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The latest major update to the iPhone operating system is expected to arrive this fall. The last few iterations of iOS have launched in September, usually preceding the annual launch of new iPhones, and iOS 13 should be no different.
Announced at WWDC 2019, iOS 13 adds a ton of new features and updates to existing apps, but we're particularly looking forward to a handful of quality-of-life improvements that will really change the way we use our phones.
Here are the 9 most useful iOS 13 features we're looking forward to.
Like iOS 12 before it, iOS 13 will upgrade the performance of your phone.
Apple says Face ID unlocking will be 30% faster, app downloads will be 50% smaller, and app updates will be 60% smaller in iOS 13. Apps will also launch up to two times faster than before, thanks to an improved animation.
Apple is finally adding an optional system-wide Dark Mode, which will be perfect for night-time reading.
This is going to make a huge difference in all of your Apple apps: Music, Reminders, Mail, Photos, and more can all be affected by Apple's system-wide Dark Mode, which is nice and easy on the eyes, and perfect for reading in the dark.
Notably, Apple also added Dark Mode tools for developers so it's easy to implement the new mode in almost any new app that comes along.
The iPhone is about to get better editing tools — for both photos and videos.
Apple updated the editing controls to be more robust and intuitive. It still has automatic adjustments if you want them, but you can also dig into the settings to tweak sharpness, color, contrast, and even add filters.
But what's truly new and notable here is that all of these new photo settings can finally be applied to videos for the first time. You can also rotate videos from portrait to landscape (!), and you can even warp the look of your videos or adjust their aspect ratio. This is going to make it way more satisfying to film and edit videos on an iPhone.
Apple Maps is adding new features to gain parity with Google Maps.
Apple Maps is about to get way more detailed — first for US cities in 2019, then eventually the rest of the world in 2020.
The Maps themselves will have significantly more up-to-date details about roads, buildings, parks, and even beaches. Apple is also adding a new "Look Around" feature, which is similar to Google's Street View: It lets you move down streets from a first-person perspective and scan areas in a 360-degree view. Also like Google Maps, you'll be able to add your favorites and create collections of places that you can easily share with friends. It looks like a really solid update.
The Mail app is getting a big update to support rich text.
This feature was a long time coming. Finally, the Mail app will let you alter the font style, size, color, and alignment of your text, with the ability to indent and add bulleted and numbered lists. This is going to be crucial for anyone who relies on Apple's Mail app to send work emails.
Reminders, Apple's best application, is getting a complete overhaul.
Apple is making its Reminders app easier to use, and far more robust. In iOS 13, you'll be able to jot down reminders like you currently can, but you'll be able to add dates, times, locations, photos, check lists, and flags to really get specific about your lists and to-dos.
Siri will also be able to suggest new reminders based on what you're doing. So if someone messages you to make plans, Siri can automatically create a reminder for you.
The iPhone keyboard is finally getting "swipe-to-type."
Lots of people like iPhone keyboards that allow you to swipe to type, and that's exactly what Apple's new QuickPath Typing can do. Apple has on-device machine learning that recognizes the path you're drawing and converts it all for you. Hopefully this makes one-handed typing easier.
The new "Sign in with Apple" feature will let you sign up with any app or service without offering up any of your personal information.
With "Sign in with Apple," developers can put the button in their apps, and Apple can log you into any app with a new account.
Some applications may want your name or email to send you information outside the app, and they are allowed to request this information, but Apple built a solution for people worried about privacy: You can still choose to share your actual email address with apps or services — or you can choose to hide it. If you want to hide your email address, Apple will create a random unique address that forwards to your real email address, which you can disable at any time.
The new Voice Control feature in iOS 13 will let you control your entire iPhone using only your voice.
This is an accessibility setting Apple has been working on for a long time, but basically voice control is now system-wide, and extremely comprehensive.
You can navigate and type using voice commands and gestures, since everything on the screen will have numbers and names to allow for easier control.
Which iOS 13 features are you looking forward to the most?
I'm interested to hear what you think of iOS 13. Did Apple check off all your boxes? Or is the company missing an important feature this time around? Shoot me an email at dsmith@businessinsider.com.
