Apple iOS 10 release date and everything you need to know

Apple has released details of iOS 10 to developers at the the company's yearly keynote address at WWDC. 

The new iOS will sport a number of new features designed to enhance your iPhone even more beyond what the company launched in iOS 9 last year. Claiming to be the biggest update yet, there will be 10 main features including changes to Siri, the lock screen, and photos. 

iOS 10 new features

Apple says there are hundreds of new features in iOS 10, but here are the biggest features that the company has highlighted at its WWDC keynote in San Francisco. 

AppleiOS 10: New lock screen

Apple has introduced a new lock screen that stops you accidentally bypassing the lock screen thanks to the performance of the TouchID sensor. Called Raised to Wake, the phone will wake up and give you details of the notifications you have without you having to press any buttons. You will also be able to get quick interaction with apps, as well as using 3D Touch to clear them in the same way you can on the Apple Watch. 

Sliding from one side to the other (right to left) will give you instant access to the camera.

iOS 10: 3D Touch enhancements 

You'll now be able to get widgets by pressing down on the app icon giving you quick access to details within the apps set up by the developer, whether that's how you are doing on your activity, or a football score, for example. 

iOS 10: Siri

Apple has opening up Siri to developers allowing them to access the voice assistant to build it not only into their apps, but allow you to ask Siri to interact with apps on your behalf. You will be able to conduct a photo search in IM or stop and pause your runs in apps like Runkeeper, for example, all via Siri. 

AppleiOS 10: Photos inc Memories

The Photos apps now gets Places so you can see where they were taken, but Apple says it is also adding Advanced Photo recognition to Photos so it can spot faces as well as object and scene recognition. Apple says it will also try and mine your photos to bundle photos around dates, people, and topics like being on the water or at the beach. Called Memories, users will be able to see Apple's suggestions, hopefully giving you a better way to browse your photos.

iOS 10: QuickType

Promising Siri intelligence on the keyboard, Apple says it is bringing more context to typing so either Siri can reply with suggestions for you - like your currently location - or help you share relevant contacts. Siri will also be able to pre-load some of the information for you. It will only look at locally-stored information it seems however, rather than running off to the cloud.

iOS 10: Apple Maps

Apple is continuing to bring Apple Maps up to speed with other services like Google Maps. For iOS 10, Apple says that Apple Maps will be more proactive, giving you suggestions on what you might be able to do based on where you are and what time it is. That could be suggesting seafood restaurants and then automatically giving you traffic details. The view will now automatically change based on the detail of the turn ahead, and give you the ability to add in waypoints or stops along away. Apple Maps will also get developer support so different apps can be tied into the apps. According to Apple VP Eddie Cue, you could find a restaurant, place an order, pay for it, and get there without leaving the Apple Maps itself. 

AppleiOS 10: Apple Music

Following huge complaints on the user interface, the app has been completely redesigned saying that "perhaps it will no longer require a graduate course to operate" it. The new design will try and make the app a lot easier to use. Aside from a new look, you'll now get bigger artwork and, for those that like to sing along, lyrics. Other features include For You and Beats One as before. 

iOS 10: Apple News

Like Apple Music, Apple News also gets a complete design refresh breaking out topics and areas that you either read, or might read. There is also now a featured stories area, as well as a subscriptions feature that will allow publishers to offer paid-for content within the app rather than having to support their own apps. 

AppleiOS 10: HomeKit

HomeKit finally gets its own app called Home. The app, which has been missing since the inception of HomeKit, will hopefully give more focus to Apple users using connected devices. The app will be focused around scenes, so you to get HomeKit-enabled devices to work together. Users with an Apple TV will be able to remotely access HomeKit, but without it, iPhone users will have to be locally connected. The Apple Watch will also have Home support. 

iOS 10: Phone

You'll now be able to get voicemail transcriptions, and the ability to see if callers are spam or not. While a new API for developers will allow you to see who is calling with a picture of the person or more data rather than just the number and a notification. 

AppleiOS 10: Messages

Messages will get rich clicks that will make sharing photos and videos much more graphical, while sliding up will reveal the camera app. For those who are fed-up with squinting to see what the emoji looks like, they will be now three times bigger, while those that really like emoji can have it auto-recommend what words can be turned into emoji.

Furthermore Apple has added different "messaging bubble" styles including shouting, quiet and others including a reveal option that will mean the receiver will have to slide over the message to reveal it. You'll also be able to hand write messages and change the background wallpaper.

There will also be support for developers in Messages apps to add payments, or stickers.

iOS 10: Other features

Other new featured picked out by Apple during the keynote included Conversation view so you can scroll through your mail quickly, live photo editing, Notes collaboration, and for iPad owners split view in safari on iPad so you can view two Safari windows side by side. There is also RAW camera support, although Apple has yet to detail that exactly. 

iOS 10 release date: When will I get it?

Apple has confirmed that developers will get a preview of iOS 10 from today, iPhone Develop Beta Preview users from July, and those not so brave from "this fall" which basically means September when Apple are expected to launch the iPhone 7. 

iOS 10: Which devices will be compatible?

Unlike iOS 9, which didn't exclude any old iOS devices in terms of compatibility, some reports seem to think iOS 10 will demand more RAM from devices (512 RAM), and could therefore not work with the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. The company has confirmed which devices will be getting iOS 10 later this year. 

iOS 10: Want to know more?

Stay tuned to Pocket-lint's iOS 10 hub for the latest news and analysis.

Source: Apple iOS 10 release date and everything you need to know