this release. iPhone OS 3 was compatible with all devices released up to that time, but not all features were available on the original iPhone.[30] The final release supported on the original iPhone and iPod Touch (1st generation) is iPhone OS 3.1.3.[54] The first iPad was introduced along with iPhone OS 3.2.[55][56] iPhone OS 3 was succeeded by iOS 4 on June 21, 2010.[57]
iPhone OS 3 was the first version to support cut, copy and paste.[58] The feature had previously only been available through jailbreaking.[59]
Initial release on iPhone 3GS; paid $4.95 upgrade on iPod Touch
Cut, copy, paste added
Tap and hold for select/select all menu (copy menu in photos).
Double tap for cut/copy/paste menu all over iOS (SMS, email, Notes, etc.).
Two point draggable selection handles displayed to better make a selection.
Undo by shaking.
In Photos options menu select the copy button to select multiple photos to copy.
Navigation & Compass
Turn-by-turn Navigation.
Earth magnetic compass support.
Compass App.
Maps
Features iPhone users got in iPhone OS 2.2 were added for the iPod Touch in iPhone OS 3.0 (e.g. Google Street View, public transit and walking directions, displaying the address of a dropped pin, sharing location via email, and a cache of recent locations). Changed behavior when routing directions and showing steps.
Stocks
Landscape mode that enabled viewing detailed price and change information by dragging one or two fingers across the full-screen chart.
Metadata display for detailed information about the symbol, including full company/fund name, market capitalization, price to earning ratio, dividend yield, and statistics about the day and year price range.
Table of news stories from various internet sources related to the selected symbol.
YouTube
Can now log into account.
View subscriptions, Favorites, My Videos, History, and Playlists
Comment on videos, rate videos
Phone
Recent Calls now show more details (call length, etc.).
Ability to change/set "own number" (my number) in the SIM card. Will be displayed in the Contacts list and iTunes, and possibly used for MMS identification.
Contacts are editable via Recent Calls.
Photos
Videos can be trimmed directly from Camera app.
Photos options menu changed (new UI, added copy button).
Can now delete multiple photos at once.
Camera
Support for video recording and auto-focus on supported devices, mainly the iPhone 3GS.
Thumbnail of the prior photo captured on the camera roll shortcut.
Camera Roll
Categorization by All, Photos and Videos.
App Store
Installs new apps from the second home page on. They can still be moved to the first homepage manually.
Screenshot browsing method has changed.
SMS application renamed to Messages
Application icon was slightly modified, it no longer has the letters "SMS".
Sending progress bar has been moved to the title bar and does not cover up the screen.
Sending queue (compose a new message(s) while sending others).
Select single or multiple messages to forward or delete.
SMS entry text box have unlimited lines (actually limited by the screen).
MMS functionality including sending vCards, pictures, audio files, video (depends on mobile network availability).
Optional Subject line in the Messages settings.
Photos can be taken/sent directly from the Messages app.
MMS messages are played/viewed in the Messages app.
Mail, contacts, calendars, MobileMe
MobileMe now has a "Find My iPhone" option, allowing MobileMe users (via the online service) to remotely locate device and wipe data.[60]
CalDAV Calendar support.
LDAP Contacts support.
iCalendar Subscription support.
"Load Remote Image" option for mail, to prevent spam.
iWork '09 attachment support.
Mail several photos in the same message.
Mail can now be composed in other apps without leaving the current app (only if the developer allows this).
It's now possible to store IM account information for a contact for the following services: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, and XMPP.
Users can now view or create 'Invitees' on a Calendar event.
Safari
Better support for Internet standards and now scores a 97/100 in the Acid3 test.
Renders JavaScript from 3 to 16 times faster depending on circumstances.
Support for HTML5.
New features in Settings such as AutoFill, and Anti phishing.
Pressing and holding a link gives three options: Open, Open in New Page and Copy.
View subscriptions.
The last page is now closable, which will result in a new blank page opening (won't save page info on exit, increases available memory).
Various Bluetooth improvements, such as enabling support on the 2nd generation iPod Touch.[61]
iPod
Shake to shuffle songs in iPod app.
Search through iPod.
Scrubbing through tracks can now be done at 4 variable rates as user moves finger down the screen, and the speed is displayed on screen ("Hi-Speed", "Half Speed", "Quarter Speed", "Fine").
(When Bluetooth is enabled and a paired audio device is present) Audio output menu added to "Now Playing" screen and Home button iPod controls.
Location dot while playing video/music now glows while scrubbing the track/video.
Podcasts
More details shown: time remaining, etc.
Can be played at "1⁄2x", 1x, or "2x" speed (actual speeds are 0.8x, 1x, and 1.5x).
30 second rewind button.
Can be emailed.
Improved language support.
Added support for new languages such as Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Portuguese, Romanian, Thai, and more.
Foreign language keyboards extended to cover additional characters.
New Developer APIs
Push notifications for 3rd party applications.
Support for new Bluetooth services and profiles including A2DP, LDAP, peer-to-peer file sharing, and Bonjour.
New APIs in the Maps application allow developers to build it into software.
Developers can now use the CoreLocation API to create applications with Turn-by-Turn Navigation.
API support for serial I/O through the Dock Connector.
3rd party apps now have access to iPod music library.
Support for outbound audio and video streaming.
In-App Purchase (IAP) API for paid applications (free apps always remain free).
Sign in with iTunes account.
Buy service subscriptions or app add-ons.
Spotlight Search
Saves its last search results and offers options for excluding applications from searches.
Partial search for mail, iPod, contacts, events, notes, apps, and web clips.
Can now sign out of iTunes account and use a different iTunes account.
iTunes account info can be accessed and edited.
Can now read and write reviews for content on iTunes.
Movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and iTunes U content can now be purchased on iTunes Wi-Fi store.
Notes syncing.
Voice memos syncing (audio files added to a "Voice Memos" playlist).
Backups can now be encrypted and password protected.
Tethering over USB and Bluetooth (depends on mobile network ability).
USB tethering auto activated when connected to USB on iTunes 8.2+ (if tethering is enabled in iPhone settings and by phone's carrier).
iTunes 8.2 now includes a USB driver for iPhone tethering.
Full access to iPhone possible while tethered.
(In Windows) iPhone shows up as a standard ethernet connection.
Accessibility settings (for the visually/aurally impaired) (iPhone 3GS only).[63]
VoiceOver gesture-based screen reader. Touch screen to hear a description of the item under your finger, then double-tap, drag, or flick to control iPhone. Speaks 21 languages and works with all apps.
Zoom, magnifies entire screen on any app up to 5 times normal size. Move left, right, up, and down to view any portion of the screen close-up.
White on Black, changes display to white on black (instead of the normal black on white), works in any app, and alongside Zoom and VoiceOver.
Mono Audio, if users hearing is limited in one ear, routes both right- and left-channel audio into both earbuds, so both channels can be heard in either ear.
Speak Auto-text, works with VoiceOver to automatically speak auto-corrections and auto-capitalizations.
Other
Devices can now connect to Wi-Fi hotspots that use authentication automatically.
Locate Me for the iPod Touch accuracy improved.
Restrictions have been updated and now block "Current Location" and allows setting what content is appropriate for iPod music/videos/TV shows and apps.
11 home screen pages instead of 9. Now can store 180 apps (including native applications. i.e. Phone, iPod, Safari).[64]
Adds Voice Control (ability to voice dial and control iPod).
Support for Nike+ on supported devices.
Stopwatch now shows both the total running time and the current lap time in the upper part of the clock app.
Landscape mode added to several applications—Messages (SMS), Mail, Stocks, Contacts, and Notes.
Right to left support.
Addition of the ability to view the battery percentage as a numeric value on supported devices.
Holding the home button will no longer force quit an unresponsive application. To force quit an application in 3.0 hold the sleep/wake button until the red power off slider appears. Then hold down the home button to quit the unresponsive application.
Screen captures are no longer numbered separately from photos taken with the camera application; all new images in the camera roll now use a common numbering sequence.
Allows app developers to access third-party accessories attached to iPhone
Initial release on iPod Touch (2nd generation 8 GB) and iPod Touch (3rd generation). Version 3.1.1 on iPod Touch (3rd generation). Free for iPhone OS 3.0 users; $4.95 for iPod Touch users who stayed on iPhone OS 2.0
Improved Wi-Fi for iPhone 3G with Bluetooth turned on.
Ask to Join Networks toggle is hidden unless Wi-Fi is on.
Faster boot up time and various speed improvements.
Trimming video clips on the iPhone 3GS now offers the ability to save the edited version as a copy rather than simply overwriting the original file.
Safari now has a toggle for "Fraud Protection" under its Settings pane.
The Bulgarian keyboard now uses the Bulgarian State/National Standard layout instead of the QWERTY layout.
On iPod Touch (2nd generation) the Voice Memos app now successfully records audio if a microphone is connected after starting the application.
Numbers inside Notes have more options when tap and hold is triggered: Call, Text Message, Create New Contact, Add to Existing Contact.
Voice control over Bluetooth is now available, allowing users to initiate calls and control music playback via Bluetooth headsets (however, voice control while plugged into car audio systems no longer works).
Improves reception.
Fast forward and rewind from headphones.
Improved Exchange calendar syncing.
Home screens can be customized on iTunes 9.
Developer Extras.
Improvements to OpenGL and Quartz.
APIs allow third party apps to access videos and edit them.
Gives programmers their choice of video recording quality.
A pair of new app interface classes that are known to relate to graphics, but which haven't had their functions identified.
New camera APIs.
Calendar event alerts will be shown also with a pop-up, much like push notifications.
Enables connectivity to devices for development purposes wirelessly instead of needing tethering via the dock connector.
