Last week at the Worldwide Developers Conference Apple unveiled a ton of new software and hardware. A big focus of the keynote was showing off the new features in iOS 11–and there are some biggies from the revamped Siri and App Store to the improved Camera and Photos apps to AirPlay 2 and a customizable Control Center. And then there were a ton of enhancements for the iPad, like a new Dock, drag and drop between apps, and a new Files manager–all of which Apple hopes will turn the iPad into a true productivity device on the scale of a laptop.
Yet with all the of the major new features, Apple, as usual, has baked in a ton of minor enhancements that, when taken as a whole, make iOS 11 greater than the sum of its major-feature parts. And as usual, Apple neglected to show off what any of these minor, hidden features were. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best hidden features coming in iOS 11.
A New One-handed Keyboard
This is perhaps one of the best smaller features of iOS 11. The operating system now features a one-handed keyboard. This is incredibly useful when you have only one hand free to type messages on your iPhone (for example, when you are carrying a coffee, walking down the street, in the other hand. To enable one-handed keyboard simply touch the globe or emoji icon key in the regular keyboard and then choose the left or right option. All the keys will be smoothed over to one side so you can type with one hand.
Instant Wi-Fi Sharing
Another great, small feature, instant Wi-Fi sharing allows your iOS 11-using friend’s devices to send a request to your iOS 11 device to instantly connect to the Wi-Fi network you are on. If you accept, their device will automatically receive the Wi-Fi password so they can quickly get onto your network.
App Offloading
We’ve all run low on space on our iPhone before, so this new feature is a bit of a godsend. App offloading allows you to manually (or have it done automatically) delete rarely-used apps while keeping their settings intact. Deleting the apps can free up much-needed space, while keeping their settings intact mean if you reinstall the app, it’s run just like it used to—as configured.
Type To Talk To Siri
Another welcome improvement is you can now type your queries to Siri instead of needing to speak them to the personal digital assistant. This is great for those of us who feel like a tool speaking to Siri in public places.
QR Code Scanning
QR codes are much more common in other parts of the world than in the UK, but still this feature can be pretty useful as they become more ubiquitous. The Camera app in iOS 11 can now read QR codes. The codes themselves can do things like connect you to a Wi-Fi network automatically, give you information about a product, or link you to a webpage. Many routers even have QR codes on the back that you can scan to instantly configure your device with the new router. Before iOS 11 you needed a third-party QR app to scan and read QR codes, but now you can simply use iOS 11’s Camera app to do it.
Built-in Screen Recording
This is a great feature for anyone who likes to show people what is going on on their iPhone. Called Screen Recorder, the new features is accessible via the new Control Center and allows you to capture screen recordings right from iOS 11—on the device itself (you previously needed a Mac and QuickTime software). The uses are almost endless: show someone how to do something on their iPhone by recording yourself doing it and sending the the video file; captures website navigation; or even just record FaceTime calls.
FLAC Audio Playback
FLAC, or Free Lossless Audio Codec, is an audio codec hardcore music geeks love. That’s because it has zero compression, making the audio truly lossless in quality. Previously iOS didn’t support FLAC playback, but in iOS 11 it does.
NFC Access For Developers
The final cool hidden feature is one for developers—not they have access to the NFC chip inside the iPhone and iPad. In iOS devices the NFC chip is how Apple Pay is powered at contactless terminals. But NFC is also used in more things than just contactless payments, such a door locks in hotels. Now that developers have access to the NFC chip, hotel chains could make your iPhone the key to your hotel room or city transit systems could allow you to use your iPhone as transit tickets.
--------------------------------------------------
Ever Dreamed of Becoming An iPhone Developer?
Also: if you're interested in becoming an iPhone developer, UDEMY is running an amazing offer right now which, for just £15, will get you access to one of the best iPhone Developer Courses on the planet right now – The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course.
This course – there’s also one for Android – was £200, so you stand to make a massive saving by opting in now. The course contains over 30 hours of video lectures and takes you through exactly what goes in to making applications like WhatsApp, Uber and Spotify.
If you’ve ever had aspirations about being a developer and want to learn how to do it for barely any outlay at all then this course is for you. The reviews are brilliant and the course material is detailed, easy to follow and well presented.
Maybe it's time you started making your own apps?
--------------------------------------------------
