After much hard work on Apple’s part for months, releasing betas to developers, the company has officially released iOS 7.1. Earlier today, reports around the social media have reported iPhone users able to see the iOS 7.1 update and available for download. This new major update is the first to come after several months.
Apple has previously released updates such as iOS 7.0.6 to fix quick bugs and problems. Let’s dig a little deeper into this update and see what Apple has made available for everyone.
Software update iOS 7.1 features a number of major changes including new user interface points, bug fixes and much more. One instantly notable feature is CarPlay, which Apple officially unveiled CarPlay at the Geneva Motor Show last week. CarPlay feature enables users to control Maps, Music, Message and select third-party apps using your car’s center console display. Best of all, Siri integration is very simple and you can use the voice controlled assistant while driving.
You can download iOS 7.1 right now your iPhone or iPad via Over-The-Air (OTA) update. Or if you’re old school, connect it to your laptop/computer, launch iTunes and search for an update.
Below, you can read more about additional features Apple has made in this update.
CarPlay
- iOS experience designed for the car
- Simply connect your iPhone to a CarPlay enabled vehicle
- Supports Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, and 3rd-party audio apps
- Control with Siri and the car’s touchscreen, knobs, and buttons
Siri
- Manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while you speak and releasing it when you’re done as an alternative to letting Siri automatically notice when you stop talking
- New, more natural sounding male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, UK English, Australian English, and Japanese
iTunes Radio
- Search field above Featured Stations to easily create stations based on your favorite artist or song
- Buy albums with the tap of a button from Now Playing Subscribe to iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free
Calendar
- Option to display events in month view
- Country specific holidays automatically added for many countries
Accessibility
- Bold font option now includes the keyboard, calculator, and many icon glyphs
- Reduce Motion option now includes Weather, Messages, and multitasking UI animations
- New options to display button shapes, darken app colors, and reduce white point
Other
- New Camera setting to automatically enable HDR for iPhone 5s
- iCloud Keychain support in additional countries
- FaceTime call notifications are automatically cleared when you answer a call on another device
- Fixes a bug that could occasionally cause a home screen crash
- Improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition
- Improved performance for iPhone 4
- Fixes display of Mail unread badge for numbers greater than 10,000
- Continued user interface refinements
What are your thoughts? Updating?
