Apple has rolled out a new version of its operating system yesterday. The iOS 7.1 sports a fleet of minor changes for iPhones and iPads which revolve around Siri, CarPlay and the famous “white screen of death”.

Apple’s iOS 7 has undergone its first cosmetic change since its September debut last year and here is what it all looks like:

Bugs have been fixed

iOS users you can now rejoice! “The white screen of death” is no more! Apple has killed the bugs that led iPads and iPhones to occasionally crash in the past.

Enhanced touch ID

Many users have moaned over the inaccuracy of the Touch ID which forgets their fingerprints overtime. It seems that Apple has fixed this issue as well. The new Touch ID works better and faster.

Siri gets smarter

To jazz up its personal assistant, Apple has boosted its voice options with variants of the English languages (Australian and British), Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, in both male and female voices.

Besides, Apple has come up with a new code for communication. While talking to Siri, users will have to press the home button and let down their finger when they are done. The change is happening to enable Siri to listen to queries longer while allowing users to mark a pause in their question without having to spell it again in one shot!

iTunes Radio features new options

A new search feature has paved its way in iOS 7.1. Now users have the luxury to set up stations according to their favourite songs and artists, buy an entire album in a tap instead of having the option of purchasing singles alone, and subscribe to iTunes Matches right from their mobile devices.

CarPlay compatibility

Apple has made a big leapfrog into the future by creating an operating system that is compatible with CarPlay, previously known as iOS in the car, and unveiled a few days ago at the Geneva Motor Show. Automotive manufacturers including Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will embed CarPlay in their cars in the near future.

Design Adjustments

Apple is considered as a pioneer in the design sphere. The Cupertino-based company has long been an advocate of Skeuomorphism design under Steve Jobs’ tutelage.

But last year, the firm surprised the world by leaving skeuomorphic elements in favour of flat icons in iOS 7 which is even pegged as the “biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone”. iOS 7.1 comes with some design updates to enhance overall user experience. Darker colors have been added in some areas to enhance contrast, the typography has been reviewed and the buttons’ shape re-fashioned!

Besides, Calendar, FaceTime, Mail, Accessibility options and iTunes display a modified interface also.

However…

iOS 7.1 does not run on the original iPad launched in 2010 and neither on iPhones older than the 4th generation.

The next major update, the iOS 8, should be unveiled in a couple of months. Meanwhile, Apple invites you to discover iOS 7.1 which is immediately available and less imperfect than its predecessor!

Source: re/code, Mashable – Image source: GSM Arena

Facebook Comments