What is Apple iOS. A brief overview of the iOS operating system for mobile phones. Operating system iOS. What it is

Today we’ll talk about the heart of the iPhone and I’ll tell you what iOS is. Oddly enough, some people do not know the name of the operating system on the iPhone.

There is nothing wrong with this, because now you are here and can read this material. I will try to briefly present the information that I have.

iOS system - what is it?

Well, I’ll probably start with the fact that as soon as the first iPhone was released in 2007, there was no name for the operating system yet. Considering that it was based on an OS identical to the MacBook, it was called OS X.

I won’t talk about the name for a long time, because it’s already clear that Apple’s trick is to simply add the letter “i” to everything at the beginning. So it turned out to be iOS, and I think it’s no secret to anyone that OS is an Operating System.

Although it is quite possible that it stands for “iPhone Operating System”. Apple gives its users the opportunity to think for themselves.

It doesn't just work on iPhones. It was developed for major mobile devices, and you can also add iPad and iPod here.

The entire operation of the system is based on the touch screen. There are no styluses, only fingers. The iPad Pro became an exception not so long ago, but it is something like a pen and is needed exclusively for drawing.

The main feature is that the system is completely closed. You will not be able to download any file to your device. To do this, you will have to do various manipulations and download a special application.

If we talk about applications and games, they can be downloaded from the App Store. There are a lot of them there now and you can find absolutely everything you need.

How to find out which iOS is on an iPhone?

If you are interested in viewing your version of iOS on your iPhone, you can do this in just a couple of seconds. Just follow these steps:

choose Settings;
then click on Basic;
Now About this device;
opposite the word "Version" we have the current iOS number.

With these simple steps, you can find out the version at any time you need. The first time according to the instructions, and then I think you will remember.

How is iOS different from Android?

I won’t say too much here, I’ll just tell you the most important differences between iOS and Android and how things generally stand at the moment.

The first thing I would like to note is probably safety. After all, Android devices are most often hacked; placing a virus there is not such a problem.

There are probably several reasons for this. The first is that the Play Market checks applications a little worse and you can take into account that people like to install hacked software.

Well, the second thing is that Android is completely open. Everyone studied her up and down. So everyone knows her strengths and weaknesses.

The second difference can be called ecosystem. After all, before choosing a device, you must understand exactly what services you want to use.

Android has all the analogues for Apple services. Speaking about iCloud, we immediately remember Google Drive. If it's Siri, then OK Google and so on.

Both sides have their pros and cons. But this is an individual matter and it is best for you to consult with users or simply read information on the Internet.

Further we can call work stability And device support. In principle, today the difference is not as big as it was before.

If you picked up an Android smartphone three years ago and used it, you would probably find a bunch of lags and slowdowns that were incredibly annoying.

Today, of course, sometimes this is also observed, but much less often. What worries you more is that when you buy a device on this OS, how long will it take to update it to the latest versions.

For Apple, this period is usually around four years. While Android is a couple of years old and you can forget about the latest versions.

It is worth considering that each developer has his own shell. Because of this, it is not a fact that you will be able to receive updates immediately after the release of a new version of Android.

iOS is a mobile operating system, that is, an operating system for mobile phones and tablet computers. It is produced only for devices manufactured by Apple, which differs from the Windows Phone and Google Android operating systems, which are installed on products from many companies. This is a feature of iOS. iOS is installed on iPhone 3-5 mobile phones, iPad tablets, and also on the iPod music player.

Another feature of this operating system– deep continuity with all operating systems once developed by Apple.

Many opponents of the iOS operating system compare it to a fascist state. Everything is arranged quite well, the user is satisfied and even happy. However, everything is decided for the user somewhere far away at the top. A step to the left, a step to the right - they are simply impossible. The operating system code is closed and is not available to anyone except specialists.

But - we repeat - the user is satisfied. And those who have already purchased Apple phones or tablets usually do not leave them.

What is the reason for such loyalty? Of course, in the convenience and undoubted advantages of the operating system.