Ability to save videos from Mail or MMS.
Ability to copy and paste full quality videos from camera into email.
Anti-phishing in Safari.
Under usage tab in settings, can view data sent and received over tethering.
Instruments over Wi-Fi.
New enhancements to Core Audio in iPhone.
Failover support for HTTP live streaming.
iPod Touch (3rd generation) features:
Voice control
Accessibility features from iPhone 3GS, such as VoiceOver.
Accessibility features can be toggled on or off by triple-clicking the Home button.
Option to practice VoiceOver gestures.
Fixed an issue that caused app icons to display incorrectly.
Genius Mixes.
Genius Recommendations for Apps.
Sync videos to albums.
iTunes U content organization.
Redeem Gift Cards in App Store.
Display available iTunes account credit.
Enhanced iTunes support.
Ability to copy and paste telephone numbers in dialer application.
Includes new frameworks for recognizing custom gestures, custom keyboards, etc.
Allows display output to an externally connected display for compatible 3rd party apps.
Allows user to change home screen background.
Adds Terrain view in Maps application.
Location-based services rely on Apple's own databases instead services of Google and Skyhook Wireless.[69]
Allows transferring files between a computer and the device for a shared (per app) document store that all applications can access (iOS file sharing). Only available for the iPad.
Allows use of Apple Bluetooth keyboard (possibly other keyboards).
Includes a built-in dictionary which can be used in iWork, iBooks, and possibly other apps.
The Dock can now hold up to six icons.
The iPod app allows users to create and name custom playlists.
Safari's new thumbnail view allows users to navigate to up to nine active pages (similar to Top Sites on Safari for OS X).
Places in the Photos app allows the user to view their photos by location (needs iPhoto '09).
720p HD videos are available in the YouTube app.
Share YouTube videos to Facebook.
Wallpaper support for iPad (1st Generation).
3.2.1
July 15, 2010
Minor update. Improves Wi-Fi connection stability, fixes a PDF crash bug with Mail, fixes a bug where video playback could freeze, and adds Bing as a search engine to Safari.
3.2.2
August 11, 2010
Minor update that patches a PDF vulnerability exhibited in Safari.[70]
Apple announced iOS 4 in April 2010,[71] and released it to the public on June 21, 2010, alongside the iPhone 4.[72] It was the first version of the operating system to be called "iOS", due to the iPad being released. With this release, Apple dropped support for the original iPhone and the first generation iPod Touch, which is the first time Apple had dropped support for any device in an iOS release.[72] The iPhone 3G and the second generation iPod Touch were capable of running iOS 4, but had more limited features. For example, both devices lacked multitasking,[73] and the ability to set a custom home screen wallpaper.[74] This was also the first major release to be free of charge for iPod Touch users.[72] The release of iOS 4.2.1 brought compatibility to the original iPad[75] and was the final release supported on the iPhone 3G and 2nd generation iPod Touch due to significant performance issues. The release of iOS 4.3 added support for the iPad 2.[76] It was succeeded by iOS 5 on October 12, 2011.[77]
User interface for app switching by double clicking Home button.
Portrait orientation lock.
iPod control widget.
FaceTime direct video calling ability over Wi-Fi (iPhone 4 and later, iPod Touch (4th generation), and OS X users).
iBooks sync support through iTunes for iPhone and iPod Touch.
iAd mobile advertising network.
Settings
App-specific location settings.
Cellular data toggle (on-off).
"Complex Password" setting: passwords with alphabet characters and numbers.
Simple Passcode Lock (4 digit number) option.
New wallpapers.
Wallpaper available for Home screen.
New wallpaper preview for Home screen and lock screen.
Support for Internet tethering.
New Gmail and Exchange icons in Mail, Contacts, Calendars account settings.
Support multiple Exchange accounts.
Custom Dictionary.
Airplane Mode for iPod Touch.
Separated Sounds settings from General settings.
Home screen
Ability to categorize apps into folders with default folder naming based on category name in App Store.
Up to 2,160 instead of 180 visible apps (12 apps per folder).
Folder name supports up to 13 characters.
Custom Home screen wallpaper.
Dock redesigned to that of the iPad dock.
Rate on deleting app removed.
Default Utilities folder which contains the Clock, Calculator, Voice Memos and Compass apps.
Revised scrolling on the Home Screen.
Camera
Up to 5x digital (as opposed to optical) zoom feature on the Camera app.
Tap to focus during video.
Photos
Categorized by Albums, Faces, Events and Places (under iPhoto in OS X).
Support landscape mode.
Camera Roll
Support landscape mode.
Adds the ability to send apps as gifts in the App Store.
Maps
Unified "locate me" icon.
Background location icon shown on status bar.
iPod
Playlist creation on device.
Nested playlists.
Lyrics and Podcast info in Settings.
Bluetooth headsets now support volume control.
Album art displayed in Album view.
Notes
Notes syncing with MobileMe, Gmail IMAP and Yahoo! Mail.
Accounts management appears if syncing is enabled.
Notes setting below Mail, Contacts, Calendars Settings if syncing is enabled.
Moved search box into title bar.
Calendar & Contacts
Calendar: Support for birthdays, CalDAV invitation support, the ability to change which calendar an event is associated with, and the ability to customize what categories are shown.
Contacts: Support for CardDAV, a streamlined "New Contact" screen, and adds support for unified contacts.
Support for searching for messages, the web, or Wikipedia in Spotlight.
Safari
Bing is now an official search option, along with Google and Yahoo!.
Recent searches below search field.
Top hit in search.
Suggestions appear below search field for all 3 search engines.
Unified "Search" keyboard button when search field being used.
In-page audio playback.
Adds the ability to ask Voice Control what the current time is.
Support for rotate and zoom and updated 480p playback for videos in the YouTube app.
Accessibility
Larger fonts in Contacts, Mail, Messages and Notes.
Messages
Include a Search bar.
Character count (can be enabled or disabled in Settings > Messages screen).
Failed SMS notification.
Option to toggle off the ability to send group messages.
Redesigns the application dock at the bottom of the screen.
Mail
Unified inboxes.
Edit from outbox.
Support for multiple Exchange accounts.
File and delete Mail search results.
Organize by thread in Mail.
Quick look attachments.
Open attachments by registered filetype with corresponding apps from the App Store.
Smart links for dates and addresses.
Contact pictures in emails.
Create Calendar events from dates within emails.
International
Spell check.
Added Cangjie and Wubihua keyboards for Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Text replacement between Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Switch keyboard shortcut (holding the "Earth" button on keyboard for a while).
Added support for Danish voice control.
New languages added (Catalan, Hungarian, Vietnamese).
Other
Support for Apple Bluetooth keyboards.
Persistent Wi-Fi.
Added support for iBooks application.
Wake on wireless.
Auto-join and auto-login and IPv6 on individual Wi-Fi networks setting.
Nike + iPod fixes and the Retina Display (iPhone 4 only).
Fixes white balance issue with iPhone 4 under certain lighting conditions.
Fixes FaceTime error where iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users could enter "facetime://" URLs in Safari.
Adds Game Center[81]; no support for iPhone 3G.[82]
Security updates to accessibility, FaceTime, ImageIO and WebKit.[83]
Enables FaceTime call connection via email contacts (e.g. for iPod Touch (4th generation) users who won't have a phone number) and through favorites.[84]
Nike + iPod statistics submissions over Wi-Fi.
High dynamic range imaging (HDR) (only available for the iPhone 4).[81]
High-definition video uploads over Wi-Fi; iPhone 4 and iPod Touch (4th generation) only.[80]
iTunes adds iTunes Ping, a social music network and discovery tool (only available in countries with iTunes Store).[81]
TV show rentals (only available for iTunes US Store).[81]
Can move an existing appointment from one calendar to another.
Notes syncing removed from iPhone 3G due to reported performance problems.[85]
Final release supported on iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (2nd generation)
Bug fixes
Birthdays calendar does not display birthdays starting more than 77 years ago.[88]
Fixes glitch that can let a user get into the Phone app while the phone is locked via "Emergency Call" by dialing a random number and quickly pressing the lock button after dialing that call.[89]
Fixes the alarm bug caused by daylight saving time changing, affected on a part of iPhone and iPod Touch owners living in various countries.[90]
Improved iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (2nd generation) performance.[91]
AirPlay (replacement of AirTunes, AirPlay will offer stream video, music, and photos over Wi-Fi).[92]
AirPrint wireless printing with Print Center (select models).[92]
Import .ics calendar files directly for events.
Improved battery performance.
Birthdays icon has been changed in the Calendar app.
iOS 4 features for iPad (multitasking, folders, etc.).
Up to 4,400 icons instead of 220 (20 apps a folder).
Updated carrier signal strength display (3G iPad only).
Increase in the length of the smaller signal bars.
The method in which signal strength is calculated has been enhanced.
Additions to the multitasking tray.
Brightness.
Volume control.
AirPlay controls.
Screen rotation lock switch.
Physical iPad screen rotation lock switch is converted into a sound/silent switch in iOS 4.2 (just like on the iPhones), with a virtual screen rotation lock switch added to the multitasking tray.
More than 30 new keyboards and dictionaries, including Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew.
New animation for Multitasking.
New bookmarks design (iPhone and iPod Touch only).
Additions to multitasking tray.
Volume controls.
AirPlay controls.
New Voice Memos icon.
Ability to initiate FaceTime calls from Voice Control.
FaceTime shortcut from Messages app (iPhone 4 only).[94]
New text tone alerts (New and Original tone lists) (iPhone 4 only).
Ringer and alerts on/off switch (Settings > Sounds) for volume buttons (iPhone only).
Assign different text tone alerts to each contact.
