iOS 9: all you need to know about Apple's new operating system.
 |
Apple prepares to launch iOS 9 at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2015 in June, we round up the key features you need to know about.
Will I be able to update to iOS 9?
iOS 9 will be compatible with iOS devices which use Apple’s A5
processor, meaning all iPhones up from the iPhone 4s, the iPad 2
onwards, all three iPad minis and the fifth generation of the iPod
touch.
Force Touch support
Force Touch, first introduced with the Apple Watch and updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, is a clever way of using a single surface to trigger multiple functions depending on how much pressure you apply. Force Touching an Apple Watch, for example, pulls up the menu to change the watch face, while Force clicking using a trackpad reveals locations when used on maps, previews a file's contents or adds an event to a calendar invite, and so on.The integration of Force Touch into iPhone and iPad is unlikely to receive significant attention at WWDC, as Apple is probably planning to announce it in more detail alongside the next generation of iPhones expected in September. History suggests the new models will be incremental improvements to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, meaning they could be named iPhone 6s and 6s Plus respectively, and will stick to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display size format. The new models are alleged to come in a new rose gold hue and sport a 12MP rear-facing camera, up from the previous iPhones' 8MP lens.
New security system Rootless
Another rumoured addition to iOS 9 is all-new security system Rootless, designed to put an end to customers jailbreaking their iPhones, or on the flip side, malicious individuals hacking into them. Apple has been keen to emphasise the company's commitment to preserving user privacy and data protection in the wake of last year's celebrity nude picture leak, in which a hacker claimed to have extracted intimate pictures of some of Hollywood's biggest female stars from Apple's online storage service iCloud.Rootless has been designed to prevent malware and protect user information, according to 9to5Mac. The kernel-level feature will work across both iOS and OS X, though it can supposedly be disabled on OS X, and will prevent even administrator-level users from accessing certain protected files - which could potentially spell the end for jailbreaking iOS devices to install unauthorised apps. It appears as if Rootless will need to be opted into on OS X.