These include the following

The system works quickly. The interface does not slow down
The system boots quickly, and the phone/tablet is quickly ready for use.
Colorful and intuitive interface.
Convenient file system. Almost all actions can be done in 2 clicks.
A huge catalog of programs located in the AppStore program store. The programs are not free, but they are inexpensive. It must be said that non-free programs are the principle of Apple. You have to pay for the software. But the AppStore is the largest repository of programs for tablets and mobile phones.
The operating system is well updated and for this reason becomes more convenient and more functional over time.
The iOS operating system is very well protected from intrusion by outsiders and from virus threats.
Stylish appearance of Apple devices and beautiful interface and graphics.

The user interface of the iOS operating system is based on the concept of direct manipulation. The main control element is a touch-sensitive screen. The main control element is the user's fingers.

Hardware parameters, as well as operating system parameters, are determined by the company itself. The slogan “We know better than you what you need” could be made a company slogan and displayed on the screen in bright, neon-colored letters.

For “browsing” the Internet, iOS has a built-in Safari browser. The browser, it must be said, is excellent with a very clear and beautiful display of Internet pages.

As already mentioned, all iOS programs are not free. Program prices range from $0.99 to several thousand dollars. A Visa credit or debit card is linked to the user's iOS account. It is used to pay for purchases of software and many other goods. After linking the card to the account, 1 dollar is withdrawn from the account for verification, which is returned either during the next purchase or after some time.

Activating the device, updating programs and the operating system, as well as downloading music, audiobooks and other multimedia occurs through the iTunes program.

The current version of iOS can be viewed through the menu Settings – General – About device – Version.

As with all modern devices, starting from version 5.0, integration with a cloud interface has appeared, that is, the ability to remotely store files. This system is called iCloud. Through iCloud, you can transfer files from one device to another within the same user account.

Apple's iOS system, of course, has significant drawbacks.

There is virtually no multitasking. Most applications run for a while in a minimized state and then stop.
The closed nature of the operating system is still a disadvantage. Although, as a result, iOS is the most secure operating system in the world.
Apple phones and tablets are much more expensive than corresponding devices from other companies. Hence some snobbery among Apple users. They, of course, do not consider non-Apple users to be rogues, but still...

The iOS operating system is one of the most famous platforms for the correct functioning of mobile devices, developed by the world famous company Apple.

The main feature of this platform is that it can only be installed on phones and tablets manufactured by Apple. iOS is created based on the concept of direct manipulation by pressing buttons directly on the screen of a mobile device.

The fact that the iOS system has become widespread is not surprising. Considering the fact that Apple products are distinguished by the high quality of their designs, their own platform allows them to implement a number of specific tasks that other systems cannot cope with.

What is the iOS operating system?

Before you start reviewing the iOS platform, you should understand in detail what kind of “beast” it is. As mentioned above, the iOS operating system is a unique platform for convenient user interaction with an Apple mobile device. This OS has an amazing interface and allows you to solve complex problems using your mobile phone. Distinctive features of the iOS platform are:

Data privacy– no program will gain access to personal data without your consent. Only with your consent, third-party applications will have access to your address book, your location, photo and video files.
High level of security– the OS developer tried to protect the system as much as possible from possible infection by malware.
Huge number of built-in functions– the iOS system includes a huge number of useful functions for the user that will delight any happy owner of a mobile device from Apple.

The iOS operating system is a universal assistant in study, work and everyday life. Thanks to built-in functions, your mobile device can help you solve the most complex problems. Among the built-in functions, the following should be highlighted:

Touch ID– thanks to this technology, the user will not be able to gain access to someone else’s mobile device. Only the owner, whom the device recognizes by fingerprint, will have access to the data of the phone or tablet.
VoiceOver– this function allows people with poor vision or even blind people to use Apple’s development. This technology is based on voice-over accompaniment of all actions performed by the user.
Made for iPhone– with this function you can improve the sound in Bluetooth, which can be used both for conversation and for listening to music.
Guided Access– this application allows you to disable a number of programs except your favorite ones. This feature can be useful for parents who want to limit children's access to certain device programs and people who have problems with perception.
Polyglot– a unique feature that allows people who do not know English to use a phone or tablet. With Polyglot you can switch your keyboard layout to more than 50 languages. In addition, the application can recognize more than 20 languages “by ear”.

It should be added that the iOS operating system is capable of supporting not only built-in functions, but also many third-party applications that can be downloaded from iTunes.