Improved Safari performance with the Nitro JavaScript engine.
Redesigned "account" section under the Store menu.
Ability to switch on automatic downloads (for iTunes Music and App Store applications).
Location services have been shifted from General to Settings menu.
New parental controls for use with iTunes Ping.
New menu for scrubbing in videos.
Fine scrubbing: adjust by seconds / frames.
Quarter scrubbing: second.
Half speed scrubbing: adjust by minute(s).
Hi-speed scrubbing: run fast through minutes.
Ability to cancel and delete an app which is currently downloading. Before iOS 4.3, it was only possible to delete an app which had already downloaded.
Stream from an iTunes library to iOS using Home Sharing.
In-app purchases always ask for a password, even if one was entered before.
Internal system clock gets network time updated more often via NITZ (part of the official GSM standard since phase 2+ release 96) and gives a more accurate time for the device, it updates about every five days (iPhone only).
Personal Hotspot feature (Wi-Fi hotspot with up to 5 simultaneous devices (Wi-Fi hotspot iPhone 4 only[100])) on supported carriers.
Ability to set the number of times a text tone repeats (up to 10 times).
In field test mode refresh button has been removed and updated information has been displayed in bottom of the screen (it updates every 4–6 seconds).
Slideshow options moved to Photos app.
New look for taking a picture for a Contact.
When receiving a text message, the iPhone now vibrates 2 times.
Some SMS tones have been shortened (iPod Touch only).
New FaceTime icon (iPod Touch (4th generation) only).
Added FaceTime command in voice control (iPod Touch (4th generation) only).
New look for taking a picture for a Contact (iPod Touch (4th generation) only).
SMS App access through sms:num links is disabled (iPad only).
Ability to choose function of iPad's physical switch between rotation lock or mute.
Fullscreen iAd banner format.
Photo Booth and FaceTime app bug fixes (iPad 2 only).
Fixed issue that prevented controls from being dismissed in some cases.
Addressed issue where the keyboard could not be brought back when highlighting and swiping through search results.
VoiceOver now reads the entire chart in Stocks app while in landscape mode.
Fixed slideshow stop after 15 images when using AirPlay.
Enabled traffic volume indicator for IE (iPhone and iPad Wi-Fi + 3G only).
Fixed canceled recurring calendar events still showing on the event list.
Fixed deleting a recurring event make the alarm go away.
Fixed all-day alarm fired an hour early.
Fixed missing accented letters in European keyboard popups.
Increase font size for China and Pinyin inputs.
Fixed auto-correction issue when switch back from Emoji to English keyboard.
Fixed orientation of mail application not following device orientation under specific conditions.
Fixed mail message view and orientation when quickly selecting a message and hitting edit mode.
Fixed MMS messages with vCards scrolling up.
Added Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR).[101]
Added new icon for Wi-Fi tethering for personal hotspot on status bar.
Fixed issue that caused Safari and other apps to crash after loading certain heavy Web sites.
Fixed Personal Hotspot password failure with 22+ characters.
Bug fix update; fixes several bugs including issues with connectivity and graphics along with other fixes.[102]
4.3.2
April 14, 2011
Security update, fixes 5 security vulnerabilities and fixes several bugs including a bug where video could freeze during a FaceTime call.[103]
4.3.3
May 4, 2011
Minor update; includes miscellaneous changes to the location database cache and removes ability to cancel / delete apps that are currently downloading.
4.3.4
July 15, 2011
Security update; fixes 3 security vulnerabilities; re-introduces the ability to cancel / delete currently downloading applications.
4.3.5
July 25, 2011
Security update fixing a certificate validation security issue; final version of iOS 4 for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch, iPad (1st generation), iPad 2, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th generations).
Apple announced iOS 5 on June 6, 2011, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event,[77] and it was released to the public on October 12, 2011, alongside the iPhone 4S. With this release, Apple did not drop support for these devices,[104] though support for the iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch (2nd generation) had already been dropped with iOS 4.3 seven months earlier due to hardware limitations and performance issues.[76] The release of iOS 5.1 brought support for the iPad (3rd generation).[105] iOS 5.1.1 was the final release supported for the iPad (1st generation) and iPod Touch (3rd generation).[106][107] iOS 5.0 was also the last iOS version announced while Steve Jobs was alive.[108] It was succeeded by iOS 6 on September 19, 2012.[109]
All notifications concentrated to Notification Center: swipe downwards from the status bar to open it. Notification center shows a list of all notifications and widgets (widgets available only on iPhone and iPod Touch).
Notification order can be arranged.
Choose Notification Type: Banner notifications, the classic pop-up notifications, or no notification at all (selectable on an app-by-app basis).
Notification list on lock screen. Swipe an icon to unlock and go to the specific notification.
Notifications announcing earthquakes with 2 minutes (only in Japan).[110][111]
Messages
Messaging between all iOS devices running iOS 5 through Wi-Fi or 3G. Allows to send text, photos, videos, contacts, and locations.
All iMessages and conversations will be synced between all iOS devices linked under a single Apple ID. A conversation can be started on one device and continued on another.
Can message between multiple people simultaneously (group messaging).
Shows when other person(s) is typing.
Delivery receipts.
Optional read receipts (enable in Settings).
Animated GIF image support for iMessage.
Ability to set how many times an alert will be shown when a new message is received (ranges from once to ten times).
The name of the person that responds appears in small light blue text directly above the response when SMS is sent to a group.
Slight redesign for text messages. Font and time-stamp layout.
Hide keyboard; hidden by downwards scrolling in message screen (after being used to type a message). Unhidden again by tapping in text entry field.
Newsstand
A new icon on the Home Screen, which opens to an iBooks-inspired folder which shows all papers and magazines downloaded from the App Store.
Subscriptions to newspapers and magazines available for browsing and downloading in a dedicated section of the App Store, stored in the Newsstand folder.
Reminders
"To-Do list" functionality in Reminders app.
Date-based reminder notifications.
Location-based reminder notifications that can be set to when the user leaves, or arrives at a specified area.
Twitter integration
Tweeting from native applications: Photos, Camera, YouTube, Maps, and Safari using new Tweet Sheet which supports multiple accounts.
Music
iPod app now split and renamed to Music and Videos (iPhone and iPad only; was always split on the iPod Touch).
Video podcasts can only be found in the Videos app.
Ability to play content while the device is synchronizing with iTunes.
Ability to delete songs from device (by swiping over the corresponding song).
Tap and hold on a song to view extended song information (iPhone and iPod Touch only).
Long names scrolling in now playing.
Album artwork now displays in full resolution (Retina Display only) on Now Playing screen.
Broadcast songs information on devices (e.g. car stereo) when connected over Bluetooth.
Improved Sound Check for Music.
"Group by Album Artist" option for Music.
iTunes Store button has been added to the Music app.
Removed ability to view lyrics (on iPad).
Camera
Volume-up key as shutter release button to take photos (also works using headphone remote volume up button). Also works for starting/stopping recording of videos.
Shortcut to Camera app from lock screen, accessed by double-clicking the home button (iPhone 3GS and later and iPod Touch 4th generation only).
Grid composition aide (3x3).
Spread to zoom-in, pinch to zoom-out.
Swipe left to reveal camera roll.
Tap and hold to lock/unlock Auto Exposure and Auto Focus.
Options button added, HDR toggle and Grid composition aide toggle.
New Camera button on Photos app that returns to Camera instead of a "Done" button (was on OS before this) to close the Camera Roll.
Face detection and video stabilization on iPhone 4S.
Adds several features to Maps including the ability to print maps and view alternative routes.
Calendar
Can now create, rename, and delete calendars right on the device.
Tap and hold or double-tap to create a new event.
Tap and hold in "all-day events" to create a new all-day event.
Drag appointments to a new time slot.
Drag handles to change start and end times.
Creating new Event, now an "Invitees" field; takes to screen for multiple email address entry, emails sent to all invitees once event is saved.
Invitee can "Accept"/"Decline"/"Maybe"; reply sent to iCloud servers then reflected for all invitees to see.
Calendar event on device lists those invitees accepting event.
All users on iOS 5.x devices get notification when event is nearing.
Ability to specify a time zone to events.
Ability to add URLs to events.
Current time on Calendar if in landscape mode.
Navigate in day view by swiping.
Event attachments can now be viewed directly in the app.
Share calendars through iCloud with friends and family. Edits made by subscribers to that calendar are updated and pushed to other subscribers of that calendar (can be disabled by the creator of the calendar and locked so others cannot make edits).
Japanese or Buddhist calendars support.
Mail
Rich text formatting (bold, italics, and underline).
Indentation control.
Ability to mark multiple mail items as read.
Ability to flag emails.
Draggable mail address in the recipients field.
Alert if the subject line is blank.
Search now includes body of messages.
Delete mails while in Airplane mode.
Exchange ActiveSync Email can now be deleted offline.
Can create new email folders.
Mail sidebar.
S/MIME support.
Ability to show 1000 recent messages; 25 message option removed.
Ability to create additional @me.com email address within the Mail settings.
Ability to increase quote level in Mail settings.
New and updated tiny icons on Mail for Windows Live Mail, Gmail, Exchange, etc.
Hotmail accounts now have new icons and folders.
While reading an email the user can swipe right to open a list of messages and swipe left to bring back the open email message again.
If the user has multiple email accounts configured in Mail.app, swipe left or right from one's mailboxes folder list, it will take the user to another account's mailboxes.
Support for three popular Chinese email services: Tencent's QQ Mail, and Netease's 163.com and 126.com mail inboxes.[112]
Photos
Built-in basic photo editing: crop, red-eye, auto-enhance and rotate photos.
Ability to create and edit local photo albums folders (only those that aren't synced with iTunes).
