General Let's talk iOS 9! Everything about the Epicenter Of Change

castix · June 9, 2015

Let me start this discussion with a warm welcome to everyone curious about the upcoming iOS software update iOS 9 which will hit us September 2015! We've all been burning for this update since Apple's iOS 8 was and is still loaded with bugs and crashes.

This image of the WWDC gave us already a hint that iOS 9 could be all about colours. It looks like some UI changes are awaiting us throughout the next betas.

After the WWDC on June 08 Apple officially launched the first beta of iOS 9. Did Apple fill all our expectations or even beyond? Did the rumours become true? Those were all questions open to the point they released it for developers. In fact you don't have to be developer to get to the first beta but I'll talk about that later.

So after that being said let's head straight into my first impression of iOS 9! ...

Update to iOS 9!

Unlike iOS 8, the new software comes with less space requirements to your device because the new iOS 9 is smaller than ever. They shrinked the size from 3GB to a more compressive 2GB. This is really helpful if your device has low storage capacity.

The new Beta 1 is actually released for developers only but of course there's a window of time you can upgrade though. If you are not sure whether to update now, I can maybe convince you with the other features below and remember you can always restore to iOS 8.3/4.

The build number of the first iOS 9 beta is 13A4254v. It is available for the following iOS devices:

iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S
iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, Retina iPad mini, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPad 3, iPad 2
5th generation iPod touch

The steps to update are very simple:

Download iOS 9 beta.
Open iTunes.
Connect your iOS device to your Mac and launch iTunes.
In iTunes, select your iOS device from the top left corner and navigate to the Summary tab.
Hold down on the Option key (or the Shift key in Windows) and click the Update iPhone… (iPad or iPod touch) button.
Now select the .ipsw file from the extracted folder to install iOS 9 beta and click on the Open button.
iTunes may prompt you that it will update your device with iOS 9. Click Ok to continue.
You will get a ‘Slide to upgrade’ slider after it reboots. Swipe on the slider to proceed.
Your device will reboot again, and you’ll be greeted with the ‘Hello’ welcome screen. Swipe on the ‘Slide to setup’ slider and tap on Continue and follow the on-screen instructions to setup your device.

Search bar in Settins application!

You no longer have to click through endless panels to get to the right option. The enhanced Settings app now has a search bar at the top to immediately direct you to the option you want.

New Wallpaper!

Yes, iOS 9 comes with a new wallpaper which looks absolutely incredible in my opinion. I will keep using it on my iPhone for sure! You maybe also noticed here the round edges of the popup. It looks really smooth and verifies my thoughts about the new UI a bit.

Passbook is now Wallet!

The stock app Passbok got renamed to Wallet which makes sense because Apple mainly added functionality to Payments and Giftcards. It's not a big change but defenitly noticeable if you were using it.

New stock apps - Find my iPhone & Find Friends

Both of the apps are well known I guess. Find my iPhone has always been an optional app from the AppStore which was also accessable through Settings. Find Friends is ome sort of network to find people nearby who also use Find Friends. I don't like it to be honest. I never used those apps and it's a bit unfortunate for me now that I can't remove them anymore.

Enhanced Search

iOS 9 brings a lot of new content to the search page. You have suggestions, recent contacts, widgets and news which will come in a later beta version. This feature brings faster access to your device and maybe replaces the notification center in some ways. I don't think I will use it much in the future because I don't like location services for private reasons but you should give it a try.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive gives you easy file managing access on your device. You have to activate the app in Settings first as you can see in the first picture. You can manage or move created files and also share them! It doesn't do much at the moment as you will experience but I'm really looking forward to more stuff coming for that soon. At least the rumours about extended iCloud were correct. iDevice users couldn't do much with iCloud else than backup photos and contacts, this will lead in a new direction.

Better Siri

As you can see here Siri got a new UI loaded for you! She/He also has improved responses now including better support for Touch ID.

Battery- Low Power Mode

Apple introduced a new way to save your battery lifetime by using the Low Power Mode. You can save up to 3 hours more battery!

Notes app better than ever

Within iOS 9, a bunch of new features came to the Notes application. If you have iCloud activated you can directly make notes there which is pretty cool when you use it in combination with iCloud Drive. In the main screen there is now the destination of your notes structured in folders. Moving on to the actual notes as we know them, you can now insert checkmarks, screenshots (images in general) and even draw! When I first saw this I felt like "Oh god, this is the best update. Got 'dem Paint skills on iOS now".

Multitasking on iOS 9

The multitasking hasn't changed a lot from iOS 8. It's the same scrolling vertically however on this version it felt so good going through all my apps. Again there are rounded edges. The animation has changed a bit when you scroll and overall every app looks like a page which spins on your SpringBoard.

Transit

Last but not least we have Transit. Transit enhances the Maps app to show nearby public transport like the subway or trains. It's also a lot faster than in iOS 8 now. I am sorry, that I can't tell you so much about Transit and the new functions of Maps but you'll find out yourself!

All images and screenshots were taken with my iPhone 6.Please credit me if you intend to use them outside of this thread

That was it ladies and gentleman! Those have been all new things I noticed in iOS 9 so far. What do you think of them? Have you found any bugs yet? Discuss everything you want in this collective thread about iOS 9 and enjoy yourselves. It would be nice if you could also post some screenshots of your experiences with iOS 9 so far. Thank you for reading and have a nice day. Check out this software update!

DanYal · June 9, 2015

iOS 9 ?? Hmm Not Bad

Rook · June 9, 2015

I really like how Multitasking looks now!

Can't wait until I can upgrade to it myself and test the ReplayKit.

Nice read!

castix · June 9, 2015

I really like how Multitasking looks now!

Can't wait until I can upgrade to it myself and test the ReplayKit.

Nice read!

What is ReplayKit? Oh and I forgot the videos keep playing in a small window when you quit to homescreen.

I don't have an iPad so I can't test True Multitasking and Split Screen for you guys

Rook · June 9, 2015

What is ReplayKit? Oh and I forgot the videos keep playing in a small window when you quit to homescreen.

I don't have an iPad so I can't test True Multitasking and Split Screen for you guys

It let's you record gameplays on your iDevice!

https://developer.apple.com/ios/pre-release/

Display Recorder

How can I update my iPhone to iOS 9 beta? I want to test these new fratures.

castix · June 9, 2015

It let's you record gameplays on your iDevice!

https://developer.apple.com/ios/pre-release/

Display Recorder

How can I update my iPhone to iOS 9 beta? I want to test these new fratures.

Awesome! I wanted that because iRec and Shou don't work properly

The installation guide is in the thread.

I downloaded the firmware from here: http://www.evad3rs.net/2015/02/ios-9-beta-download-public.html

tenebroustj · June 9, 2015

i like Battery- Low Power Mode

Rook · June 9, 2015

Awesome! I wanted that because iRec and Shou don't work properly

The installation guide is in the thread.

I downloaded the firmware from here: http://www.evad3rs.net/2015/02/ios-9-beta-download-public.html

Are App Store apps working with iOS 9?

i like Battery- Low Power Mode

They say it'll give you 3 more hours on battery

tenebroustj · June 9, 2015

Are App Store apps working with iOS 9?

They say it'll give you 3 more hours on battery

it give me more time play game on my phone

Rook · June 9, 2015

i have more time play game on my phone

It's not supposed to let you play games longer, it's supposed to make your iPhone last longer so you can use it in crucial moments.

It's probably like Android's battery saver option. Just disables background processes and background app refreshing to give you a few more minutes of battery.