iOS 11. New Powerful Features

As you know, Apple has announced a new version of its iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS software on the 6th of June. Let's take a close look at what new we can find here, and what updates IOS developers and owners of existing applications should take into account.

What's new for developers and apps owners?

Some of the new features will be useful to developers and application owners who want to offer their users the best product. Below, we’re describing the main modifications.

• ARKit is the most impressive new framework demonstrated by Apple at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Its task is to help you experience unequaled augmented reality by using iPhone and iPad. ARKit allows you to mix digital and environmental elements enabling applications to interact with the real world more effectively. This framework extends the user experience by integrating new 2D or 3D objects into the live view from a device's camera. So we get a new augmented reality (AR) - a reality supplemented by new digital objects. ARKit allows the device to qualitatively examine the scene displayed by the camera view. Thanks to this framework, iPhone or iPad easily identifies the horizontal planes in the room, such as tables and floor, places virtual objects on them, and also illuminates them properly using the camera sensor aimed to define the total available light amount. ARKit easily tracks the movement of the device and explores the environment creating a striking effect of augmented reality. Moreover, AR experience doesn't require additional calibration, using the Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) which unites the camera sensor data with CoreMotion data. As a result, we get an amazingly accurate picture.

• Core ML provides incredibly high performance and helps develop apps with a more powerful machine learning system in a simple way, without extra lines of code. It supports not only over 30 layers of extensive deep learning but also such standard types as SVMs, tree ensembles, generalized linear models. To guarantee the best efficiency, CoreML that is based on low-level technologies (Metal, Acceleratuses, etc) uses the CPU and GPU. Machine learning models able to be integrated into your app include such features as text detection, face tracking, object tracking, face detection, image registration, landmarks, rectangle detection, barcode detection, etc. So you can freely use all CoreML advantages while developing your app.
• Core NFC is directed to recognize Near Field Communication (NFC) tags of types 1 through 5 that contain data in the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF). So, Core NFC reads messages with NDEF data and processes this information in order a user could get the desired result according to the situation. This result can be a link in Safari, the WiFi password (for example, when you're staying at a hotel or other place), etc. Core NFC helps your app to read a tag by creating an NFC NDEF reader session and delivering a delegate that reads the messages and handle conditions able to lead a session to get invalid. Thus, you can use these helpful Core NFC features when developing your app.
• Due to MusicKit, a developer can seamlessly integrate Apple Music features into the project making millions of popular songs and other useful media content of the Apple Music catalog available to the app users who provide access to their Apple Music account. Also a developer can offer a trial access to Apple Music from within his app for those users who don’t belong to Apple Music members yet.
• HomeKit helps developers get started and proceed more efficiently. Also, it offers better ways to authenticate devices using software simplifying for existing accessories the process of interaction with HomeKit.
• SiriKit became more accessible for developers so now they can use the extended list of Siri features when integrating it into their apps. For example, we can name such categories as to-do lists, notes and reminders; banking for account transfers and balances; and apps that display QR codes. Now they’re being supported too.
• "Drag and drop" technology that uses Multi-Touch system and allows you to move an image, a file, a reminder, a map, or other content between apps by tapping, holding and dragging it to where you need. You can integrate this technology into your app and take the full advantage of it.
• MapsKit offers a great update -new Indoor Maps, for example, for shopping malls. Primarily, this feature will be available not everywhere but for such markets as Chicago, Boston, London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York. These maps supplemented with directories and a search option are going to be added to major Airports too.

What's new for users?

The Apple company offers users a lot of helpful updates too. Among other things, we can name "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode, more convenient interaction with Control Center, new filters in the iPhone camera and many others. However, the most interesting modifications are the following ones:

• Files. The new Files application will collect all the documents making the process of working with them very convenient: there are tags, Favorites block, a section of recent documents, and, in addition, access to files on other devices and in third-party cloud services.
• Apple Maps integrates indoor maps for the main world airports and shopping malls and offers the lane guidance for drivers to avoid missing a turn or exit. Alas, this feature won't be available everywhere.

App Store

App Store has been redesigned too for the purpose of making the apps and games discovering much easier. Also, the App Store will be able to tell a user about your app if it has a unique story, for example, if your application helped solve a special problem, radically changed the entire industry, etc. Undoubtedly, this is a rather interesting way to promote the application.

Another new AppStore feature is tips. It’s really helpful update, so clients will be able to add a special guide not only in their apps but also place it on the application page in AppStore.

In the near future, Apple is going to reveal even more innovations useful to developers and apps owners. So, we all held our breath waiting for the news. And you can be absolutely sure to find this material updated as the news comes out. Follow our blog to stay tuned!