Ability to sync pictures taken on one iOS device automatically with other iOS 5 devices using Photo Stream.
Ability to select all when adding pictures to an album.
Slight re-design for video time-line under Photos app.
Safari
Safari Reader: new "Reader" icon appears in address bar if Safari detects a webpage article, removing need to click-through to each page. Scrollable window sheet appears over current webpage showing all article pages together separated by page breaks, removing ads and page clutter.
Ability to change font size in reader mode.
Reading List: a new area of the bookmarks window has been added, purposed for pages the user might want to read later. New pages can be added from a new option in the action menu or when long-pressing on a link.
Items from the Reading List can be synced to iCloud to be pushed to all of the user's other iOS devices.
Safari bookmarks can be synced to iCloud.
Ability to open pages in background or in new page (change in Settings).
Ability to replace a word with a word from a list of similarly spelled words spellings when typing in a text box on a web page.
Private Browsing; interface colours change from blue to black (change in Settings).
Ability to remove custom website data.
CSS fixed position support.
Slight fade out at end of long URLs (instead of ellipses) in the address bar.
HTML5 drawing is faster.
Kinetic scrolling within text fields in Safari.
iCloud
iTunes, iBooks (books and progress), App Store, Photo, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Mail, Safari (Bookmarks and Reading List), Settings, app data, iWork, and backup data; saved in iCloud to automatically or manually download to all linked devices (iOS and Mac/Windows PCs).
All iMessages and conversations will be synced between all iOS devices linked under a single Apple ID. The user can start a conversation on one device and continue it on another.
Backup home screen layout on iCloud.
Document sync.
Ability to buy more storage.
Free upgrade to 256 kbit/s bit rate for iTunes purchased songs if backing up on iCloud.
File names in iCloud Storage are case-sensitive.
Documents/data can now be selected to sync with iCloud account.
Option to disable iCloud Sync via cellular network to save cost, especially if roaming.
Game Center
Photos for Friends.
Ability to make the user's Profile public or private.
Points in Game Center: shows how many points the user has on the home screen of Game Center.
Sort and view Friends on the basis of Points.
Friend recommendations.
Game recommendations.
Games can be purchased from within Game Center.
New Friend requests screen.
Native support for turn based games.
Settings
Help Center: learn more about every option under settings app to explore more about it.
New menu under Location Services, named System Services, where some services can be toggled on or off (such as setting the time-zone, location-based iAds, Diagnostics, etc.).
Hearing Aid Mode.
Ability to rename the device.
Ability to set up an AirPort base station or Time Capsule devices.
Ability to organise Notification Center items "Manually" or "By Time".
Can select which apps can be included in Notification Center.
Can select which type of notification will be used for each app: banner notification, classic pop-up style notification, or no notification.
Ability to turn off app badges.
On the "Ringtone" and "Text Tone" page, instead of showing "new", they are all in one category now.
Custom sounds for New Message, New Voicemail, New Mail, Sent Mail and Reminders alerts.
Ability to purchase text, email, and voicemail alert tones.
Under "Mail, Contacts, Calendars", on the bottom it shows "Reminders" and gives an option to Sync.
In the "Messages" section, the "Alerts", "Show Preview", and "Repeat Alert" options have been removed.
The Usage screen is improved and now shows how much of the memory is consumed by each app.
Storage usage clean up.
Backup to iCloud shortcut added.
Software Update menu added. This allows easier and faster updating of devices independently, without a computer with iTunes installed; the update downloads directly to the iOS device; needs Wi-Fi or cellular network connection.
Photo Stream settings.
New purchases Settings; automatically download new purchases made on other devices (for music, apps, and books). This can also be enabled or disabled for use on cellular when not connected to Wi-Fi.
Twitter sign-in OS-wide with support for multiple Twitter accounts.
Ability to set left or right for mono audio.
Ability to turn on/off sending of iOS diagnostic data to Apple.
Keyboard
Ability to create keyboard shortcuts to replace custom phrases. By default includes "omw" which expands to "On my way!".
Emoji keyboard no longer needs an app to enable it (regarding non-Japanese devices).
Define the user's own words in Offline Dictionary.
New keyboard with prominent # (hash-tag) and @ (mention) buttons for Twitter app similar to the ".com" button when entering an address into the Safari address bar.
New Chinese-Pinyin keyboard spreading.
Quick Chinese input method.
List of associated words show on the top of Chinese input keyboard.
Voice to text support on iPhone 4S.
PC-Free
iTunes/USB no longer needed to activate new devices via a computer.
New welcome screen when using the device for the first time (or after resetting a device).
Ability to start fresh with no need to tether it to iTunes. Option to restore all data on a device from an iCloud backup through a simple iCloud sign in.
Ability to wirelessly sync to iTunes over Wi-Fi added (an initial tethered sync is needed to pair them together and the setting must be enabled in iTunes).
OTAdelta updates: from iOS 5 forward, devices can now self-update the system software right on the device itself through Wi-Fi or 3G; no iTunes or computer needed.
YouTube
Ability to play 480p/720p videos over 3G (iPhone only).[113]
Scrolling titles for YouTube videos.
Seek bar fine scrubbing visual notification has been added.
FaceTime
Improved video quality.
Ability to set the FaceTime caller-ID to be the user's email or phone number.
Ability to mirror the FaceTime call on large screen.[114]
iTunes/App Store
iTunes Tone Store.
New Purchased History section.
Genius support for finding songs and apps similar to ones users have purchased formerly.
Ability to completely disable in-app purchases.
iTunes password prompt.
Restrictions with password needed for purchases if enabled.
Shows "Install" instead of the price for formerly purchased apps. Shows "Installed" for installed apps.
Additional "iForgot" button on App Store if a user has forgotten their Apple ID password.
Simultaneous app downloads.
Custom tones for almost everything under "Sounds" with "Buy more tones" button.
Music app now has a "Store" button that goes to the iTunes Store.
Contacts
Add family relations ("related names") to contacts.
Add social media info into contacts.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver item chooser.
VoiceOver action support.
Arabic language support for VoiceOver.
Option to speak text selection.
New voices for VoiceOver.
Bluetooth
AVRCP 1.4 supported (sends track and artist info to supported devices).
Minor improvements/bug fixes
New rounded UI switch graphic.
Ability to use the device while syncing.
Spotlight search now includes Reminders and searches through Messages.
Built-in system-wide dictionary; in the typical Cut/Copy/Paste pop-up when selecting text, there is a new option to "Define". Define brings up a view with definition of the selected word.
Ability to delete app data.
Fixed a bug that caused a song to crash for a second while switching to another application in the multitasking tray.
Apps fade to home screen when they crash, rather than flicking off.
Option to automatically set the time (new for Wi-Fi-only devices).
Switching the ringer switch to "on", the indicator now shows the volume level bar (iPhone and iPad only).
Screenshots are saved using the device's orientation (formerly, all screenshots were saved as if the device was in portrait mode).
Hindi virtual keyboard based on standard InScript layout. (iPhone and iPod Touch only).
Notification Center
Option to display Stock and Weather widgets in Notification Center. Swipe weather left or right to get five-day forecast.
Better voice recognition for Australian English (Dictation feature).
Contains security improvements.
Activates the LED camera flash, whether the speaker is muted or not, for incoming calls and messages, when activated within the Accessibility sub-menu.
Introduces a new way for developers to specify files that should not be backed up.iPhone 4S only (Build 9A406)
Attempts to fix "Invalid Sim" and "No SIM card installed" issues.
Bug fix and security update, including fixes for battery drain and call echoing. Adds decline button to calls and support for podcast playback position syncing. Final release supported on iPad (1st generation) and iPod Touch (3rd generation).
Minor update for iPhone 4S that improves reliability of the cellular antenna.[125]
6.1.2
February 19, 2013
Minor update that fixes a Microsoft Exchange calendar bug that caused network activity to increase and battery life to decrease.[126]
6.1.3
March 19, 2013
Minor update that fixes lock screen bypass and unsigned code execution security issues, and adds improvements to the Apple Maps app for users in Japan.[127]
6.1.4
May 2, 2013
Bug fix update for iPhone 5 that fixes a speakerphone bug.[128]
Apple announced iOS 7 on June 10, 2013, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 18, 2013, alongside the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S. With this release, Apple dropped support for the iPhone 3GS due to hardware limitations and the iPod Touch (4th generation) due to performance issues. iOS 7 has limited support on the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4 since they do not support Siri. However, other devices from the iPhone 4S onwards, iPod Touch (5th generation) onwards, the iPad (3rd generation) onwards, and the iPad Mini (1st generation) onwards were fully supported. The release of iOS 7.0.3 brought support for the iPad Air and iPad Mini 2. iOS 7.1.2 was the final release on the iPhone 4. iOS 7 is the first iOS version to support 64-bit processors. It is also the first iOS version to run 64-bit apps. It was succeeded by iOS 8 on June 2, 2014.
Minor update for iPhone 5S and 5C that fixes bugs with Touch ID on the iPhone 5S and the App Store purchases system.
7.0.2
September 26, 2013
Security update that fixes a lock screen bypass bug and includes the bug fixes in iOS 7.0.1 for all devices. Additionally re-introduces support for passcode entry using the Greek keyboard layout.
Photos and Camera tab in iOS Settings has a new option, "Upload Burst Photos" .
The Parallax effect can be disabled independently of other animations when setting up wallpaper.
Notification Center now displays "No Notifications" and "No Missed Notifications" for the "All" and "Missed" sections respectively when there are no notifications.
Redesigned the UI of a incoming phone call, which is now transparent, and now allows you to directly decline phone calls.[131]
A new Yahoo logo, in both the Notification Center and the Weather and Stocks apps.
