Apple on Wednesday released iOS 7, its revamped mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, packing in a plethora of new features such as the quick-access Control Center menu, and iTunes Radio for streaming music.
iOS 7 can now be downloaded from the Software Update section in the Settings application of a compatible iOS device. The new update is compatible with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, and iPhone 4; iPad models with Retina displays, iPad mini and iPad 2; as well as the fifth-generation iPod touch.
Along with the release of iOS 7, Apple also made iTunes 11.1 available on Wednesday. The updated suite is required for users to connect their iOS 7 device to a Mac or Windows PC.
In all, iOS 7 packs in more than 200 new features. As described by Apple, they include:
- Control Center, which gives you quick access to the controls you want in one convenient place with just one swipe from the bottom of your screen.
- Notification Center, now available from the Lock screen so you can see all your notifications with a simple swipe, and the new Today feature gives you an at-a-glance view of your day with a summary of the important details such as weather, traffic, meetings and events.
- Improved Multitasking that gives users the ability to switch between their apps in a more visual and intuitive way, and iOS 7 pays attention to which apps you use most and automatically keeps your content up to date in the background.
- AirDrop, an entirely new way to quickly and easily share content with people nearby.
- New Camera app filters so you can add real-time photo effects, a square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras—video, photo, square and panorama—with just a swipe.
- A redesigned Photos app that introduces Moments, a new way to automatically organize your photos and videos based on time and location.
- Full-screen browsing with Safari’s new redesigned user interface, the new smart search field helps simplify searching, and there’s a new view for your bookmarks and your Safari tabs.
- Siri with new male and female voices, Twitter search integration, Wikipedia integration and Bing web searching within the app
- iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store, combined with features only iTunes can deliver.