iOS 9

For similar names, including Mac OS 9, see OS9 (disambiguation).

iOS 9

A version of the iOS operating system
iOS 9.3.2 running on an iPhone 6S, showing some of the default apps.
Developer	Apple Inc.
Written in	{{#property:p277}}
Source model	Closed, with open source components
Initial release	September 16, 2015 (2015-09-16)
Latest release	9.3.2 (13F69) / May 16, 2016 (2016-05-16)
Latest preview	9.3.3 Beta 1 (13G12) / May 23, 2016 (2016-05-23)
Platforms	iPhone 4S iPhone 5 iPhone 5C iPhone 5S iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus iPhone SE iPod Touch (5th generation) iPod Touch (6th generation) iPad 2 iPad (3rd generation) iPad (4th generation) iPad Air iPad Air 2 iPad Mini (1st generation) iPad Mini 2 iPad Mini 3 iPad Mini 4 iPad Pro
Kernel type	Hybrid (XNU)
License	Proprietary EULA except for open-source components
Preceded by	iOS 8
Official website	www.apple.com/ios/
Support status
Supported

iOS 9 is the ninth major release of iOS, the mobile operating system by Apple Inc. It is the successor to iOS 8 and focuses less on new features and more on under-the-hood optimizations, as well as battery improvements. It was announced at the company's WWDC 2015 keynote on June 8, 2015, and released on September 16, 2015.

On September 21, 2015, Apple announced that iOS 9 had been installed on more than 50% of "active" iOS devices as measured by the App Store, making it the fastest adoption rate for a new operating system. As of May 9, 2016, that percentage has increased to 84%.

History

Main article: iOS version history § iOS 9

iOS 9 was introduced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8, 2015, with iOS 9.0 beta 1 being made available to registered developers straight after the keynote, and a public beta made available to members of Apple's Beta Software Program in July. iOS 9 was released publicly on September 16, 2015.

iOS 9.0.1 was released on September 23, 2015, as the first update to iOS 9. It fixed a major bug that caused the "Slide to Upgrade" screen to freeze when updating from earlier versions of iOS.

iOS 9.0.2 was released on September 30, 2015, to fix a major lock screen bypass issue.

iOS 9.1 was released on October 21, 2015. It includes support for the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and the 4th generation Apple TV.

iOS 9.2 was released on December 8, 2015, with new features including adding Arabic language support for Siri and introducing iPhone support for the Lightning to SD Card Reader, which lets users transfer photos and videos from an SD card (commonly used in DSLR cameras) to iPhone without the need for a computer.

iOS 9.2.1 was released on January 19, 2016, with some bug fixes. On February 18, a second version of iOS 9.2.1 was released to fix an issue that could brick iPhones with Touch ID sensors that had been repaired by a third-party.

iOS 9.3 was released on March 21, 2016, with new 3D Touch shortcuts (iPhone 6s and 6s Plus only), Night Shift Mode, Notes with password protection and Touch ID, improvements in News, improvements to the Health app, CarPlay updates for Apple Music and Apple Maps, new languages for Siri, multi-user mode for iPad in education, support for pairing multiple Apple Watches to one iPhone, Wi-fi calling for AT&T and Verizon only, major bug fixes, and improvements in speed and battery life. iOS 9.3's Night Shift is a significant feature that shifts the display's colors to a warmer, less blue, light so that it lowers the effect of the screen's light on a user's circadian rhythms.

iOS 9.3.1 was released on March 31, 2016, fixing a bug that causes Safari and other apps to crash and become unresponsive after tapping on links in the app.

iOS 9.3.2 was released on May 16, 2016, restoring the ability to use Night Shift and Low Power Mode simultaneously, fixed a Bluetooth issue for iPhone SE, fixed various bugs and improvements to speed and security. However, iOS 9.3.2 bricked some iPad Pros, preventing them from being used. This is also called "Error 56". Apple pulled the update for iPad Pro 9.7 on May 20, 2016, after hearing about complaints of the "Error 56".

Apple continues to develop new releases with major and minor improvements for the operating system through beta software available to registered members of Apple Beta Software Program. iOS 9.3.3 beta 1 has been available for developer beta testers since May 23, 2016.

Features

iOS 9 includes enhancements to preinstalled applications and system functions, especially for the iPad, as well as improvements to stability, speed and battery life.