A new dialogue "Touch ID requires your passcode when iPhone restarts" displays when restarting.
New iPad wallpapers.
"Touch ID and Passcode" has been moved to the main menu in Settings.
Animations and transitions are faster.
Keyboard has new Shift and Backspace key highlights.
Control Center has a new "spring" animation upon opening.
Control Center sliders – volume and brightness – have momentum.
Icons for Phone, Messages and FaceTime apps have less vibrant colors.
Music app: Albums now in descending order when browsing by Artist.
The buttons are circular in shape and do not show the word of what the icon means.
The Phone and FaceTime apps have a new-look dialer and "end call" button.
The slide-to-power-off UI has been redesigned; the shape of the slider is circular and the thing that says "slide to power off" is oval in shape. Same with the "slide to answer" slider in the Phone and FaceTime apps.
Reduce Motion function in Settings app is introduced. This function reduces the motion of the UI and disables the parallax effects.
Removes the infamous "black screen of death (BkSoD)" and "White screen of death (WSoD)" that appeared in iOS 7.0.x.
Stability and Performance
Improves the performance on an iPhone 4.
Software Update
This is the First update to iOS that enables beta versions to update over-the-air to the final release.
Issues
Touch ID fingerprint recognition is disabled when rebooting, turning Touch ID on and off; even restoring or resetting the device does not solve the problem.P5S
Minor bug fix and security update that fixes bugs with Touch ID, keyboard performance, Settings notification badge, and Bluetooth keyboards when VoiceOver is used.[134]
7.1.2
June 30, 2014
Minor bug fix and security update that fixes bugs with iBeacons, communication with 3rd-party accesories such as bar code scanners, and Mail. Serves as the final update for the iPhone 4.[135]
Apple announced iOS 8 on June 2, 2014, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 17, 2014, alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for the iPhone 4 due to performance issues, and the Apple TV (2nd generation) due to hardware limitations. iOS 8 has limited support on the iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and the iPod Touch (5th generation),[citation needed] as Apple received widespread complaints of extremely poor performance from owners of these devices. All other devices from the iPhone 5 onwards, iPod Touch (6th generation) onwards, the iPad (4th generation) onwards, and the iPad Mini 2 onwards were fully supported. The release of iOS 8.1 brought support for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3, and the release of iOS 8.4 brought support for the iPod Touch (6th generation). iOS 8.3 was the first version of iOS to have public beta testing available, where users could test the beta for upcoming releases of iOS and send feedback to Apple about bugs and issues. The final version of iOS 8 was iOS 8.4.1. iOS 8 was succeeded by iOS 9 on June 8, 2015.
Pulled minor update that enables support for third-party applications in HealthKit, improves Reachability reliability on iPhone 6 / 6 Plus, and fixes high SMS & MMS data usage.[136]
8.0.2
September 25, 2014
Minor update that re-enables cellular connectivity and Touch ID on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus after they were disabled in 8.0.1.
Apple announced iOS 9 on June 8, 2015, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 16, 2015, alongside the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and iPad Mini 4. With this release, Apple did not drop support for any iOS devices, but support for Apple TV (3rd generation) has been dropped following the release due to 32-bit deprecations. Therefore, iOS 9 was supported on the iPhone 4S onwards, iPod Touch (5th generation) onwards, the iPad 2 onwards, and the iPad Mini (1st generation) onwards. However, iOS 9 has limited support on devices with an Apple A5 or A5X processor: the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation).[citation needed] This release made the iPad 2 the first device to support six major releases of iOS, supporting iOS 4 through iOS 9. Despite Apple's promise of better performance on these devices, there were still widespread complaints that the issue had not been fixed. iOS 9.3.5 is the final release on the iPod Touch (5th generation), the Wi-Fi-only iPad 2, the Wi-Fi-only iPad (3rd generation), and the Wi-Fi-only iPad Mini (1st generation). iOS 9.3.6 is the final release on the iPhone 4S, the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad 2, the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad (3rd generation), and the Wi-Fi + cellular iPad Mini (1st generation). iOS 9 is the last version to run on iPhones and iPads with 30-pin connector. iOS 9 was succeeded by iOS 10 on September 10, 2016.
Adds support for a new feature named Night Shift which, manually or automatically (based on user preference), makes the display color warmer so it is easier to view at night. Users can adjust the color temperature in the Settings app
Night Shift works only on 64-bit devices
Adds support for protecting notes inside the Notes app with a passcode or Touch ID
Support for pairing multiple Apple Watches to your iPhone
Builds 13E236 and 13E237 were issued to devices that were affected by the Activation Lock bug. These re-issued builds helped correct the issue after the prior builds were withdrawn
Fixes an issue where connecting to a fake Apple time server which sets system time to January 1, 1970 can cause 64-bit devices to overheat and become unresponsive after a restart
Apple announced iOS 10 on June 13, 2016, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 13, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for devices using an A5 or A5X processor: the iPhone 4S, the iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation) due to hardware limitations and performance issues, ending software support for iPhones and iPads with 30-pin connector and 3.5-inch display. iOS 10 has limited support on devices with 32-bit processors: the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, and iPad (4th generation).[citation needed] However, the iPhone 5S onwards, iPod Touch (6th generation), iPad Air onwards, and the iPad Mini 2 onwards are fully supported. The release of iOS 10.2.1 brought support for the iPad (5th generation), and iOS 10.3.2 brought support for the iPad Pro (10.5-inch) and the iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2nd generation). iOS 10.3.3 is the final supported release for the iPhone 5C and the Wi-Fi—only iPad (4th generation), while iOS 10.3.4 is the final supported release for the iPhone 5 and the iPad (4th generation) with cellular modem. iOS 10 is the final iOS version to run on 32-bit processors, including non–Touch ID iPhones and the final iOS version for devices with 64-bit processors to support Windows Vista. It is also the final version of iOS to run 32-bit apps. It was succeeded by iOS 11 on September 19, 2017.
Portrait Mode is added to the iPhone 7 Plus, allowing photos to create a depth effect where the subject is kept sharp but the background is blurred
Fixes a bug where opening the Camera app caused severe visual glitches
Fixes another issue that caused Photos to unexpectedly close when enabling iCloud Photo Library
Maps now has transit support for every major train, subway, ferry, and national bus line, along with local bus systems for Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya
Maps displays transit fare comparison
Bubble and full-screen effects can be replayed in Messages
Fixes a bug where contact names were displayed incorrectly in Messages
Fixes a bug where Messages would open to a blank white screen
Fixes a bug where the Weather widget would fail to load properly
Fixes a bug where iCloud backups would fail to restore
Fixes a bug where a signed application may substitute code from another application with the same team ID
Fixes a bug where an application that was originally granted access to Address Book would be able to continue to access Address Book if said access was removed
Fixes a bug where viewing a maliciously crafted JPEG file led to arbitrary code execution
Fixes a bug where an attacker in a privileged network position may be able to simulated a FaceTime call hangup
Fixes a bug where processing a maliciously crafted font led to arbitrary code execution
Fixes a bug where an attacker in a privileged network position may be able to spoof the other caller in a multi-call situation
Fixes a bug that allowed arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges
Fixes multiple bugs that allowed an application to gain arbitrary code execution with root privileges
Fixes a bug where a maliciously crafted archive may be able to overwrite arbitrary files
Fixes multiple bugs where processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
Introduction of APFS, Apple's new file system. Upon installation, devices are converted from HFS+ to APFS.[151]
The iCloud account associated with a device is now displayed at the top of Settings. If no iCloud account is associated, a prompt to Sign In will be displayed.
Find My AirPods allows locating of AirPods, and playing a sound to locate them
Siri can display cricket scores from the Indian Premier League and the International Cricket Council
The weather icon in the Maps app includes 3D Touch to show hourly forecasts
CarPlay includes new shortcuts for launching recently used apps
In Settings, when choosing an alphanumeric code with numbers only, passcodes can no longer be shorter than 4 characters in length.
An alert is now displayed to indicate that 32-bit apps need to be updated and will no longer work in iOS 11 and later
Fixes a bug that allowed a local attacker to view the associated Apple ID from Lock Screen
Fixes multiple bugs where processing a maliciously crafted font may lead to denial-of-service, disclosing of kernel memory, unexpected application termination, and arbitrary code execution
Fixes multiple bugs where processing of maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
Fixes an astonishing number of bugs where processing of maliciously crafted images may lead to arbitrary code execution
Fixes an astonishing number of bugs where applications can gain arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges
Fixes a bug where a third-party phone app may be able to forcefully initiate a phone call
Fixes a bug where web history in Private Browsing was recorded
Apple announced iOS 11 on June 5, 2017, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 19, 2017, alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. With this release, Apple dropped support for the 32-bit iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, and iPad (4th generation) and also for 32-bit applications. iOS 11 has limited support on devices with the Apple A7 or A8 processors: the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPod Touch (6th generation), iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, 3, and 4.[citation needed] However, all other devices from the iPhone 6S/6S Plus onwards, iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Pro, and iPad (5th generation) onwards are fully supported. iOS 11.0.1 brought support for the iPhone X and iOS 11.3 brought support for the iPad (6th generation). The final version of iOS 11 to be released was iOS 11.4.1. iOS 11 is the first version of iOS to only run on 64-bit processors. It is also the first iOS version to run only 64-bit apps; 32-bit apps are not supported on iOS 11 or later. It was succeeded by iOS 12 on September 17, 2018.
