In my last post, I mentioned about iPhone5S, and helped you to make a decision on to sell or not to sell your iPhone5 for 5S. As soon as Apple announced the release of iOS 7, I rushed to find out all that I could about the newest OS and waited with bated breath for the inevitable Update button to appear on my screen. Now, even if you are running iPhone5, I recommend you to update to iOS7, as this new version of iOS firmware, offers some great and much needed features like contact blocker, Audio only FaceTime call and so on.
One of the good thing about every updated version of iOS firmware is: It integrates all important features of Cydia in it. One of the major reason we end up jailbreaking our iPhone is to enjoy more power in terms of getting more features. For example, before iOS7, Sbsettings used to be a great Cydia hack, and with iOS7, you can simply ignore it. Similarly features like call blocker, live wallpapers were earlier possible after installing Cydia on your iPhone, and with new features of iOS, it’s integrated within the phone itself. Today, I will be sharing some of the notable features of iOS 7, which you should know.
1. Folders can hold as many apps as you want
You can now put as many apps as you can in one folder, as Apple has lifted the limits on the number of apps per folder in iOS 7. If you want, you can even put ALL of your apps in one folder and get a clean home screen.
2. Messages have timestamps
One of the most annoying aspects of Messages in iOS was the lack of timestamps in your messages. iOS 7 has improved on that and now you can check what time each message was sent or received. All you need to do is swipe over from the right side of the conversation to see the timestamps.
3. Let the App Store update your apps for you
In iOS versions past, you had to manually go to App Store just to update your apps. Miss updating a few days, and you’d find yourself having to update more than 10 apps at once. With iOS 7, you can now set the App Store to auto-update every app and to turn off updating when using cellular data.
4. Use Siri to handle your calls
Siri can now be your own personal secretary – just ask her. You can have her play your voicemails for you, or call back a contact whose call you just missed. Don’t like Siri as a girl? Change it to a more masculine voice by going to Settings.
5. Make audio-only FaceTime calls
Take the face out of FaceTime when you make calls to other iOS or OS X users. There are now two options when making calls. Just click on the phone icon to call your friends without having to show your face. It’s also a great way to save on cellular minutes. This is very handy for those who are on limited data plans, and are using Facetime for making calls, as audio only Facetime call will consume less data.
6. Don’t let Apple track your movements
Did you know that Apple had introduced ad tracking back in iOS 6? I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t; not many people do. It was supposed to track your browsing activity in order to send targeted ads to your phone. But now you can disable tracking if you want to, right under the Privacy settings.
7. Block unwanted callers and messages
Time to start blocking all those annoying callers and messages on your phone. iOS 7 now lets you block a contact from calling you or sending you messages. You can block a contact from calling you by going to Contact Details and clicking Block this Caller. Manage blocked messages by going to Messages under Settings and clicking Blocked. This applies to both iMessages and FaceTime. I personally find this feature very useful, as this helps me to get rid of those annoying unwanted people to call me. If you need a tutorial on how to block people on iOS, do let me know, and I will add it up on the next post.
8. Wipe your device after many failed attempts
I have a password on my phone, like everyone else, because I need to protect data on it. To protect this data, iOS 7 now has an option to Erase Data after 10 failed password attempts.
9. Get Night Mode for maps
Who wants a blinding white light while driving? Not me. Apple Maps now automatically adjusts the map interface to darken based on the time of day. You don’t even need to turn anything on; this feature is here to say whether you like it or not.
10. Compass App has a spirit level
Your iPhone can now double as a tool with the built-in spirit level. Swipe to the second page where you’ll find a minimalist bubble level surface that you can use. Just line it up until you get a balanced zero degrees, which means everything’s all straight.
How about you? Have you updated your iOS, or are you still on the fence and can’t decide? There are a lot of hidden gems in iOS 7, and these are just some of them. If you know of any other iOS7 Features that we missed, do let me know via comments.
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