Keyboard

On iPad, a two-finger drag on the keyboard moves the cursor freely like a traditional trackpad making positioning the cursor and selecting text easier. A shortcut bar has been added including cut, copy, paste, undo and redo. On the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, a force press on the keyboard also allows the user to move the cursor like a trackpad.

When shift is inactive, lowercase letters are displayed, instead of the all-caps representation on all previous iOS versions, although this can be disabled.

News

Main article: News (application)

iOS 9 includes a new News app (replacing the Newsstand app) which displays news from sources such as The New York Times, CNN, Wired, and ESPN to bring one unified experience in the way users read, experience, and discover news. Publishers use the Apple News Format to create articles for iOS users. The app has been compared to the popular app Flipboard, which also aggregates news in addition to social media posts. It has been discovered that the News application will also have support for RSS feeds from Safari.

Originally, News was only available in the US only, but as of the iOS 9.1 release, the app also arrived in the UK and Australia.

As of March 16, 2016, Apple has opened the News platform up to all news agencies.

Notes

The built-in Notes app has received a number of enhancements, including the ability to draw sketches with a number of different tools, including a ruler for straight lines. Images can also be added, and links to websites and Map locations get a more prominent, visual appearance when added to notes. Attachments including images, links, locations, documents and audio across all notes can be viewed in a single view from the notes list. Advanced formatting options including checked, bulleted, dashed and numbered lists can be added. The iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation) do not support the Sketch feature of the Notes application.

Notes now sync using iCloud Drive, as opposed to the less secure IMAP system that Apple has used in past iterations of iOS. When a library has been updated to the new Notes format, devices that still use IMAP will no longer be able to view the upgraded notes. The new Notes format also syncs to any Mac on the same iCloud account running OS X 10.11 or higher.

Secure notes, introduced in iOS 9.3, lets an iOS user protect their notes with either a passcode or Touch ID.

Maps

Main article: Apple Maps

Apple Maps adds support for transit directions in Baltimore, Berlin, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Shanghai, Toronto, and Washington D.C., along with several other cities in China at launch, which will expand as Apple maps out more cities. The Maps app now also makes recommendations to points of interest, restaurants, etc. based on what time of day it is or the users' interests. Map also display place cards for landmarks, cities and text taken from Wikipedia. Apple has claimed that information collected by iOS this way will not be shared with the company or third parties. There will also be an icon in the details view of a retailer to indicate that they support Apple Pay. The transit feature is not available on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation).

Multitasking

iOS 9 also adds a number of features to the iPad to improve productivity. These include Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture, for enhanced multitasking, similar to the experience found on OS X El Capitan. Slide Over allows the user to pull in a second app with a swipe from the right edge of the display. This app takes up the width of 33% of the screen size, and disables interactivity within the full screen app, which takes up 66% of the display, allowing users to perform quick tasks and then dismiss the app again. If the user taps on the handle next to the Slide Over window, or extends it further towards the left of the screen, the user enters Split View, which allows users to interact with two apps simultaneously side-by-side in a 50%/50% split. Users can switch to another app in either Slide Over mode or Split-Screen view by pulling down on the handle on top of either app and selecting another app from the list to replace the existing one. The Split-Screen Multitasking feature is only be available to iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad Pro. However, the Slide Over and Picture in Picture feature will be available on the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 2 and higher, and the iPad Pro. The iPad 2, 3rd generation, 4th generation, and Mini (1st Generation) will not receive any of these multitasking updates.

When banner notifications are tapped, causing another app to open, a back button at the top-left corner of the screen has been added, bringing the user back to the previous app.

The app switcher is redesigned, with app previews stacked on each other that are swiped through in a carousel effect. It also removes the recent contacts section found in iOS 8.