32-bit iOS applications are now no longer supported
Many app icons are redesigned, becoming more simple
Battery icon is redesigned
Cellular signal strength is displayed with 4 bars in ascending scale, rather than 5 dots
The Music player on Lock Screen is no longer full-screen
Screenshots can be edited via cropping, drawing, and more right after taking by tapping the small window that appears after taking a screenshot
Photos can be encoded with HEIF and HEVC to take up less space
Portrait Mode on supported devices supports HDR, True Tone flash, and OIS, or Optical Image Stabilization
The App Store has been redesigned
Introduces Do Not Disturb while Driving to automatically disable notifications when driving, silence the phone, and keep the display off, and sending an optional autoreply sent to certain contacts via iMessage when they texted.
Dock on iPad shows recently used apps
Files app is introduced which allows browsing, searching, and organizing of both on-device and iCloud Drive files
HomeKit supports sprinklers, faucets, and AirPlay 2 speakers
Augmented Reality apps on the App Store allow placing virtual objects in the real world, such as Pokémon Go
Control Center is redesigned to have all toggles on one page
Control Center can be customized depending on a user's needs
Screen recording was added, which could be enabled by adding it to the control center
Fixes multiple bugs that allowed an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
Prevents an attacker in a privileged network position from erasing a device in the process of setting up a Microsoft Exchange account
Fixes many bugs that allowed applications to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
Fixes multiple bugs that caused unpacking of a maliciously crafted archive to grant arbitrary code execution
Fixes a multitude of bugs that caused processing maliciously crafted XML to grant arbitrary code execution
Fixes multiple bugs where processing of maliciously crafted images led to denial-of-service
Prevents a remote attacker from executing arbitrary code
Fixes many bugs that caused processing of maliciously crafted web content to lead to arbitrary code execution
Fixes an address bar spoofing bug
Fixes a bug chain that allowed arbitrary code execution on baseband, which led to arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges in userspace
Introduces ARKit 1.5, granting developers the ability to place virtual objects on vertical surfaces, such as walls or doors, in addition to horizontal surfaces
Adds the ability to detect and implement images, such as movie posters or artwork, into Augmented Reality experiences
iPhone Battery Health (Beta)
Displays information about an iPhone’s battery, such as its current maximum capacity and if the battery is still supporting peak performance capabilities
Indicates if the iPhone Performance Management feature is turned on, while including the option to disable the feature is desired
Gives a recommendation if the battery inside of the iPhone should be replaced
iPad Charge Management
Maintains the health of the battery when it has been connected to power for extended periods of time
Animoji
Introduces four new Animoji characters: Lion, Bear, Dragon and a Skull
Safari
Warnings are now shown when accessing unencrypted webpages
Keyboard
Introduces two new Shuangpin keyboard layouts
Improves the Japanese and Chinese keyboards on 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices
Users can now switch back to the keyboard from dictation mode with one tap
Adds support for using AML for Emergency SOS
Podcasts episodes can now be played with a single tap
Fixes a bug where the Lock Screen would blank itself except for the wallpaper
Fixes a bug where parents were prevented from using Face ID to approve Ask to Buy requests
Fixes a bug where audio would fail to play in cars if the app was in the background
Apple announced iOS 12 on June 4, 2018, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 17, 2018, alongside the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. With this release, Apple did not drop support for any iOS devices. Therefore, iOS 12 was supported on the iPhone 5S onwards, iPod Touch (6th generation), the iPad Air onwards and the iPad Mini 2 onwards. However, iOS 12 has limited support on devices with the Apple A7 or A8 processors: the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPod Touch (6th generation), iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, 3 and 4.[citation needed] All other devices from the iPhone 6S/6S Plus onwards, the iPad Air (2019), the iPad (5th generation) onwards and all iPad Pro models are fully supported. iOS 12.1 brought support to the iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 3rd generation) and iPad Pro (11-inch, 1st generation) and iOS 12.2 brought support to the iPad Mini (5th generation) and iPad Air (3rd generation). iOS 12.5.7 is the last supported release for the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air (1st generation), iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation). It was the last version named "iOS" to run on iPads; it was succeeded by iOS 13 on iPhones and iPadOS 13 on iPads on September 19, 2019.
Minor security update that fixes two arbitrary code execution issues and a bug in Group FaceTime that allowed users to enable video without being notified.[171]
Apple announced iOS 13 on June 3, 2019, at its annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, and it was released to the public on September 19, 2019, alongside the iPhone 11 series (11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max). The principal features include an option for dark mode and Memoji support for A9+ devices. The NFC framework now supports reading several types of contactless smartcards and tags.[180] The iPad gains several tablet-oriented features, and its operating system has been rebranded as iPadOS; iPadOS 13 was announced at the 2019 WWDC as well. With this release, Apple dropped support for all devices with less than 2 GB of RAM, which included the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6/6 Plus, sixth-generation iPod Touch, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, and iPad Air. iOS/iPadOS 13 has limited support on devices with the A8/A8X chip (which are the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4).[181] However, all other devices from the iPhone 6S/6S Plus and later, iPod Touch (7th generation), iPad Pro (1st generation), iPad (5th generation), and iPad Mini (5th generation) and later are fully supported (A9 and A10 devices have almost full support, while those with A11 and later chips have full support). iOS 13 brought support for the iPhone 11 series and the second-generation iPhone SE, while iPadOS 13 brought support for the seventh-generation iPad, the iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 4th generation), and the iPad Pro (11-inch, 2nd generation). It was succeeded by iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on September 16, 2020.
The OS on the iPad 2017, 2018, Air 2, Air 3, Mini 4, Mini 5, and Pro line has been renamed to iPadOS. It is similar to iOS 13, but has some features exclusively for iPad.[182]
When enabled, the UI, native apps, and supported third-party apps undergo a basic light-on-dark color scheme, and the iOS 13 wallpapers have a darker color scheme. The user can also set a schedule for what time Dark Mode comes on, and what time Light Mode comes back on.
Siri's voice is now done by software called "Neural TTS" instead of human voice clips, making Siri sound much more natural.
Siri can now play audio, including music, podcasts, audio books, and radio, with third-party apps.
There is now an option for an Indian-English voice.
Siri now offers personalized suggestions in Apple Podcasts, Safari, and Maps. Siri can also now detect reminders in messages and events in third-party apps.
Siri can now tune into radio shows on command.
Keyboard
The QuickType keyboard now includes QuickPath, which allows the user to type in a word by sliding a finger between the letters without moving it up. QuickPath supports English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
Swiping or tapping to type works interchangeably, even mid-sentence.
Alternate word options now appear in the predictive bar.
Dictation will automatically detect what language a user is speaking. This language will be chosen from up to four keyboard languages enabled on the device.
Camera
After taking a picture in Portrait Mode, the user can adjust the position and intensity of each Portrait lighting effect.
A new Portrait Lighting effect, called High-Key Mono, "creates a beautiful, classic look with a monochromatic subject on a white background."
Portrait Segmentation API now has skin, hair, and teeth segmentation.
All-new Camera app on the iPhone 11 series
App Store
Apple Arcade: A new subscription service with over 100 new games, with no ads or additional purchases.
The Updates tab found in iOS 12 and earlier has been removed and merged into the Account bottom sheet.
The App Store now has support for Arabic and Hebrew in stories, collections and lists, product pages, and searches.
Apps with large sizes (especially games) can now be downloaded over a cellular connection, but the user will be warned if the file size exceeds a certain threshold.
Maps
The map itself has been redone from the ground up. According to Apple, it features "significantly improved and more realistic details" for areas like roads, beaches, parks, buildings, and more.
The user can now explore the area they are going to before they arrive with a 3D, 360-degree experience.
Collections of favorite locations can be built and shared with others.
The user can now make a list of places they visit often to access them quickly.
A feature called Junction View helps drivers in China eliminate wrong turns and directional misses by lining them up in the correct lane before they need to turn or enter an elevated road.
The process of submitting customer feedback has been redesigned to be faster.
Siri's navigation uses more natural language. For example, instead of saying "in x feet turn left," it says "turn left at the next traffic light". Navigation is also more accurate.
The user can now see departure times live, the location of their bus or train on its route, and a more detailed schedule of transit stops.
Flight details now include info about a terminal, gate locations, departure times, and more.
Place cards have more improved info, such as Today @ Apple sessions at Apple Store locations, and movie theater time listings.
MapKit now has vector overlays, point-of-interest filtering, camera zoom and pan limits, and Dark Mode support.
CarPlay now has easier route planning, search, and navigation. It also includes Junction View (China only), Favorites, and Collections.
Introduces support for lyrics synchronized to the song a user is currently listening to. Not all songs support this feature.
Redesigns the Now Playing bottom sheet, moving the Up Next queue to a dedicated action, while moving the Shuffle and Repeat actions to the Up Next view.
Adds over 100,000 live radio stations to the service.
Performance
Apps can now launch up to twice as fast as on iOS 12.
Unlocking the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR using Face ID is up to 30% faster compared to iOS 12.
Apps from the App Store are packaged in a new way, making them as small as half the size compared to iOS 12, which makes them download faster and take up less storage.
App updates are on average 60% smaller compared to iOS 12, allowing for faster downloads.
Other Changes
Introduces support for pinch to zoom in the Voice Memos app when editing voice recordings.
Communication Limits: In the Screen Time app, time limits can now be set for phone calls, messages, and FaceTime calls. Individual limits can be set for each contact.
Apple News
There is a new layout for Apple News+ stories from some "leading newspapers" such as the Wall Street Journal.
There is now a quick option to like or dislike a story from the main page.
Stocks
Stories from Apple News have been made available in Canada in English and French.
There is a new "continue reading" option with links to more stories that are related or from the same publisher.
New "Breaking" and "Developing" labels for Top Stories
Patches CVE-2020-9859, a memory consumption vulnerability that can be used by an application to perform arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.[186] This vulnerability was used by the unc0ver jailbreak.
