iOS 9 release date, features and rumors

 

iOS 9 is expected to be revealed on Monday, making it Apple’s next big project between April’s Apple Watch launch and September’s expected iPhone 6Sunveiling.

The company’s annual mobile operating system update is set to make its official debut, in beta form at least, during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday.

Yes, iOS 8.4 may take center stage at first, but when WWDC 2015 starts on June 8, it is likely going to be followed by an iOS 9 tease during the software-focused keynote.

The new iOS version is going to favor a few additional features and apps, but focus on stability and skip over any drastic visual changes, according to the latest rumors.

iOS 9 release date

Apple’s WWDC 2015 runs from June 8 to June 12 in San Francisco, and the company always has its keynote on day one of this five-day conference.

That means registered Apple developers can expect to see and then download the next iOS update on Monday, June 8, at least if everything holds to the same-day delivery pattern as past years.

The latest unofficial news seems to indicate that the company may first launch iOS 8.4 instead, debuting an artist-driven social network as part of its fresh Apple Music app.

Soon after that, there may be an iOS 9 public beta too, given all of the iOS 8 problems a year ago, and everyone else should expect the final version in September along with the new iPhone.

That three-month wait can be a good thing. iOS 9 beta 1 will be buggy and unfinished. The best features typically don’t launch until the gold master version in September anyway.

iOS 9 compatibility

Will this be the first iPhone and iPad software update to require a lightning cable?

iOS 8 muscled out iPhone 4 compatibility last year, and iOS 7 said goodbye to iPhone 3GS two years ago. iPhone 4S could be on the iOS update chopping block.

That makes sense. After all, the company is gearing up for its lightning-port-required Apple CarPlay infotainment system and Apple Watch has the same compatibility chart among phones.

On top of that, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C first introduced 1GB of RAM, up from the 512MB in the iPhone 4S. It’s time to retire these 30-pin dock devices.

All is not lost. New rumors indicate that these older devices may see a “core version” of iOS 9, which seems to suggest it’ll be feature-limited, but not as buggy or slow on the aged hardware.

iOS 9 ‘Force Touch’ for iPhone 6S

It’s like my Uncle Ben always said, with new hardware comes new software responsibilities. That’s exactly the prophecy that iOS 9 may fulfill when the new iPhone comes out.

iPhone 6S is supposed to get a Force Touch display with haptic feedback, just like the new MacBook and Apple Watch. Press harder to drop new pins in Maps and scroll through media players.

Looking up word definitions in a dictionary or adding new Calendar events? That could also become a shortcut of this pressure-sensitive input. We just may not see it demoed until September.

New iOS 9 keyboard

Apple launched what it called its “best keyboard yet” with the iOS 8 QuickType, but it may very well one-up that statement with the iOS 9 keyboard.

iPhone’s confusing shift key will give you a better idea whether or not it’s on or off, proclaims 9to5Mac. You can fINALLY Stop tYPING like this.

Though the next iPhone display size is likely the same, Apple is said to be prototyping a longer keyboard design that fits in more shortcuts, even in portrait mode.

Beats Music integration

Apple hasn’t forgotten about its $3 billion deal with Dr. Dre and company. It’s reportedly readying an iOS 9 music streaming service backed by Beats.

It seems like this will be the iPhone maker’s answer to Spotify and Google Play Music All Access, with a paid tier and some free trials to get people hooked.

To get them to stay, Apple Music is supposed to include an artist-driven social network, according to code found in iOS 8.4. It could very well launch ahead of iOS 9 at WWDC.

Apple is said to be taken an aggressive stand on its music streaming service, lobbying record companies to drop Spotify’s free tier to better compete at the paid level. That’s some NWA stuff right there.

Apple Maps with public transit

You may not know this because you’ve already (wisely) switched over to Google Maps and haven’t looked back, but Apple Maps still doesn’t have public transit directions.

Commuters can rejoice, however, because bus, train and subway routes may finally make their way into iOS 9, at least if you are in one of six support cities.

San Francisco, New York, Toronto, London, Paris and Berlin are expected to be the first metropolitan areas with public transit directions when iOS 9 launches.

More ambitiously, we’ve also heard rumors that Apple is working on an augmented reality view that uses your camera to highlight points of interest on your screen. This could explain all of the camera-equipped Apple vans roaming the streets.

Siri update

Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant is reportedly receiving a small upgrade in iOS 9 to match the Siri found on Apple Watch.

The silent smartwatch version of Siri has a little more color to its wavy lines at the bottom. That’s all we know so far based on last month’s rumors.

But there’s a good chance if Siri comes with new looks, it also comes with more smarts. After all, Apple’s assistant needs to compete with the more-accurate Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana.

There’s a report that Apple is working on Google Now competitor codenamed “Proactive” for iOS 9. This could be tied into Siri, if it comes to pass.

If anything, Siri just needs to stop answering to “Hey, Siri” when we don’t say actually say that command prompt. That’d be a step in the right direction.

Small iOS 9 download size

There are still plenty of iPhone and iPad users left behind in the transition from iOS 7 to iOS 8 simply because they don’t have enough internal storage to make the update.

These deprived 16GB phone and tablet owners need up to 5GB of free space to install iOS 8, and that means deleting precious apps, photos, videos and music.

With the iPad Air 2 syphoning off 3.4GB for the operating system alone, this leaves users with a paltry 12.6GB and, if you factor the 5GB needed, that’s just 7.6GB for all of their content.

iOS 9 is expected to change this frustration, which has made paying for iCloud storage seem like a punishment. iOS 8.3 and iOS 8.4 beta are setting a good example with a slightly smaller footprint.

Stability improvements

The No. 1 new, but boring feature we’re going to see from iOS 9 is stability. iOS 8 has been plagued with false starts, glitches and continuing Wi-Fi and battery drain bugs.

 

Apple’s Health app made a unfashionably late debut in iOS 8.0.1, a botched update it pulled, and its message boards are full of complaints, which Apple alluded to during the iPad event.

iOS 9 is reportedly receiving a lot of under-the-hood attention to prevent the same issues from reaching the post-beta masses in September.

With the quick adoption rate that Apple devices have over Android, there’s really no time for such widespread bug-testing.

More interface shortcuts

iOS 9 is likely to open up new shortcuts, allowing you to quickly navigate menus on your iPhone and iPad with simple taps or gestures.

Apple did a good job of this with iOS 8 via interactive notifications, frequent contacts listed in the “multitasking” menu, inline audio and video messaging and a bunch of mail app tweaks.

iOS 9 could save us even more time. We’d love to see Command Center host shortcuts to individual settings: holding down the Wi-Fi on/off switch should lead to the Wi-Fi menu, the Bluetooth switch to the Bluetooth menu, etc.

That’s much faster than closing the app and heading to the settings menu to make a simple change, like pair a new Bluetooth device. Android has been able to do this trick for years.

Another Google-inspired menu change involves keeping media in the notification menu, not just on the lockscreen. Actively streaming a movie should put the controls at your fingertips.