iOS 11 Developer Beta 5 Released

Today Apple released the fifth beta of iOS 11 to developers for continued testing purposes. Registered developers can download the from the Developer Center. The main difference from the fourth beta is that iCloud Messages has been removed, but Apple plans to reintroduce it before the launch of the iPhone 8. There are many new features and significant design changes to iOS 11, which will launch in September, next month, along with the much anticipated iPhone 8.

New navigation

A new iOS deserves a new and redesigned navigation experience. Apple Maps has been expanded and is now a quality product that is on par with Google Maps. Remember the fiasco that was Apple Maps when it came out in 2012? The product is much different and from those dark days. 

A new feature is the ability to have indoor maps of malls and airports. You will be able to direct yourself to specific stores and kiosks and show you security lines and direct you to your terminal at your local airport. Apple Maps now also supports lane guidance, telling you specifically which lanes to be in to make sure you take the correct exit.

For those of you who find yourselves distracted while driving, iOS 11 has a nice Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that will prevent you from seeing Notifications when it thinks you are driving. A nice touch in this digital age.

iOS 11 also, finally, offers drag and drop for sharing and copying attachments across apps. This feature is especially useful and convenient from the new Dock. The iPad is the biggest recipient of this and now, like on Windows 10, you can split the screen space and have multiple apps running on screen simultaneously.

Customizable Control Center

Finally you can completely customize the Control Center. In Settings tap Control Center and subtract or add the shortcuts you want to have. This level of customizability is great and unusual for Apple, but it is inelegant. The major complaint of developers so far is that the Control Center clutters up very quickly, making it difficult to visually find what you are looking for. 

QuickType keyboard

Taking a page from its competition, the Samsung Galaxy line, iOS 11 has a one-handed keyboard mode. For those times at Starbucks when your hand is holding your coffee and yet you need to respond to your friend, the one-handed-keyboard mode scrunches the keyboard to one side of the screen so you can efficiently and quickly type with one hand. 

Updated Siri

Despite being the first to market with a quality digital assistant, Google and Microsoft have lapped Apple in recent years. Siri seems almost an afterthought. Siri gets a nice update in iOS 11, but is still slower and less accurate than Google Home, Alexa, and Cortana.

There is hope with the release of the HomePod, hardware dedicated to Siri like Alexa is to the Amazon Echo. Hopefully Apple is saving the release of exciting new updates and functionality to Siri with the release of the HomePod in December, 2017.

Redesigned App Store

Perhaps the most noticeable feature of iOS 11 is the redesigned App Store. A much greater emphasis has been placed on filling the screen with videos and the new look is Apple functional and clean. 

Finally, there is a clear distinction between Apps and Games. Depending on how you use your Apple products you might favor the backstories to new Apps, or marvel at the elegance of the Today view. After years of trying to find the harmony, Apple has found App Store harmony, both visually and functionally, after years of struggle.

We at PC TEC RESCUERS are happy to keep you up-to-date on the news in the tech world. Our friendly and professional techs can assist you with any issue you have with any Apple product. Our expertise extends to computers and other smartphones as well. We are available 24/7 to assist you.