Allows users to unlock, lock, and start compatible cars with an iPhone.
Uses NFC to communicate with compatible vehicles.
Can be found in the Wallet app.
Features
iCloud integration: Allows the removal of digital keys from devices that have been lost.
iMessage: Share digital keys with contacts using iMessage, potentially with restrictions.
Power Reserve: Allows users to unlock / start their car up to five hours after their iPhone has run out of battery.
Health
New 'Symptoms' section in the Health app.
News
Apple News+ Audio: Allows the user to listen to news stories as opposed to reading them, if subscribed to Apple News+.
Bug Fixes & Other Improvements
Settings Improvements
Automatic Updates
Renamed to "Customize Automatic Updates" from "Automatic Updates".
The "Automatic Updates" toggle was renamed to "Download iOS Updates".
If this toggle is enabled, an additional toggle labelled "Install iOS Updates" becomes visible, allowing users to automatically install new updates.
COVID-19 Exposure Logging
Enabled in more regions and states.
If not available in a given user's region, a notice letting the user know that the feature is "not currently available in their region" as well as a description of what the feature does is now visible.
Bug Fixes
Fixes an issue that could cause apps to become unresponsive while syncing from iCloud Drive.
Fixes an issue that could cause calls originating from Saskatchewan to appear as originating from the United States.
Apple announced iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on June 22, 2020, at its annual WWDC 2020 event, with a developer beta released on the same day and a public beta released on July 9, 2020.[188] iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 were released on September 16, 2020, alongside the eighth-generation iPad and fourth-generation iPad Air. All devices that supported iOS 13 also support iOS 14. This makes the iPad Air 2 the first device to support seven versions of iOS and iPadOS, from iOS 8 to iPadOS 14. Some new features introduced in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 include redesigned widgets that can now be placed directly on the home screen (only for iOS); the App Library, which automatically categorizes apps into one page; Picture-in-Picture in iPhone and iPod Touch; and the CarKey technology to unlock and start a car with NFC. iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 also allow the user to have incoming calls shown in banners rather than taking up the whole screen (the latter view is still available as an optional function).[189] It was succeeded by iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 on September 20, 2021.
The release of iPadOS 14.0 brought support for the 8th generation iPad and the 4th generation iPad Air and the release of iOS 14.1 brought support for the iPhone 12 series. iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 have limited support on devices with A8/A8X, A9/A9X, and A10 Fusion chips, whereas devices with A10X Fusion and A11 Bionic chip have almost full support, and devices with A12 Bionic chip and later have full support.[citation needed]
Initial release on iPad (8th generation) and iPad Air (4th generation)
Introduces widgets which can be placed on the home screen, of varying sizes
Smart Stacks can intelligently switch between widgets depending on context or past use
Introduces App Library, which automatically organizes apps into categories, and allows installed apps to be hidden from the Home Screen. Occupies the rightmost page of the Home Screen.
Compact design for Siri and for incoming Phone and FaceTime call notifications
Picture-in-Picture support for videos and FaceTime calls, which can now stay on the screen even if the user switches to another app
Up to 9 Messages conversations can now be pinned
Maps gains cycling directions, and electric vehicle routing that automatically adds charging stops along a route
New Memoji options for hairstyles, headwear styles, age, face coverings, and stickers
New Translate app; works fully offline. Has split-screen Conversation mode.
Safari has a faster JavaScript engine; gains Privacy Report, password monitoring, Web page translation (beta)
Support for AirPods Pro Spatial Audio
Privacy: new recording indicator on the top right of the screen when the microphone or camera is accessed. New ability to share Approximate location rather than precise location. Can allow apps to only access selected photos, rather than the entire Camera Roll.
Accessibility: adds Back Tap, Headphone accommodations, Sign language prominence in FaceTime, on-device Sound Recognition, new VoiceOver Recognition
External drives can now be encrypted with APFS
New Listen Now tab in Music to show favorite albums, artists, and songs
Adds Autoplay feature to Music, that finds similar songs to play next
Improvements to Notes (cleaner scanning, collapsing pinned notes, shape recognition)
The default mail and web browser apps can now be changed
Initial release on iPad Pro (5th generation, 12.9-inch, 3rd generation, 11-inch)[196]
Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch
Can unlock iPhone with an Apple Watch (used while wearing a face mask with a Face ID iPhone)
Unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch when wearing a mask
You can now backup your Apple Watch to iCloud by a toggle function under the iCloud control panel on your iPhone
AirTag and Find My
Adds support for Apple AirTags within the "Find My" app using the U1 chip in the iPhone 11 and later for precision finding
Under the "me" tab you can now toggle on or off "Item Safety Features". This will allow a person to see if an AirTag had been paced them without their knowledge
Now supports Beats headphones, and Belkin wireless earbuds. located under the new "Items" tab
Apple Maps
Adds a reporting feature to Apple Maps, similar to Waze
Uses crowdsourcing for reporting of Accidents, Hazards, and Speed Checks
When doing a walking or cycling route, you can now send an ETA to an individual using the Messages App
Can send an ETA message from Apple Maps in CarPlay via Siri or keyboard controls
CarPlay
Apple Maps ETA can be shared with Siri or the car's physical controls
Fitness+ and AirPlay 2
Added support for Fitness+ workouts to be streamed to an AirPlay 2 compatible TV or device
Apple watch metrics cannot be displayed on screen of AirPlay 2 devices. Must view them on iOS device used to cast to AirPlay 2
Gaming
Support for Xbox Series X/S or Sony PS5 DualSense wireless controllers
5G improvements
Global support has been added to iPhone 12 models for Dual-Sim 5G service
Standalone T-Mobile support has been added for better 5G range and connectivity for iPhone 12 models
Improved 5G data usage tracking via Smart Data Mode and extended battery life
Emoji
New Emojis have been added. These include heart on fire, mending heart, exhaling face, face with spiral eyes, and face in clouds
Male and female emojis now include the option to have beards for both genders
Apple added additional skin tone options for couples
Revamped the Stereo Headphones emoji to now use the Apple AirPods Max and removed the blood from the syringe emoji
Siri
Can now set a preferred streaming music service to use when asking Siri to play a song
Added two new English voices
Siri's female voice is no longer the default
When setting up a new iPhone, users can now set up what voice they prefer to use with Siri
Siri can start Group FaceTime calls
Changed categorizations and labels within the Siri Control panel in the Settings App. "Siri & Search" is now "Siri Voice", "Accent" is now "Variety", and there is no longer a Gender section
AirPods and Beats now allow for Siri to answer calls hands-free
Siri can dial emergency contacts and create Group FaceTime calls
App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
Developers are now required to ask and receive permission to track users across different applications
Apple Music
New slide gestures for adding a song to the Now Playing queue or to Apple Music Library
Long pressing on a song brings up new options to "Play Last" and "Show Album"
Three dots have been added to the Library in place of the download button. With this you can access many features for each song
Ability to send lyrics and sound clips of songs to people via the Share sheet
Addition of "City Charts" which are curated playlists of songs listened to in at least a hundred different cities
Podcasts
The Podcast app now resembles the Music App in terms of presentation of content, search functionality, and the "Browse" section representing new and trending Podcasts
Podcasts now say "Follow" instead of "Subscribe" due to the addition of a paid subscription ability for content creators
Initial release on iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
Adds Spatial Audio support for FaceTime, which allows people's audio to sound like it is coming from the direction on screen, for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Adds Voice Isolation to block background noise for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Adds Wide Spectrum to bring all background noise into a FaceTime call for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Support for Portrait Mode which blurs the background focuses the camera on the user, for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Adds Grid View support, to display up to 6 people at a time in Group FaceTime calls, along with highlighting the current speaker
FaceTime links allows users to invite their friends via links, regardless of platform
Adds over 40 Memoji outfit choices and 3 more colors
Adds Focuses, which allows users to filter certain types of notifications depending on time of day, or manual activation
Home Screen pages can be customized with Focuses as well, along with notifications to others that a Focus is enabled and user's notification will not be sent
Redesigns Notifications to be more compact
Adds Notification Summary, which delivers a "helpful collection of your notifications daily"
Notifications can be muted from any app or messaging thread for the next hour or the day
Brad new maps in a few major cities (San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, NYC, London). New maps show elevation, buildings, crosswalks and turn lanes, landmarks, and 3D views to navigate complex interchanges (iPhone XS & later)
Adds support for Maps to show traffic and incidents, along with planning future journeys with a set departure or arrival time
Walking directions now use AR for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
An interactive 3D globe shows enhanced details for mountain ranges, forests, oceans, deserts, and more, for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Adds the bottom tab bar to Safari, allowing users to simply swipe between tabs instead of selecting Tab View
Tab Overview now uses a grid to display tabs, instead of displaying them like a deck of cards
Safari extensions are now downloadable in the App Store
Voice Search lets users with Voice Control enabled use Safari with their voice
Home keys lets users tap to unlock a supported home or apartment door lock, for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Hotel keys allow users to tap to unlock rooms at participating hotels
Office keys allow users to tap to unlock office doors at participating corporate offices
Car keys with Ultra Wideband allow unlocking, locking, and starting supported cars without removing iPhone from a bag or pocket, on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max and later
Remote keyless functions on car keys allow users to unlock, lock, honk horn, preheat car, or open trunk on supported vehicles
Live Text recognises text in images, allowing copy-and-paste, look-up, and translation in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and Live Preview with Camera for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Data detectors for Live Text recognize contact information, street addresses, and dates and highlight them
Photos can now be searched for via location, people, scenes, text, or other pictured items
Web image search allows for searching of people, animals, monuments, etc.