The apple ios operating system has a number of features:

High speed– the iOS platform has high operating speed. The dynamics of using the interface can surprise those who pick up an Apple gadget for the first time.
Intuitive interface– even the most inexperienced user will be able to quickly and easily understand all the features of the platform. The simplicity, convenience and versatility of the interface make iOS one of the most reliable and popular platforms.
Convenient file system– in order to find any file you need, just make a few finger taps on the screen. The file system is as simple and understandable as possible.
Availability of a huge number of applications for the OS– from the moment the first version of the platform was released until today, many special applications have been created to solve various problems. In addition, the number of entertainment programs for iOS can turn the head of any user. Just go to iTunes and download what you need.
Constantly improving functionality– thanks to regular updates, the functionality of the mobile device is constantly improving. We should thank the OS developers for this.

Where can I download the iOS system?

Download iOS operating system possible on the Internet. It is best to download the platform for your phone from official sources. This is the only way you can be sure that malware is not integrated into the platform. For this reason, use only the servers of official developers to boot the system. In addition, the iOS operating system, which you can download for free for your phone, is easy to install.

How to install the iOS operating system?

Installing this system on a mobile device will not be difficult even for an inexperienced user. But we should remember that the iOS system can only be installed on a phone or tablet developed by Apple.

Steps to install iOS on your phone or tablet:

So what is iOS? It's simple: it's an operating system for Apple mobile devices. The name is easy to decipher: “OS” is an “Operating System”, and the letter “i” indicates that this platform is intended for i-devices - iPhone, iPad, iPod. Apple founder Steve Jobs once explained that the “i” in the names of his new inventions symbolizes individuality, information content, the Internet and many other good things starting with the letter “i.”

The iOS operating system is used on Apple smartphones and tablets, as well as on players from the iPod touch series (other models of iOS players do not support). In addition, the Apple TV set-top box (starting from the second generation) runs iOS.

At the end of 2014, the eighth generation of the operating system, iOS 8, was released. Major updates are usually released in the fall, and are received free of charge by all users of supported Apple devices. iOS has a full set of functions required by a modern mobile platform. It has applications for surfing the web, reading mail, listening to music, watching videos, taking photos, etc. Additional programs can be installed from the integrated Apple App Store, where there are both paid and free applications for any task - from editing office documents to creating interactive postcards, and, of course, games.

Many iOS features are integrated with the OS X operating system for Apple computers and laptops. For example, in iOS 8, you can start writing a letter on your tablet and finish it on your computer.

On September 17, Apple released the final version of the iOS 12 firmware. The update, in fact, did not bring big changes compared to iOS 11. This is a work on bugs with some useful improvements, which will be discussed today.

Let's get started!

Preface and list of devices

After the scandal that erupted in the winter related to the deliberate slowdown of smartphones on iOS, Apple simply needed to rehabilitate itself in the eyes of users. And the Cupertino team took an unprecedented step by releasing iOS 12, which seriously accelerated both older devices like the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6/6 Plus, as well as last year’s iPhone 8/8 Plus/X models.

By the way, improvements in stability and performance have previously been announced in almost every iOS update, but when it came to the actual user experience, older models often began to work slower than on the previous version of the software. It’s not without reason that after the firmware was released, countless questions appeared online about whether it was worth updating your iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 to the new firmware or sacrificing new features for the sake of stable and fast operation of the gadget.

It’s curious under what sauce the Apple company put the change in the vector of updates. It turns out that Apple now cares about users, their old devices (and wallets) and the environment. Surprisingly, Cupertino is now interested in you using your smartphone for as long as possible. They even dedicated an entire block to this at the presentation of the new iPhones, talking about how much better Apple is making the world by producing smartphones from recycled materials and allowing customers to use them for as long as possible.

Well, we as users will only benefit from this, but how long this auction of universal care will last is still unknown. Hopefully longer than before iOS 13 came out.

But let's get down to practice. Here is a list of devices that have received the update to iOS 12. Separately, I note that the iPhone 5S and iPad mini 2, which are already 5 years old, are still supported.

General impressions: speed and autonomy

I can’t say that I complained about the latest versions of iOS 11 running on the iPhone X, but the difference is still noticeable. Applications open a fraction of a second faster, and Face ID unlocking has also become a little faster. The speed of facial recognition has also increased when using Apple Pay.

