It's official, iOS 10 has been unveiled at WWDC 2016 and it's on its way to replace the iOS 9 operating system currently powering your existing iPhone. One of the bigger iOS updates in recent years, the new update won't just give your beloved handset a new lick of paint, it will provide a number of coveted new features and functions too.
With a mass of new iOS 10 features inbound when the free software update launches alongside the iPhone 7 this autumn, this lot will also give your existing iPhone a new lease of life.
1| You can read notifications without touching a button
Highlighting just how big an update iOS 10 really is, you'll see changes right away. Apple's new 'Raise to Wake' feature - something it might just have 'borrowed' from a few of its Android-touting rivals - lets you check what's going on without the need to press a single button. Simply lift your phone, and it will wake up showing you your message and app alerts front and centre.
2| Redesigned control panel adds more… well, control
Improved notification access isn't the only thing going on from the lock screen. Apple's trademark Control Panel, accessed by swiping up from the base of the screen, has been rejigged too. Redesigned with a cleaner look and new Night Shift shortcut it's not alone either. Pull it up and swipe left and you'll be given an addition music control panel, album art and all, letting you skip tracks and and select new playlists at will.
3| Messages are getting a major overhaul
Messages is the most used iPhone app but it's a little bit dry. iOS 10 will fix that though with a complete Messages overhaul that's adding dozens of new features and functions. While you'll now be able to send handwritten texts for a little more personalisation, Bubble Effects will change the size of message bubbles, making it seem like you're shouting or whispering what you've got to say. That's not where it ends though. Live Sketches will let you draw out doodles to send, stickers will up your emoji game and Invisible Ink messages will let you hide text and snaps behind a bit of distortion that can be removed with a sideways swipe.
4| Siri's just earned its degree
Siri's been a nice iPhone addition in recent years, but the voice-controlled digital PA's not really revolutionised how we use our phones. That's about to change though. Siri's gone from high school to PHD graduate with a number of impressive new additions. As well as being about to dictate and send messages through third-party services such as WhatsApp and WeChat, it can now be used to search photos (more on that later), start and stop workout sessions, make Skype calls and even book and Uber.
5| Your phone will recognise who's in your photos
Apple's Photos app is getting smart. As well as now letting you track the location of every photo you've ever taken on a map, your phone's going to start looking at your images, using 11 billion computations per snap to work out what's going on. This is going to make hunting out forgotten snaps a whole lot easier. Want to find photos you've taken of horses, you've got it, just type it in and Apple's deep learning will do the work.
6| Photos will make highlight videos for you
Not content with automatically creating galleries based on your recent trip to Spain, photos of Jeff, images of your dog, or all the photos you've taken up mountains, Photos will also turn your stills into cool, shareable highlight pack video montages - editing and audio included.
7| Your phone will warn you about nuisance calls
"Hi, we heard you had been involved in a traffic accident… no? Miss sold PPI? Need a new phone contract?" If, like us, you're tired of being bombarded with nuisance calls, Apple, with iOS 10, is coming to the rescue. In the update, your phone app will keep tabs of the calls you most frequently reject or quickly hang up, as well as numbers that have been repeatedly reported or just downright look a bit iffy and give you a 'Possible Spam' call warning before you commit to picking up.
8| Your iPhone will kill off voicemails for good
We all hate voicemails. What sort of person doesn't just drop you a text when they can't get through on the blower nowadays, seriously? Well, Apple's got a solution to you having to put up with that annoying blinking voicemail icon for two weeks before finally cracking and listening to 65 seconds of static - iOS 10 will introduce transcribed voicemails. Listing to the aimless chatter for you, it will type out what was said, and by who, before presenting it in text form. That's much better.
9| Apple music has a whole new look
Shunned Spotify? You're not alone, Apple Music has 15 million paying subscribers and, now, a whole new look. Cleaning things up and cutting the clutter, the refreshed Apple Music offers more continuity with other Apple apps and between feature in the app, offering a more intuitive and familiar user experience. There's new features too. The ultimate tool for karaoke lovers, the new Apple Music will add lyrics for all songs when it drops in iOS 10.
10| Apple's going big on emoji
Not only are emojis getting three times bigger in Messages, Apple will also include the little yellow word replacements in its predictive text prompts. That's not where it ends though. Once you've finished typing out your message, hitting the emoji menu will see all words in your text that have relevant emoji replacements highlighted. Tapping on these will sub out the typing for something a little more lively.