Health data can now be shared
Weather maps can be viewed in fullscreen and now show precipitation, temperature, and air quality in supported countries
Next-hour precipitation notifications alert users when rain or snow will soon start or stop in the US, UK, and Ireland
Animated backgrounds now more accurately represent conditions such as sun position, clouds, and more in the Weather app
Siri is now able to process audio on-device, making many requests available offline for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and later
Introduces iCloud+
Adds support for iCloud Private Relay (currently in beta), which sends Internet traffic requests through two separate relays and encrypts the Internet traffic leaving users' iPhones. However, some carriers can prevent the use of it depending on configuration.
Hide My Email allows creating of random and unique email address which forward emails to theirs
HomeKit Secure Video allows for connecting more security cameras without filling up iCloud storage
Custom email domain personalizes their iCloud Mail address, and allows family members in a Family Sharing group to use the same domain
Live Text is supported with VoiceOver in Markup
Text size can now be customized per-app
Find My, Contacts, App Store, Sleep, Game Center, and Mail widgets are now available
Images, documents, and files can now be dragged between apps
Apple ID Account Recovery Contacts allows users to choose one or more Apple IDs to be used to reset your password
Allows users to temporarily back up as much data as they need in iCloud for up to three weeks if a new device is bought
Find My now notifies you if you have been separated from a supported device, with direction information given on supported devices
Fixes a bug where devices may be tracked by WiFi MAC addresses
Improves Face ID antispoofing measures
Fixes a bug where a malicious application may be able to access physical metadata without being given permission to access photos
Fixes a bug where a VPN may be installed and configured without user authorization
Prevents malicious applications from accessing some of a user's Apple ID information
Minor bug fix update for iPhone 12 and 13 series models that fix issues with calls dropping.
iOS 15.2
15.2
December 13, 2021
Adds support for Apple Music Voice Plan, a cheaper Apple Music subscription that allows access to music through Siri
App Privacy Report (new section in Settings) shows a log of all apps that accessed sensitive information (photos, camera, microphone) and shows which websites these apps accessed
Adds optional communication safety features to Messages: parents who use Family Sharing can opt-in to receive alerts when their children send or receive photos containing nudity, along with helpful resources
Adds macro photo control to allow switching to the Ultra Wide lens in the Camera app for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Adds the Store tab to TV, allowing users to rent and buy TV shows in-app
Adds the ability to configure Hide My Email in the Mail app
Find My now works for five hours after the iPhone turns off from low battery, through Power Reverse mode
Fixes a bug where ProRAW photos appear overexposed in third-party editing applications
Allows Siri to respond again if VoiceOver is enabled and iPhone is locked
Fixes a bug where CarPlay may not update the Now Playing information for certain apps
Adds support for Legacy Contacts, allowing other Apple IDs to access user's iCloud account in the event of user's death. However, enabling this prevents any devices running a version of iOS or iPadOS below 15.2 from signing in to user's Apple ID.
Fixes a bug where Braille devices may not work while navigating text or displaying an alert
Fixes a bug where hearing devices may unexpectedly disconnect with some third-party apps
Fixes a bug that allowed arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges in AppleAVD, Apple's framework for audio and video decoding. Apple notes that they are aware this bug has been actively exploited.[200]
Complete overhaul of lock screen to allow greater customization
Multiple Lock Screens can be created and switched between, similar to Apple Watch faces
Lock Screen gallery offers suggestions for styles and designs
Fonts and colors can now be customized
Widgets can now be added to lock screen
Notifications now appear at the bottom of the Lock Screen, so as not to block widgets
Changing Focus can now change the lock screen
Focus filters can hide content in apps
Messages can now be edited for up to 15 minutes after sending, with an edit log displayed to viewers
If a recipient is on iOS 15 or below, they will receive a message that states "Message was edited to ' ' "
For up to 2 minutes after, iMessages can be unsent
Messages can be marked as unread
SharePlay can now be done via iMessage
Mail now has improved search
E-mails can be unsent for up to 30 seconds after being sent
E-mails can now be schedule sent
Safari has gained functionality with sharing Tab Groups and Passkeys
Tab Groups can now be shared to other people and devices
Tab Groups can be pinned
Safari web page translation now allows translation of web pages written in Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Polish, Indonesian, and Dutch
Passkeys replace saved passwords for better security
Live Text is now supported in video
Visual Look Up allows removing objects in a picture to copy/paste it into apps, removing the background
Siri can send Messages without requiring confirmation with a setting
On iPhone XS and later, Siri has the following new capabilities when using Hey Siri:
Saying "What can I do here?" will produce a response detailing Siri's capabilities
Saying "hang up" will allow Siri to end cellular and FaceTime calls
Maps now has multi-stop routing with up to 15 stops
Transit cards in Maps allow to see and replenish balance of transit cards
Maps routes can show total cost on transit fares
The Home app has been completely redesigned
The app has been separated into categories for lights, climate, security, sound/TV, and water
A new camera view allows showing up to 4 cameras on-screen at any time, with more visible via scrolling
The Health app has been updated to support new watchOS 9 features
Medications can now be tracked and reminders given
Medications can be added via iPhone camera (iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, and later)
The Health app can notify the user if logged menstrual cycles show an irregular pattern or other concerns
Safety Check is added to help people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations
Emergency Reset immediately revokes all access to shared data and locations to all people, devices, and apps
Manage Sharing and Access allows review and customization of which apps and people can access user's information
Door Detection in Magnifier allows locating doors, reading signs and symbols around it, and shows instructions on how to open it (iPhone 12, 13, and 14 Pro series only)
Apple Watch mirroring allows controlling Apple Watch on iPhone
Live Captions (beta) allows automatic conversion of audio to text
The Fitness app is now available to everyone, even if they do not have a paired Apple Watch
Memoji has been updated to include more poses, hairstyles, headwear, noses, and lip colors
The Translate app can now use the camera to translate text
Duplicate detection in Photos allows easy identification of duplicate photos in Photo Library
Minor bug fix update for iPhone 14 series models that fixes 4 bugs, including bugs that could cause iPhones to both fail to activate and fail to transfer data from older iPhones.[202]
16.0.2
September 22, 2022
Minor bug fix update that fixes 5 bugs, including bugs that could cause iPhone 14 Pro models to vibrate or shake when taking photos with third-pary apps, and cause displays to go black during initial setup.
16.0.3
October 10, 2022
Minor bug fix and security update that fixes 1 security vulnerability and 4 bugs including a crash bug with Mail.
Adds "Clean Energy Charging", a feature that attempts to reduce carbon emissions when charging by selectively charging when cleaner energy is available.
Adds the ability to remove the Wallet app if desired, where previously users were unable to remove it.
Re-introduces the Live Activities API (also known as ActivityKit), allowing developers to create interactive UIs that exist on the Lock Screen as well as the Dynamic Island of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Improvements
Redesigns the Wallpaper settings pane in Settings, allowing users to change their Home Screen / Lock Screen wallpaper from within the app, along with the ability to create a new wallpaper pair.
The ability to display the battery percentage has been enabled on iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini.
The battery icon when "Show battery percentage" is enabled in Settings -> Battery now shows a visual indicator of the battery level while still displaying the percentage number, where previously it was static, enabling users to easily glance at the status bar for their battery percentage without having to read the actual number.
The "% charged" text when an iOS device is plugged in and charging, an iOS 15.x and earlier behavior, has been brought back.
The menu that appears when tapping "Done" on the screenshot management UI has been redesigned to use a context menu that appears below the respective button, instead of the older popup menu that appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Minor bug fix and security update; improves carrier compatibility and has optimizations for the iPhone 14's Crash Detection feature.
iOS 16.2
16.2
December 13, 2022
iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and later, in India now support 5G.
New Freeform app.
New Medications Lock Screen widgets.
When emergency services is accidentally activated, a survey will be asked to fill out about unintentional SOS calls.
Disable Wallpaper option in Always On Display mode.
Hide Notifications option when AOD is enabled.
New Get Battery Status action in Shortcuts. Use this new action to obtain the current battery percentage, or to find out if your device is plugged into a charger or is charging.
Minor update; introduces Security Keys for Apple ID, rolls out iCloud Advanced Data Protection worldwide, tweaks Emergency SOS, and fixes several bugs and security vulnerabilities.[203][204]
There is now support for 21 new emoji as part of the update to the Unicode 15.0 standard.
Controller Support
Support for Sony's DualSense Edge wireless controller has been added.[205]
Apple Music
Added a profile button to the Radio, Library, and Search tabs. Previously the button to access a user's profile were only available in the Listen Now and Browse tabs.
Made the Playlists view in the Library tab more compact by shrinking the size of playlist images, to show more playlists on screen before needing to scroll.
Changed the overlay cards for major interactions (e.g. adding a song to playlist) to be at the bottom near and above the miniplayer instead of being in the center of the screen.
Podcasts
Added Channels tab to Library, showing a listing of the various podcast publishers whose podcasts users' have subscribed to.
Added support for the Listen Now and Browse tabs to CarPlay.
Weather
There is now support for VoiceOver for maps shown in the Weather app.
^"Apple – iPhone – Features". October 6, 2007. OS X. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. iPhone uses OS X, the world's most advanced operating system.
^"Apple Introduces the New iPhone 3G". Apple Inc. (Press release). June 9, 2008. iPhone 2.0 software will be available on July 11 as a free software update via iTunes 7.7 or later for all iPhone customers
^Patel, Nilay (October 23, 2018). "Apple iPhone XR review: better than good enough". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018. Apple told me that the forthcoming iOS 12.1 update, currently in public beta, will address the issue of the front camera appearing to smooth out skin by picking a sharper base frame for Smart HDR, but I wasn't able to test it yet.
.svg){kind=small}
