The launch of iOS 6 is just around the corner and will be introducing new features as well as substantial changes to well-known functions and included apps. This is a brief overview of some of the more substantial changes as well as new features available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.
The changes
- YouTube is gone. Apple has elected not to renew its contract with Google to include the YouTube app in iOS 6. Google, the owner of YouTube, has announced they will be releasing their own YouTube app through the app store.
- Apple’s Maps app no longer uses Google Maps data. Apple has chosen to use their own mapping system that they have been developing to drive their Maps app. Based on using the beta version of iOS 6, there is a lot of room to grow for Apple to provide as feature-rich an experience as Google did with their system.
- Apple has completely changed the design of the App Store and iTunes app.
- The Music app has also received a user-interface facelift.
New things
- A “do not disturb” feature has been added. This will block alerts, phone calls, and text notifications between a scheduled time or altogether. There is the ability to allow alerts, phone calls, and texts to come through for those that are designated as “favorites” or if someone calls repeatedly (second call within three minutes).
- Enhanced privacy controls are being added, allowing more control over what information apps have access to such as photo stream, contact information, calendar information, and reminders.
- Bluetooth file sharing is also being added at a native level and can be controlled in the privacy settings.
- Facebook has been more tightly incorporated into iOS 6. Just like Twitter integration from iOS 5, you will be able to share various types of information from within iOS apps directly to Facebook.
- Passbook is a neat little app that Apple is including that will act as a place to centrally store tickets, discount codes, and other information. This will be one to watch to see how various business and organizations choose to implement it.
For more on iOS 6, check out the iOS 6 Preview page on Apple’s website.
