How the features in iOS has evolved over the years

iOS 1- Birth of the Titan in 2007: In 2007, Apple produced iOS; sorry it was not then iOS rather iPhone OS. It was considered as a great substitute to iPod i.e. a wide screen touch enabled iPod!! Can you believe this! This was how iOS was born in the industry! Who knew that one day it will rule the industry with its unmatched popularity, quality and user experience? Anyway, the then iPhone OS (currently iOS) was not as great as it is now but really a wonder for that generation. A touch device that is enabled with Zoom In Zoom Out feature. It was like a magic then. People were fall in love with iPhone while scrolling the screen in a smoother manner than those outdated Resistive touch screens. Yes! Apple had introduced Capacitive touch screen to the industry and this proves the vision of Apple for quality product. Google's Maps was then a part of iOS and was nicely browsed from iPhone with its Zoom functionalities. With these goodies, it has lots of stuffs missing as compared to today, let's find them out...

iOS 2- App get introduced: In 2008, Apple released its iOS2 with some additional features and of course with greater performance into the Operating System. It introduced Apple App store and made it accessible to iPhone users. The users are supposed to browse app store and then they can install any app into their device if they like it. It was awesome; but, how they pay? Well, Apple had already iTune i.e. heaven for music lovers where one can purchase music with their Credit card i.e. associated with their iTune Account. Now, it’s time to integrate iTunes payment gateway to iOS App store. Done! Purchase any app you like with your iTune credentials. What is more? In this version, the Google Maps native app got revived with support for street view, public transport and walking directions etc. Also Push email, Calendars and contacts are possible with Microsoft Exchange. Now, it looks like a smart Operating System at its infant stage!

iOS 3 More features and customization for users and the inception of iPad: Now it was time for improvement and a new device is on-boarded for launch to the industry. iOS 3 enabled user for Copy paste, Spotlight search, Push notifications and Voice control etc. It also enabled the device for Bluetooth tethering and USB tethering. The iOS 3Gs has recording feature in the camera which was a new feature then. It also added tap to focus to the native camera app. Along with all these features, this time Apple introduced iPad a bigger version of iPhone that we are calling now as a tablet. Needless to say, the game just got more exciting for iOS app developers.

iOS 4- Multitasking without the knowledge of user: Multitasking was a challenge for Apple and it overcome the hurdle with iOS4. It enabled the Operating system to run multiple apps on the background. The user listen iPod music along with browsing. The user can traverse among the apps without any lag. In this version Apple introduced WiFi access and personal hotspot that was like a boon for internet lovers. It also introduces retina eye display and enable user to keep photos as their background instead of that flagship black theme for which Apple is famous even today. It also offered multiple email access from a common native email app.

iOS 5- Siri came into Existence: In 2011, Apple introduced most successful version till that time i.e. iOS5; it was a grand success indeed. It introduced Siri the brand of Apple for voice assistance and voice recognization which is still popular today and probably will remain at the top forever. Along with Siri, it introduced notification bar; previously notifications were looking like a small window on the screen and damages the user experience. Now, with Notification bar, the user is given power to choose if they want to open them or not. The retina eye display was already a big Hit; now with iOS5, you can open the camera app when the screen is lock just like current iOS version. Along with that, it has features like update via WiFi, Syncing with iTunes with multi tasking, Safari reader etc. iMessage, Newsstand and twitter integration were a part of this version.

iOS 6- Improved Siri and other enhancements: iOS 6 has lots of improvements i.e. 200 updates along with many supporting features!! Now, it was time for own Map API instead of Google API. Apple introduced Apple Maps with turn by turn voice instruction for better usability; but unfortunately it was not a success and user wanted Google back in Apple app store! Anyway, iOS 6 launched many amazing features like Apple Passbook for mobile payment, Do not disturb and facebook integration etc. Now, it amazed the world with Panorama Photos. Panorama Photos i.e. Built-in camera app get tremendous popularity in the industry. iCloud support, VIP mail, enhanced sharing option etc were also a part of this version.

iOS 7- Automatic update & Touch ID: In 2013, Apple released yet another efficient version of iOS i.e. IOS7. Now, it has finger print scanner for better security. The users need not to enter userId and password instead he can scan his finger for the same making the process hassle free. Automatic Update over the Air was another feature of iOS7. IOS7 was much more efficient than iOS6 along with many bug fixes for different iPhones like iPhone 5 and iPhone 4. This time iTune Radio, Siri for Japanese language, iCloud and others get revived for better user experience.

iOS 8- iCloud, Health Kit and Apple Pay etc: In 2014, iOS 8 get launched. It was a grander success than the grandest. Now Siri supports many other languages. The iOS focuses more on health care with Apple watch, Health apps etc. It also introduced contact less payment method i.e. Apple Pay which was seriously criticized by many but got a good support from the industry. Now, Apple pay works in many geographic locations with association with many merchants and banks in USA, UK, Canada and other countries as well. The iCloud service got popular with easy integration. Low power mode, improved Siri, Proactive and carPlay and homekit etc make it the best smart operating system in the industry. Still human wants are endless and now Apple again comes with iOS9 in near future to mesmerize the industry yet another time!

Mindfire Solutions has been a pioneer in developing interactive apps for iPhones ever since their inception. A look at its quality iPhone application development projects would ensure the expertise of Mindfire in developing apps for iOS users. If you would like to develop an iOS app and are still wondering whom to outsource the work to, then just mail us your requirements to sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com and we will take your idea to the Appstore.