iOS 10: Our 5 Favourite Features

Apple users will know that recently the giant tech firm have announced a couple of exciting pieces of news. Including the release of the new iPhone 7, an update to the Mac operating system and an update to the iPhone software. iOS 10 was officially released yesterday, and if you didn't have access to the beta version, this is the first time you'll have the opportunity to test drive the new iPhone software. It's an impressive updates, and the list of new features and updates goes on. Here's some of our favourite updates that come with the latest iPhone update, so if you're not convinced you should update, we're sure you will by the end of the post.

First things first, you need to make sure your device is able to upgrade. It's available up from the iPhone 5, iPad 3, iPad mini 2 and iPod Touch 6th Generation, anything later than that and you're fine. Unfortunately, if your device is older than the above, you won't be able to upgrade. Having the latest iPhone will give you the best access to the new features though, which is something to be aware of. Now lets get into the fun part - our favourite features of iOS 10.

General Redesign And Upgrades To User Experience

We're starting with this one because it's probably the first thing you'll notice after upgrading to iOS 10. Apple have said that the experience of the lock screen has been redesigned. The classic 'Swipe to Unlock' function has been removed and you now simply press the home button to start the unlocking process. If you have Touch ID, your phone will open straight up! Now we've noticed there is a tendency to press the home button and go straight through to the home screen when all you're looking to do is check your notifications. Thankfully, Apple have introduced 'Raise to Wake', which makes your iPhone light up when you lift it up.

Siri Is Smarter

We feel as though Siri is sometimes a bit of a novelty feature. Who else agrees? Apple have been working to make sure that Siri is as responsive as possible, and have now opened up Siri functionality to third-party apps. This means you can now use Siri with the likes of WhatsApp, WeChat, Uber and Map My Run.  You also no longer have to talk to Siri like a robot, it will now recognise the same sentence, even if you string it together in a different way. It will also get used to your voice, so persevere in your normal tone and you'll be speaking to Siri in no time.

Say It Bolder With Messages

This is probably our favourite update that has come with iOS 10. There have been several updates to the Messages app, primarily user experience updates, as well as some general bits of fun. Firstly, emojis now appear 3x larger if you send them alone. This definitely makes it easier to get your mood across with a single smiley face. Apple have also made the predictive text function smarter, and it will make suggestions based on the whole sentence rather than the previous word. This means that if a friend asks you for a certain phone number, and you have it stored in your contacts, messages will automatically suggest that number for you to send with a single tap. Impressive, right? There are also additional features including invisible ink, tapbacks, bubble effects and stickers, but we'll let you discover them yourself...

Get Rid Of Those Unwanted Apps

We're super excited that you can now remove Apple's pre-installed apps! We've all got a separate folder for the apps that we never use and can't delete, right? Well, you'll no longer need that with iOS 10. You can now delete the Apple pre-installed apps and download them again if you ever need it. Say goodbye to Stocks, and hello to extra storage.

Collaborative Notes

Another small update, however we think this could come in really handy for any professional. The Notes app now allows you to add additional people to each note, who can edit whatever is on the current page. You can also track the changes and know who changed what. So whether you're brain storming for a university project, or gathering ideas for a work meetings, this new update definitely helps.