After months of betas, Apple has released iOS 11 to the general public. Coming mostly as it was advertised at WWDC, the new operating system features a long list of updates, including new HomeKit compatibility thanks to AirPlay 2 capabilities and improved controls for timers, location triggers, speakers and sunrise/sunset times. For devices with cameras that support it, Portrait mode has been expanded to include image stabilization, HDR and True Tone flash, and all photos and videos will take up half as much space thanks to Apple’s new photo and video formats.
Maps gain support for indoor details of some larger buildings — like airports and malls — and Apple Music will gain new social features, adding a new “Friends are Listening to” section in the Music app. The Control Center has been completely reimagined and Siri has gained new natural male and female voices built using deep learning along with a new visual interface.
Other updates are specific to the iPad, including a new, redesigned Dock that can be called up from within apps, similar to the macOS dock. The new Files app will also expand the iCloud Drive app to provide a more Finder-esque interface, including support for nested folders, list view, search, tags, recent files, and more.
For the iPad Pro, new improvements will allow just about any screen to be marked up with the Apple Pencil, including screenshots, which will now automatically appear in a thumbnail view immediately after they’re taken. Look for our in-depth analysis of everything new in iOS 11 in the next few days.
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