I didn’t notice any positive or negative changes in battery life: I kept the iPhone X stable from early morning until late evening. The only condition that I try to observe in order to achieve such “survivability” is to spend most of the day within the radius of a familiar Wi-Fi network (home-office). If you live all day outside familiar access points on 3G/LTE, then your smartphone may ask for an outlet by 18-19 hours. In general, as I already noted, autonomy is at the same level as on iOS 11 - no more, no less. A portable battery is only needed when traveling.

There are no significant changes in the graphic design. From what I noticed: some of the system notifications on the lock screen became dark, for example, the music player widget and the notification about the activated “Do not disturb” mode. The font in the status bar has also been increased when the control center is open, and the icons in the settings have been slightly redrawn.

Grouping notifications – finally!

When I last moved from Android to iOS at the end of 2016, the main complaint about iOS 10 and the most unnerving nuance was the way notifications worked. Each notification from the same application and even from the same contact was displayed as a separate card, which at some point turned the lockscreen into a complete dump. In iOS 12, their grouping has finally appeared.

But it’s still unclear how it works. In some applications, absolutely all notifications are grouped, in others the grouping is carried out by sender, that is, if several people wrote you several messages, then the notifications will be divided into groups according to the number of these people. After the first unlock, if you did not open notifications, these groups may or may not merge into one.

In the notification settings, each application can be assigned one of two types of grouping: “Automatic” and “By program”. There you can turn off grouping altogether. Apparently, the developer must fix the rules for automatic grouping on his side, and so far not everyone has done this.

If you swipe the notification from right to left, you will see a new “Manage” button. In the menu that opens, you can quickly turn off the sound, turn off notifications from this application completely, or go to detailed settings.

Summarizing the work with notifications in iOS 12, I can say the following: it’s good that grouping now exists, it has become more convenient, but Apple has done something wrong in its style, and it is not yet possible to fully understand the logic of how grouping works. Let's wait for the apps adapted for iOS 12, maybe it's all about them.

Updated Photos app

In iOS 12, the built-in applications have changed point by point, and the Photos application has received the most changes.

The main innovations are in the “For You” and “Search” tabs. The thing is that Apple has finally connected neural networks and artificial intelligence to the media library, bringing the functionality of the personal gallery closer to what we saw earlier in the Google Photos service. Those with extensive archives of photos and videos will definitely like the new features.

So, “Memories”, which debuted in iOS 10, have been moved to the “For You” tab, and 4 new sections have been added.

Selection of photos. Random good shots from your media library that you may have already forgotten about appear here.

Effects suggestions. Here, artificial intelligence offers you to apply this or that effect for those pictures for which, in its opinion, it will be relevant.

In the last section “Activity in shared albums” the name speaks for itself.

Thanks to the new “Search” section, searching for photos has become much easier. You can search by categories that already exist there, or you can try to enter a keyword and find a photo by it.

Minor changes have also been made to the albums tab. Now there is a list of media file types, such as “Video”, “Selfie”, “Live Photos”, etc. It seems to me that this is more convenient than it was before, when all these items were displayed as separate albums.

Well, for the updated “Photos” I give Apple a big plus. Even if a couple of years late, Apple was able to make a really smart gallery that could compete with the service from Google.

Screen time

This is a completely new section in the iOS settings, which is designed for people with a high degree of awareness. Thanks to the innovation, it is possible to analyze how we use our smartphone, as well as set restrictions on the use of the device.

As for analytics, the smartphone now tracks how much time you used it, which applications you spent the most time in, how many times you picked up the device and how many notifications you received. All data about this can be viewed in the form of graphs with interpretation.

For practice, there is an “Idle” mode, which is designed to protect you from getting stuck in unnecessary applications. Its activation occurs according to a schedule at the time you specify. At this moment, the system disables the ability to open any programs except “Phone” and those exceptions that you add to the corresponding list.

In addition, you can separately limit the time you use a certain group of applications, for example, social networks or games. The time limit is valid until midnight. Relevant for all programs that can be classified as “time wasters”. Unfortunately, you cannot select a limit for a specific application; it is set only for the group.

