With their sleek designs, fabulous features and ability to connect you with friends, family and colleagues in a variety of different ways, it’s easy to see why Apple’s iconic iPhones are such a popular choice when it comes to choosing a mobile.
Whether you have an older iPhone (the iPhone 4, 4S or 5) or are planning to make the move to the brand’s latest releases – the iPhone 5S or the 5C, you may have upgraded the software on your device in the last few days, since the latest version of the smartphone’s operating system (called iOS) has been released.
Read more on the iPhone 7 release date, specification and price
iOS 7, which is also available for iPads and iPods, was released on September 18th and features some of the biggest software changes that users of iOS devices will have seen – both in terms of design and functionality.
Many users decided to update their phones the moment the new software was available – but for the rest of us, a bit of coaxing might be in order to make the switch. After all, the old software works well – why go to the trouble to update the software and learn how to use your phone all over again? Here, we look at the top five reasons you should update to iOS 7.
New look
The most noticeable change to the iOS 7 is the way it looks. You’ll see a dramatic change to the icons, apps and control screens – with the design having moved away from three-dimensional imitations of real-life objects, to two-dimensional images in mainly pastel colours.
Control Centre
The new Control Centre makes it easy to access certain controls and apps that you use regularly.
You can swipe to the screen from any app, as well as the lock screen, making it simple to make adjustments such as turning Airplane mode or Wi-Fi on or off, as well as adjusting the display brightness. No more hunting around in settings menus! You can even turn on your phone’s LED from the control centre, turning your camera’s flash into a useful torch.
AirDrop
One of the great things about smartphones in general is how easy they make sharing media, documents and photos. However, while the old iOS only allowed for sharing via social networking, text or email, iOS 7 incorporates a new feature called AirDrop, which makes it easy to pass files to people nearby.
To use this feature, all you have to do is tap Share, then select the person who you want to send the file to. The rest of the work is done automatically, using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Plus, since all transfers are encrypted, you can rest assured the files you share are kept secure.
Multitasking
Switching between apps is something that iPhone users have been able to do for some time, but the software has been improved again – this time to anticipate how you will use your phone, based on previous activity. For example, if you tend to check your email every day at 8:30 as you climb on the bus, your phone will learn this and have the email app ready and waiting for you.
The multitasking feature has also been updated to let you see preview screens of the apps you have open – and closing an app down now simply requires a simple swipe. What’s more, iOS 7 will automatically update your apps for you at the most power-efficient times.
Notification Centre
This feature lets you know about missed calls, new mail and to-do list items, all in one place. Meanwhile the Today feature has been designed to give you a summary of what’s going on today – from birthdays and appointments to weather and traffic updates.
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