Proactivity

Intelligence is one of the main features in iOS 9, consisting of the newly integrated Siri and Search (previously known as Spotlight), as well as "proactivity" throughout the operating system. iOS is now more aware of contextual information (such as time and location), and proactively provides the user with what they may need in advance to save them time and effort. For example, the Search screen displays suggested apps, nearby points of interest from Maps and current news stories, based on time of day and location. When typing, Search has also been improved to display instant answers in an at-a-glance, widget-like format, similar to that provided in the Siri interface. Search can display current weather, sports scores, news, and more. The Search screen with proactive suggestions can be accessed by swiping to the left of the first home screen, as with the old Spotlight in iPhone OS 3 to 6. The new Search screen is not available on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Mini (1st generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation). However, the Search field and Siri button can also be accessed by swiping down on any page of the home screen (as in iOS 7/8), but doesn't show any suggestions. The intelligence also extends into apps. For instance, in Mail, events can be automatically added to Calendar if details are found in the message content, and likely additional recipients are suggested during message composition. Siri is also aware of what is currently onscreen when it is engaged by holding down the home button. For example, if a user is shopping for something in Safari, the user can say, "Remind me about 'this' when I get home", and Siri will set a reminder with a geofence and attached link of the current page. The user can also ask Siri "Show me photos I took last June" and Siri will direct into the photos app, similar to the new Spotlight in OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

Wallet

Main article: Wallet (application)

The Passbook application was renamed Wallet in iOS 9 and includes many new changes such as support for store loyalty cards, gift cards, Discover Credit/Debit Card support, and Apple Pay in the UK.

3D Touch

Main article: Force Touch

3D Touch, which is only available on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, is incorporated into iOS 9. Quick Actions and shortcuts are added to applications that support this feature, and are triggered by pressing slightly harder on the application icon. 3D Touch on iOS 9 also introduces actions known as Peek and Pop, which lets users preview all kinds of content and act on it without having to actually open it. For example, a consumer can "Peek" (preview) at emails in the user's inbox by pressing lightly on the email, and by pressing harder, the user will "Pop" open the email and see its full content. Users can also preview a webpage if they have a link to it, by pressing the link gently, without having to leave the current application that they are on. The taptic engine in iPhone 6s and 6s plus provide haptic feedback each time users press the screen harder.

Night Shift

Night Shift is a feature introduced in iOS 9.3. The feature shifts the colors of the device's display to be warmer, similar to F.lux, a popular program for Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X computers. When enabled, it uses the device's clock and geographic location to determine when to turn the feature on or off. Optionally, the user can set a manual schedule, or not have a schedule at all. For ease of access, there is a new Night Shift toggle that has been added to the Control Center. The settings for Night Shift are located under "Display and Brightness" in the Settings app, and on top of enabling the feature and setting a schedule, the user can also set the warmth of the display. Night Shift is automatically turned off when Low Power Mode is enabled, although users have been able to find workarounds for enabling both at the same time. Only the iPhone 5s and later, the iPad mini 2 and later, the iPad Air and later, the sixth-generation iPod Touch, and the iPad Pro can be used with Night Shift. The iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPad 2 to iPad (4th generation), and iPod Touch (5th generation) do not receive the Night Shift Feature as it requires the 64-bit processors found in the Apple A7 to Apple A9 chips.

Other Improvements

Battery

iOS 9 comes with Low Power Mode, which is said to increase battery life by up to three hours. In addition, Apple has added face-down detection on the iPhone 5S or newer. The operating system will know when your device is face down, and will not light up the screen when you get notifications to preserve battery life. Overall, Apple claims that iOS 9 will give consumers an extra hour of battery life just by updating.

Performance

iOS 9 includes under-the-hood improvements thanks to the use of the Metal API throughout the operating system. Previously, Metal was only used within gaming applications.

Security

iOS 9 introduces improved security using advanced encryption. iOS 9 also introduces a new two-factor authentication system for better security within iCloud Drive. iOS 9 fixes a security issue within previous iOS versions where a hacker could bypass Apple's certificate security protocols allowing the "attacker to issue a malware payload via a directory traversal attack" which allows the hacker to "remotely alter configuration files to ensure the exploit still works even if an incoming AirDrop file is rejected by a user". In addition, 6-digit passcodes are now the default for Touch ID-enabled devices (increased from 4). Devices without Touch ID will also be able to use 6-digit passcodes, and devices with Touch ID will still be able to use 4-digit passcodes (although they won't be the default option).

Safari

Main article: Safari (web browser)

With the release of iOS 9, the Safari web browser allows for third-party integration; as of September 2015, the most popular third-party Safari extensions are ad- and content-blocking applications.

iBooks

As of iOS 9.3, PDFs saved to the iBooks application via Safari or iTunes can be synced with iCloud.

iCloud

iOS 9 includes a new iCloud Drive app, which can be enabled from the iCloud settings.