Siri commands and other assistant innovations

Some commands that relate to the system or the operation of built-in applications are available in Siri settings. The assistant offers to select one of the regular or recent actions that you have performed and assign a voice tag to it, for example:

open a particular note, playlist, album or mailbox;
show the weather in the current geolocation;
send a message with a specific text to a specific subscriber;
call any contact;
open a tab in the browser

It's likely that if you use iOS 12 for a longer period of time, Siri will be able to better learn the repetitive actions that will later be included in its list of suggestions.

To go beyond Siri's suggestions, Apple's new Commands app is available in the AppStore. This is exactly why Apple bought the developers of the Workflow app.

In it you can create your own automatic sequences of actions, or select ready-made “recipes” from the built-in gallery. Work with third-party applications is supported, so the number of use cases is unlimited. If you have used Workflow or IFTTT, then you understand perfectly what we are talking about, only now it is more deeply integrated into the system and tied to the voice assistant.

In addition to all of the above, various prompts from Siri are available on the lock screen and in search, for example, call back a person from whom you have a missed call, or wish someone a happy birthday. I haven't gotten any other clues yet. If anything, this feature can be disabled in the settings.

Other little things: Siri can now turn on the flashlight, and the “Hey Siri” command works in energy saving mode.

Face ID - a little faster, but still slow and inconvenient

In my opinion, Face ID is not the most convenient and fastest unlocking method, but iOS 12 has made it a little better. Firstly, as I wrote above, its speed has increased slightly.

In addition, there is an opportunity to add a second person, which is called “Alternate Appearance”.

And one more little thing that is worth noting: if the face was not recognized the first time, then it is not necessary to enter a password or turn the display off and on again. You can now repeat the unlock swipe to reactivate scanning.

But even with all these improvements, I really miss Touch ID - I pick up my wife’s iPhone 7 and enjoy the convenience and speed of unlocking. But what can you do, there is no turning back...

Memoji and new Animoji

In the new firmware, Apple continued to develop the direction of animated Animoji emoticons, which, however, everyone quickly played enough of.

4 new Animoji characters have appeared: tiger, koala, dinosaur and ghost. In addition, Animoji algorithms now recognize winks, gaze direction, tongue and its movement, and the limit for recording videos using Animoji has been increased from 10 to 30 seconds.

iOS developers were not too lazy to respond to AR Emoji from Samsung, which, in turn, became a response to Animoji. Meet Memoji! What a corporate holy war using moving faces!

Memoji are your own Animoji that you can create by choosing from a large number of parameters, including skin color, freckles, hairstyle, head shape, chin shape, eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, nose, lips, ears, beard, glasses and hat . But you can’t choose your gender – it’s not politically correct.

Unlike Samsung, you will have to do everything manually, since there is no way to create a Memoji from a photo.

Animoji and Memoji support has appeared in FaceTime: you can “replace” your head with any available animated emoticon. In the same way, you can take a photo or video if you go to the camera from the dialogue in “Messages”.

Working with passwords and security codes

A lot of changes in iOS 12 are related to privacy and working with passwords. And, what’s important, most of them are really convenient and useful. Let's look at them in order.

iOS 12 automatically analyzes your passwords and tells you if you use the same ones somewhere. Duplicate passwords are indicated by a triangle with an exclamation point. You can check it yourself along the following path:

“Settings – Passwords and accounts – Website and software passwords.”

Password sharing between Apple devices via AirDrop is supported. Need to give someone access? No problem. We look for the desired password in the list, click on it and select AirDrop in the context window.

We also upgraded the ability to automatically create secure passwords. The principle of operation is as follows: when you need to come up with a new password, the system will prompt you to do it yourself, after which it will save the created password in the “Keychain”. If you need it on an Apple gadget, then auto-substitution will work (after authentication). If you need to enter a password outside of your Apple device, you can always view it in Keychain Access.

By the way, regarding how to find out where your password is set: in iOS 12 you can simply ask Siri about it.

Another important innovation is that Apple has opened an API for third-party password managers, so auto-substitution will also work with passwords stored in third-party programs when their developers implement this functionality.

And finally, what everyone has been waiting for for so long: automatic substitution of security codes from SMS messages. It's finished!

Other useful innovations

Auto firmware update. iOS can now update itself without user intervention. You can activate or deactivate auto-update by following the path: “Settings – General – Software Update”.

