The Apple WWDC 2016 was held a few days ago and as usual, the event saw the company CEO Tim Cook and his team bring to the world a new iPhone operating system dubbed iOS 10.
The just announced iOS 10, as the name suggests, is the tenth major release of this operating system. As expected, the OS brings to the fold improvements from the previous iOS 9, fixes to bugs from this same operating system as well as new features that are to be baked in the upcoming version, which is iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The current release of the OS is still in beta, which means only developers can use it. A public beta is expected to be released this summer before the two iPhone flagships are availed to the market in September. So, as we keep waiting for the release of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus successors, here are 2 main iOS 10 features that speak volumes about the upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
Siri is now open to third-party developers
In the past, Siri has only been limited to Apple-based applications and services. However, this is no longer the case with iOS 10. Cupertino has now opened up the digital assistant’s SDK such that any willing Apple app developer can integrate the services of the assistant into their apps. With the application open, it will for sure attract more usage and thus, Apple will be able to collect more data on how accurate it can be, hence improving it in future releases.
The competition is quite tough out there. Google has Now and an even better Now on Tap, Amazon has Alexa and Microsoft boasts of Cortana. None of these companies have opened up their SDKs to third party developers. With Apple taking this route, Siri will be better-positioned to be the top service provider in the digital assistants’ world.
iMessage is also open to developers
Other than Apple Siri, iMessage has also received a developer SDK that will allow non-Apple developers to access the messaging platform. The purpose of this move is to allow for more functionality as well as tie third-party players close to the Apple-owned iOS 10. With instant messaging seemingly the next big thing in the mobile world, Apple’s opening up of iMessage to third-party developers will pave the way for more usage of the app across the globe.
What other iOS 10 features do you think are revolutionary rather than evolutionary? Let us know your views in the comments section below.