We've gone through 16 versions of iOS so far. But ever wonder which was the worst and which is the best? We've ranked all 16 iOS versions here.
In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone on the stage at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. It has been 16 years since that announcement that changed the mobile industry as we know it; today, we now have 16 versions of iOS software that power our iPhones.
15. iOS 11 iOS 11 brought with it a lot of great new features: notifications were able to be displayed on the lock screen , Control Center was redesigned to be more streamlined on a single page, Apple gave us the Files app, screen recording, basic drag-and-drop features, and more. Apple Maps was an absolute mess that tainted the otherwise decent release of iOS 6. Though Apple Maps was using a vector-based engine that allowed for smoother scrolling and it allowed turn-by-turn directions for the very first time, there were countless other problems with Apple Maps.
It’s pretty evident that while Apple’s slogan is “it just works,” there are quite a few times when it just doesn’t. iOS 13 is one of those buggier releases — the first public release of iOS 13 wasn’t even the 13.0 version, it was iOS 13.1. That’s because there were bugs that weren’t fixed yet before the iPhone 11 lineup was out in the wild.
This was the start of the ability to delete stock applications that you never use, like Stocks and Music. iOS 10 also gave us the iMessage Store, which focused on stickers, but this was overall confusing to navigate in the first iteration . Also, while they’re still around today, iMessage stickers and other things like games really took off.
10. iOS 9 iOS 9 is one of my personal favorite versions of iOS because it brought Low Power Mode, which is a feature that I depend on in a lot of situations when I’m away from a charger. In fact, Low Power Mode is something I frequently have on while I’m spending the day at Disneyland, and I’m so thankful that it exists, all because of iOS 9. Otherwise, my iPhone 14 Pro may already be dead halfway through the day, and I’d be even more reliant on battery packs.
This was one of the iOS versions that was more about refining what already existed, which explains why there weren’t a lot of brand-new features. But what was already there from iOS 8 just got better with iOS 9. 8. iOS 8 For anyone who is heavily vested in the Apple ecosystem, iOS 8 was one of the most significant releases. This was the first release of iOS that implemented a programming interface for communication between apps, and it also was the first to introduce Continuity with other Apple devices.
In addition, iOS 3 also added Spotlight, making searching for specific information on the device easier. The Messages app also finally supported MMS, video recording capabilities came with the iPhone 3GS, and the home screen could accommodate 11 pages, which means a total of 180 apps. This was also the first version of iOS that allowed for multitasking. With iOS 4, for the first time, you could put a phone call in the background while using other apps at the same time, and this also applied to location and audio playback. The app switcher was also added, letting users quickly switch between apps, putting the non-active app in an “inactive” state to save their place. And on top of all that, iOS 4 gave us FaceTime and Game Center.
There’s plenty to improve with the lock screen UI, but just having these features at all is still fantastic. And there’s other good stuff in iOS 16! Live Activities gives us notifications that act more like widgets that provide real-time updates from apps, though apps that support the feature continue to be on a slow rollout. Messages now allow for edits and even undo sending.
Looking back, it’s as simple as they come, but this is what changed the mobile landscape as we know it — not just with the future of the iPhone, but with Android and Windows devices as well. Needless to say, if iOS 2 did not bring these features, then iOS — and the mobile landscape as a whole — would be very different.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The best Amazon Prime original series right now | Digital TrendsAmazon Prime Video doesn't have the quantity in terms of original series, but it makes up for it in quality. Stay busy with its lineup of original series.
Read more »
5 things we want to see in Amazon's Spider-Man Noir series | Digital TrendsSony is reportedly making a live-action series about SpiderMan Noir for Amazon Prime Video, and it needs to deliver on a list of things viewers want to see.
Read more »
Failed Webb calibration leads to discovery of tiny asteroid | Digital TrendsData from a failed calibration of Webb's MIRI instrument has been used to spot a tiny asteroid that measures just a few hundred feet across.
Read more »
The best family movies on Amazon Prime Video right now | Digital TrendsWhether you decide on a new hit or a nostalgic classic, these family-friendly movies on AmazonPrime are all excellent choices for your weekend movie night.
Read more »
Amateur astronomer spots dwarf galaxy that computers missed | Digital TrendsThere are some tasks that humans are still better at than machines. In this case, we're referring to spotting a dwarfgalaxy.
Read more »
James Webb catches a glimpse of young version of Milky Way | Digital TrendsThe James Webb Space Telescope has got a glimpse into what our galaxy was like in its formative years by observing a distant galaxy called The Sparkler.
Read more »