Problems

On February 5, 2016, news outlets reported that users who updated to iOS 9 on a particular device that had been repaired by a third-party repair outlets using non-Apple-manufactured components (notably the Touch ID component) rendered their phone completely unusable (or "bricked"), resulting in an error being shown. After installing the update, the device would prevent users from accessing any of their content with no option to reverse the software update, return the phone to its original condition or to otherwise rescue its data. Apple claimed that error shown due to this was to protect customers' data stored on the device that could possibly be compromised by malicious components after unauthorised repairs.

A newly discovered date bug could permanently disable 64-bit processor devices. This bug was done by manually setting the date to January 1, 1970, subsequently rebooting the device.

On March 24, 2016, Apple temporarily stopped offering the iOS 9.3 update for older devices like the iPad Air and iPhone 5S earlier due to installation issues some users have experienced. On older devices, iOS 9.3 requires users to input the Apple ID and password originally used to set up the device, which can lead to the device becoming stuck at the Activation Lock screen if the original account information can't be recalled. On March 28, 2016, Apple released a new patched build of iOS 9.3 for older devices impacted by the issue.

On March 28, 2016, iPhone and iPad users have reported that an apparent iOS bug that causes Safari, Mail, Messages, Notes, Chrome, and select other preinstalled and third-party apps to crash or freeze after tapping or long-pressing on web links. Users first starting experiencing this issue after the release of iOS 9.3 last week but some users also claim to be affected on iOS 9.2.1 and earlier iOS versions. Apple released iOS 9.3.1 on March 31, 2016, with a fix for users affected by this issue on their iOS devices.

Reception

The reception of iOS 9 has been generally positive with critics praising all the under-the-hood improvements Apple made as welcome changes especially since iOS 9's predecessor, iOS 8, was known for having bugs and being unstable at times. Reviewers have also praised iOS 9 for including many improvements in user experience such as the new Intelligence improvements. However, many journalists noted that Apple picked up many of the ideas for iOS 9 from other platforms. The Intelligence improvements were seen as borrowed from Google, who introduced the idea of Google Now and Now On Tap which perform many of the same functions as Proactive in iOS 9. Improvements to the iPad experience such as split-screen multitasking were seen in other tablets such as the Microsoft Surface or the Samsung Galaxy line of tablets. Keyboard improvements such as scrolling with a two-finger gesture and upper/lower case keyboard were noted by critics as having been taken from jailbreak tweaks as well (SwipeSelection and ShowCase, respectively).

There has been criticism, however, of the operating system's new way of handling apps, called "App Thinning", in which apps downloaded on a specific device will only download files that are required to run on that device and not contain any files required to run on other iOS devices. While this is beneficial for individuals who may have devices with lower storage capacity, the apps downloaded do not transfer back to iTunes when connected, as they have previously. This may mean that a user has to download the same app multiple times for each of their devices - a problem especially for those with limited data allowances from their internet service providers.

Apple is facing a $5 million lawsuit over allegedly slowing the iPhone 4S with iOS 9.

Supported devices

With this release, Apple did not drop support for any iOS devices, with all devices supporting iOS 8 also able to run iOS 9. Supported devices on this release include the iPhone 4S onwards, iPod Touch (5th generation) onwards, the iPad 2 onwards, and the iPad Mini (1st generation) onwards, making iOS 9 have the most supported devices than any other iOS release, with 22 devices. The iPad 2 is also the first iOS device to support six major releases of iOS, supporting iOS 4 to 9. This is the greatest amount of major iOS releases a single iOS device has supported, surpassing the iPhone 4S which supports five major releases (iOS 5 to 9), and iPod Touch (5th generation) supporting four major releases (iOS 6 to 9). However, iOS 9 has limited support on the iPad 2, the iPhone 4S, the iPad Mini (1st generation), and the iPod Touch (5th generation).

Supported devices:

iPhone

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 5
• iPhone 5C
• iPhone 5S
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6S
• iPhone 6S Plus
• iPhone SE

iPod Touch

• iPod Touch (5th generation)
• iPod Touch (6th generation)

iPad

• iPad 2
• iPad (3rd generation)
• iPad (4th generation)
• iPad Air
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Pro

iPad Mini

• iPad Mini (1st generation)
• iPad Mini 2
• iPad Mini 3
• iPad Mini 4

External links

• iOS – official site
• Increase Battery Life on iOS 9 Devices

Preceded by iOS 8

iOS 9 September 2015

Incumbent