Apple has officially rolled out iOS 5, the latest version of its mobile operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This update brings more than 200 new features, along with support for iCloud, Apple’s new cloud service. iOS 5 also introduced Siri, Apple’s personal voice assistant, which can understand and respond to natural speech.
While Apple has not listed every single change on its website, here is a detailed look at the key features included in iOS 5.
Notifications
- New Notification Center shows all alerts in one place, accessible by swiping from the top of the screen.
- Notifications appear briefly at the top instead of interrupting.
- View notifications directly from the lock screen.
- Slide the notification icon on the lock screen to go straight into the app.
iMessage
- Send unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users.
- Delivery and read receipts let you track conversations.
- Supports group messaging with encryption.
- Works over both cellular data and Wi-Fi.
Newsstand
- Automatically organizes magazines and newspapers in one place.
- Always shows the latest cover.
- Supports background downloads for new issues.
Reminders
- Manage to-do lists with location-based alerts.
- Syncs with iCloud, iCal, and Outlook.
- Location reminders trigger when you leave or arrive somewhere.
Twitter Integration
- Sign in once in Settings to tweet directly from Photos, Safari, Maps, Camera, and YouTube.
- Add locations to tweets.
- See Twitter usernames and profile pictures in Contacts.
Camera Enhancements
- Double-click the home button from lock screen for quick access.
- Use the Volume Up button as a shutter.
- Grid lines for alignment.
- Pinch to zoom.
- Swipe to access Camera Roll.
- Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure.
Photo Editing
- Crop, rotate, remove red-eye.
- One-tap auto-enhance.
- Organize photos into albums.
Mail Improvements
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, underline).
- Indentation controls.
- Drag to reorder names in address fields.
- Flag important messages.
- Mark multiple emails as read, unread, or flagged.
- Custom alert sounds.
- Added support for S/MIME.
Calendar
- Year view on iPad, week view on iPhone.
- Tap to create events quickly.
- Add and view event attachments.
Game Center
- Use personal photos as avatars.
- Compare achievement scores with friends.
- Friend recommendations and “friends of friends” feature.
- Personalized game recommendations.
AirPlay Mirroring (iPad 2 and iPhone 4S only)
Multitasking Gestures (iPad only)
- Four or five-finger pinch to go Home.
- Swipe up for multitasking bar.
- Swipe left or right to switch apps.
Setup and Updates
- On-device activation and setup with Setup Assistant.
- Over-the-air software updates (no need for iTunes cable sync).
iCloud Integration
- iTunes in the Cloud.
- Photo Stream.
- Documents syncing.
- Automatic app and book downloads.
- Device backups.
- Mail, Contacts, and Calendar sync.
- Find My iPhone.
Other Improvements
- Redesigned Music app on iPad.
- Hourly weather forecast.
- Real-time stock quotes.
- Wireless sync to iTunes.
- New keyboard features: split keyboard for iPad, better autocorrect, Emoji keyboard, personal dictionary, and custom shortcuts.
- Accessibility upgrades: custom vibration alerts, LED flash alerts, text-to-speech, VoiceOver improvements.
- Exchange ActiveSync improvements for syncing tasks, saving contacts, and offline support.
- Over 1,500 new APIs for developers.
- General performance improvements and bug fixes.
