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iOS (previously namediPhone OS) is anoperating system forsmartphones.Apple makes and sells it. It is themobile OS of theiPhone. iOS was called iPhone OS, but it was changed to iOS in 2010 to show that the operating system was being supported on new Apple devices.[3]
iOS was released in 2005. It is a version ofOS X for thefirst generation iPhone. On January 9, 2007, Apple said at a conference that there will be a new product, the iPhone.Steve Jobs said it would "change everything".[4]
On March 6, 2006, Apple renamed this form of OS X to "iPhone OS" after releasing thesoftware development kit for iPhone.
In June 2009, Apple released iPhone OS 3.0 alongiPhone 3GS. It was a minor upgrade to iPhone OS 2.0. It could do a few new things. Users of the first iPhone and iPod Touch can use iPhone OS 3.0. However, the devices do not support all features. The last version to support the first iPhone and iPod Touch was 3.1.3.iPad can also It was later available for theiPad when it was released (as of version 3.2).
In September 2009, Apple changed "iPhone OS" to "iOS". The tech companyCisco used the trademark "IOS". Apple licensed the trademark to avoid conflicts.[5]
In mid-2010, Apple released iOS 4.0. It addedmultitasking, which lets the user use more than one app at the same time. It also added the option to have a wallpaper for the home screen.
The OS had a more polished design. It was also the first version of iOS to be available for theiPod Touch for free. However, the iPhone 3G andiPod Touch (2nd generation) have limited features, meaning that they can not multitask or have a wallpaper for the home screen.
In October 2011, Apple released iOS 5. It brought many new features such as the notifications pull-down bar, a free messaging service callediMessage,iCloud, and more. A voice assistant namedSiri was also released to theiPhone 4S.
On September 18, 2013, Apple releasediOS 7. It has a new look and many features. The new "Control Center" have settings for music,AirPlay, brightness, flashlight, and more.
On June 2, 2014, Apple announcediOS 8 atWorldwide Developers Conference, which happens every year. It has several new features, such as QuickType, which predicts which words you will type, and a new app called Health.[6] It was officially released to everyone on September 17, 2014.
On September 2015, Apple releasediOS 9. Many changes focus on learning user habits and help them with what they will do next. For example, Siri can make suggestions based on where the user is and what app is open. The search feature shows "Siri suggestions" and use resources that Siri uses. A new app called News shows a collection of many news providers.Apple Pay gets support for storecredit cards andloyalty card. Apple changed "Passbook" to "Wallet" because the new features are replacing physical wallets. Other than new features, the update also makes the battery last longer.[7]
On September 2016, Apple released iOS 10. It redesigned the lock screen, notifications, and Control Center.Siri can open third-party apps. In October 2016, Apple News app became available inUnited Kingdom and Australia.
In mid-2017, Apple announced iOS 11. It supports theiPhone 5S and newer, theiPad Air and newer, alliPad Pro models, the fourth-generationiPad Mini, and the sixth-generationiPod touch. The update removes labels from the main Phone, Messages, Mail, and Safari icons. The App Store logo is replaced with a simple "A" with a blue background. TheiTunes store logo is replaced with a star with a purple background. The Control Center is also easier to use, with bigger buttons and custom controls for functions like Low Power Mode and Mobile Hotspot. On the Plus models ofiPhone 6, 6S, and 7, the Lock Screen can also be rotated. In the Control Center and on the Lock Screen, when a song is playing, only the song name and artist are shown instead of also showing the album name.
iOS 11 also allows users to "offload" apps, meaning that an app can be deleted while leaving behind the app's data. It also provides suggestions and functions for saving storage space, such as deleting old messages and files. Instead of the iCloud Drive app, there is a Files app that allows users to view their files in the iPhone itself and iCloud Drive.
On September 2018, Apple released iOS 12. Changes include Screen Time, redesigned Photos app, and 70 newemojis.[8] In March 2019, Apple added new apps in Canada.[9]
On September 2019, Apple releaesd iOS 13. It has a new dark mode and improved Maps.[10] In iOS 13.5, Apple had new features unlock face ID with wearing mask,[11] In May 2020,Apple andGoogle had launches COVID-19 Notifications Exposure API.[12]
On September 2021, Apple releases iOS 15. It had lot of new features and changes including Focus Mode, New Widget, Live text, Redesigned UI and many others.[14]
On September 2022, Apple released iOS 16 foriPhone 8 and newer, with a now customizable Lock Screen, improved Live Text with videos, and features related with parental controls.[15]
On September 2023, Apple released iOS 17. It adds NameDrop, a new security option for stolen devices, customizable Contacts Posters, Live Stickers for iMessage, StandBy and crash detections for iPhone 14 and newer.[16]
On September 2024, Apple released iOS 18. It supportsiPhone XR and newer. Users can customize the Home Screen, Control Center, a new passwords app, and for iPhone 15 Pro and all the iPhone 16 familyApple Intelligence.[17]
On 10 June 2025, Apple announced iOS 26 atApple Worldwide Developers Conference. It will no longer support A12 devices. It has features like redesigned withLiquid Glass and background in iMessage.
The only way to get thesoftware in iOS is theApp Store. The App Store[18] is an electronic market which gives you the ability to buy "apps" (applications), smalluser interface applications. By January 2013, Apple confirmed to have more than 800,000 applications in the App Store.[19]
iOS 7, which was released on September 18, 2013, made iPhones look very different. The look in the older versions had become iconic. Compared to them, the update has sharper, brighter, and flatter icons. They are not very photographically detailed. It also has a translucent smoke glass icon tray pulldown. The update also uses a brighter shade of blue. It makes the differences between iOS 1.0 and 7 obvious.
iOS 7.03, which was released on October 23, 2013, stopped the gyroscopic compass from working on the Apple iPod Touch. This included the models that were new. Later updates restricted compass-related hardware features even more to only work on devices withGPS/cellular connectivity.
A "soft update" over iTunes on September 9, 2014 increased the size of every user's iTunes by adding U2's Songs of Innocence album. At the time, many users could not remove it from their libraries.
iOS 8, which launched Sep 12, 2014, while not as radical an aesthetic change as iOS 7 from iOS 6, being virtually required for many users.
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