10 iPhone, iPad Apps Optimized For iOS 9
Apple packed several new features into iOS 9. Here are 10 apps upgraded to make the most of them.
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iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users were happy to see many of the new features Apple included in iOS 9, but most of the updates from iOS 8 were fairly minor.
Some of the updates added to the mobile OS included transit directions in Maps, a more capable Notes app, improved Siri, greater control over battery use, and multitasking functionality for iPad.
Adoption of iOS 9 quickly increased after the launch, and more than 12% of iOS devices had been upgraded within 24 hours of the system's rollout. Two days after launch, adoption had grown to 20%.
[In-depth with iOS 9: 10 more handy features.]
As one might expect, the pace of upgrades has slowed in recent weeks. A new third-party report from Localytics claims iOS 9 adoption is at 55% one month following its release. The firm also reports that bugs have interfered with customers' use of iOS 9.
Apple is addressing the glitches with iOS 9.0.1 and iOS 9.0.2, both OS bug fixers intended to bring stability to frustrated users. Almost 70% of those who have downloaded iOS 9 have upgraded to a more stable version; 37% of them are using iOS 9.0.2.
If these updates have successfully debugged your iPhone or iPad, you may be wondering which of your apps will work differently on iOS 9 and which are designed to make the most of its new features.
Here we talk about 10 apps designed to make the most of the capabilities in iOS 9, including Spotlight Search, Split View, and Picture-in-Picture. Have any of your apps changed for the better after the upgrade? Feel free to share your recommendations in our comments section below.
The ability to block certain online content is a major highlight of iOS 9. Apple is giving developers the option to build ad-blocking and tracker-blocking extensions on Safari websites. 1Blocker is designed to give you control over the content you see. In doing so, it cuts down on Web page loading time and decreases the average of total downloaded data by 50%, its website reports. 1Blocker has 7,000 pre-installed blockers for ads, tracking scripts, widgets, comments, and other online content.
After downloading, go to Settings > Safari > Content blockers to activate 1Blocker.
A clipboard app designed for copying and pasting content, Clips was handy before iOS 9. It was made more useful with the new features developed specifically for iPad, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus. You can already use the Clips widget to grab quotes, links, content, and GIFs and paste them in another app. The iOS 9 upgrade lets you take advantage of multitasking and split-view features, so you can copy and paste between two apps side-by-side. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can use 3D touch to preview content and add content from the home screen.
If you're already on Dropbox, you may have noticed a few ways iOS 9 improves upon the cloud storage app. Dropbox files are accessible via Spotlight Search, so you can swipe left on the home screen to search for recently used files or files marked for offline access. Those already using the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will notice the app is optimized for Force Touch technology. Pressing down on the app tile will prompt a menu from which you can access recent files or offline files, upload images, or search Dropbox.
Twitterrific is a Twitter client designed as a universal app for iPhone and iPad. Twitter users can access the app to scroll through mentions and direct messages from their timeline, customize fonts and image thumbnails on the theme panel, switch accounts, and use rich media such as animated GIFs and multiple images. In iOS 9, you can use Quick Reply to respond to tweets and direct messages. Twitterrific also supports split-screen and slide-over multitasking for iPad.
iPad users can take advantage of the picture-in-picture feature of iOS 9 with Hulu. The video streaming platform lets you continue watching shows in a corner of your screen as you weed through your inbox or browse InformationWeek.
If you live in or frequent an area with a clear view of stars at night (sorry, city dwellers), Night Sky is a cool app worth trying. You can use Spotlight search in iOS to pinpoint objects in the sky, including stars, constellations, planets, and satellites. Night Sky also provides information on light pollution in your area and stargazing weather if you're planning on heading outdoors.
This PDF viewer and file manager lets you read Office files, view and annotate PDF documents, search within documents, share files, save Web pages for later viewing, and sync documents to cloud services including iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Documents 5 supports Spotlight so you can quickly access files stored in Documents, or use Split View to scan files in other apps side-by-side.
Pocket lets you save content such as articles and videos for offline viewing. The app has been upgraded to support new features in iOS 9, such as picture-in-picture video, so you can view saved clips while multitasking on the same screen. You can also browse recently saved content from Spotlight Search.
Parcel tracks packages shipped through 265 delivery services, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, TNT, and DHL. You can manage your deliveries on a map or track packages on web.parcelapp.net. In iOS 9, you can add deliveries from other apps, such as Safari or Mail, by selecting a tracking number in the app and choosing Share in the list of share extensions. The app lets you ask Siri for delivery reminders while scrolling through package details, and it supports multitasking on the iPad.
Productivity app Things for iPad is a task manager upgraded to support Split View, keyboard shortcuts, and a Today widget in the Notification Center that gives you faster access to your to-do list. Support for Handoff enables a smoother transition between devices, and an "Add to Things" extension lets you create to-do lists from other apps.
Productivity app Things for iPad is a task manager upgraded to support Split View, keyboard shortcuts, and a Today widget in the Notification Center that gives you faster access to your to-do list. Support for Handoff enables a smoother transition between devices, and an "Add to Things" extension lets you create to-do lists from other apps.
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