Do Not Disturb Mode. By pressing hard (long on smartphones without 3D Touch) on the crescent icon in the “Control Center” we can specify until what point to turn on this mode: for 1 hour, until the evening (morning) or until leaving the current geoposition. An excellent innovation for those who actively use this mode!

Also in the settings of this mode there is a new “Bedtime” switch. If you activate it, then when you switch to “Do Not Disturb” according to the schedule, the screen will additionally be darkened, calls will be silenced, and notifications, bypassing the lock screen, will immediately go to the “Notification Center”. This is a kind of “Do not disturb at all” mode.

In case anyone doesn’t understand, the difference is this: if you go to bed and activate the screen to see the time, you won’t see new notifications that could potentially distract you and make you hang out on your smartphone again. Calls will also not go through unless you have previously turned them off in other Do Not Disturb settings. How to get enough sleep - look at everything in the Notification Center.

Multitasking. Closing an app via the multitasking menu on iPhone X no longer requires you to first hold down your finger. Just swipe as before.

Tabs in Safari. This innovation also only applies to the iPhone X (probably also the Xs and Xs Max). When you rotate the screen in the Safari browser, tabs appear, like the iPhone 6/7/8 Plus.

No random screenshots. Apple has finally fixed the problem with random screenshots of the lock screen on the iPhone X. The thing is that, due to the design features of this device, users of the “ten” regularly took screenshots by accidentally pressing the lock and volume up keys when they put the smartphone in their pocket. Now this key combination does not work when the display is off.

Moving the keyboard cursor without 3D Touch. The feature, previously available only on smartphones with the 3D Touch function (iPhone 6s and newer), has also appeared on older devices. Hold your finger on the “Space” key, hold it a little and start moving your finger across the screen, moving the cursor.

Detailed battery statistics. Along the “Settings - Battery” path, battery consumption/charge graphs appeared, which can be viewed for 24 hours and 3 days.

Lightning blocking. News constantly appears on the Internet about certain devices that hack a smartphone and provide access to personal data when connected via the Lightning port. To protect user data, a new switch “USB accessories” has appeared, available under the path: “Settings - Face ID (Touch ID) and passcode.” If it is turned off, then transmitting any data via Lightning will be impossible an hour after turning off the smartphone screen, since the connector will go into “charge only” mode.

Third-party navigation apps CarPlay. CarPlay now supports third-party navigation apps. We look forward to updating Yandex.Navigator with this functionality.

Roulette. Apple would not be Apple if it had not killed some third-party application from the AppStore in the new iOS release. Meet “Roulette” – the MeasureKit killer. With the new built-in app, you can measure the distance from point to point using augmented reality technology.

Live listening on AirPods. Among the buttons that can be placed in the control center, a new one has appeared - with the image of a human ear. There can be many application options; everyone will determine them for themselves. The principle of operation using AirPods is as follows: connect AirPods, turn on this mode, listen in headphones to what the smartphone microphone hears, with good amplification. Useful as a baby monitor, hearing aid or spy tool.

Albums separately, singles separately, concerts separately. The Apple Music update did not happen in iOS 12, but on the server side, so it should work on earlier versions of iOS. Now on the page of a musician or band, numbered albums are separated from singles and concert recordings. Navigating the work of your favorite artists has become easier.

Camera. Apple says it has improved portrait photography algorithms on all supported smartphones (7 Plus/8 Plus/X). Supposedly, when taking a portrait photo, a mask is now created to separate the subject from the background as accurately as possible. I can’t evaluate it objectively, since everything was very good on my iPhone X and iOS 11. It was not possible to notice the difference, but I admit that it occurs on other generations of iPhone.

And one more thing: the iPhone 7/7 Plus now has a soft Taptic Engine response when you press the shutter button, like on the iPhone 8 and X.

Regarding what was promised at WWDC group (up to 32 people) FaceTime, then this functionality was removed in one of the beta versions and has not appeared since then. We are waiting for iOS 12.1.

Conclusion

Is it worth upgrading? Of course it's worth it. And not only owners of the latest models. One of my friends, who uses an old iPhone 6 Plus, changed his mind about buying a new device, although he had intended to. This is because iOS 12, according to him, breathed new life into the device. And judging by other reviews about the firmware, there is no reason to delay the update until the release of iOS 12.1, 12.2 or 12.3.

Happy update everyone! Don't forget to make backups!