While the name isn’t official just yet, there’s a very good chance that Apple's next generation iPhone and iPad operating system (OS) will follow in the footsteps of the nine versions before it and be called iOS 10. (Unless it does a Microsoft, skips a generation for no good reason and calls it iOS 11, but I'm pretty confident that won’t happen). It may sound a bit obviuos but 10 is a nice, big, round number, and I can't see Apple passing up the marketing opportunity to make some pretty big and sweeping changes in iOS 10 as a result.
As with all operating systems, iOS is really a work in progress, with regular updates released throughout the year. While iOS 9 didn’t bring that many exciting features when it landed, we can expect many substantial updates in the next release. Or at least we can hope.
Release date
So when is it likely to land? As always, Apple is keeping very tight lipped regarding when we will see an upcoming version of its mobile operating system. One thing we can do however is speculate using our years of experience closely following the announcements of every Apple event to guess what we are likely to see and when.
If the Apple holds to its current pattern, iOS 10 will be previewed during the WWDC 2016 keynote, which is usually around the beginning of June. It will then be released to developers first (probably in July) as a public beta, and the general public in September or October, depending in part on the release date of the iPhone 7.
Redesign
One thing we haven’t seen in Apple’s mobile operating system since the introduction of iOS 7 is a complete redesign. I believe that Apple has been holding off on this in the previous three iterations in order to make a big bang when it debuts iOS 10. Expect updated stock app designs and perhaps some new pointless superficial elements, such as the “parallax effect’ Apple introduced in iOS 7, which inevitably gave people motion sickness and had to be turned off.
Compatibility
Amazingly, iOS 9 was supported by most Apple devices when it was rolled out, with the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 still working with the latest operating system update. I doubt this will be the case when iOS 10 hits, and predict that any devices still sporting a 30-pin connector will be given the boot, especially since rumours suggest iOS 10 may require more than 512MB of RAM.
Bigger Siri Role
The few rumours that have been circulating about iOS 10 suggest some major changes to how Siri works, and what it is allowed to do. According to a report from Business Insider, Apple employees have been testing a service which allows Siri to answer calls for you, and transcribe a message which is then sent to you via text.
The majority of iPhone users probably don’t take advantage of Siri. It’s usually easier a quicker to just perform the same actions with your fingers. But perhaps iOS will look to change all this and make Siri more relevant. If Apple ever want to roll iOS out to a wider range of devices, such as cars and smart home devices, as Google is doing with Android, then it will need Siri.
What I’d like to see
While rumours are few and far between, I can at least create a list of features I’d expect, or at least like to see, in the upcoming iteration of iOS. Here are my predictions:
Default 3rd-party Apps
While some truly value Apple’s stock apps, there are many who think other third party apps handle those services better. The ability in iOS 10 to select a default 3rd-party app, replacing the standard iOS one would be a huge advantage to users, especially converted Android users who miss the likes of Chrome and Gmail. It’s a feature that I’d like to see that isn’t very likely to happen, but then again no one thought Apple would ever add support for third-party keyboards.
Delete pre-installed apps
Who ever uses Apple’s Tips app, for instance? Nobody, that’s who. When iOS 10 happens, let’s hope and pray we can finally delete those stock apps none of us use or want and save on that precious onboard storage and home screen space. Please Apple let us delete our 'cr*p' folders from our iPhones.
3D touch more significant
When 3D touch launched on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus last year, there weren’t that many apps that supported it. It seemed a little irrelevant to be honest. With iOS 10 I think Apple will up the ante when it comes to touch gestures, and make it a more dedicated feature for many of its pre-installed applications.
Multi-user support
A feature that has been missing for a long time now is the ability for iOS device to support a scope of different users. This is particularly helpful for those families or couples that share iPads, for example, or businesses that need an iPad Pro assigned to more than one employee. In an ideal, multi-user supported world, a user could log in with their pin, password, or Touch ID fingerprint and their iOS device would then be fully customised to their last-used settings: everything from app layout to wallpapers to email accounts. I can’t imagine it would take much engineering genius to achieve, but at the same time I understand Apple wants everyone to buy separate devices each rather than save money and share.
Not just yet
With four or so months to go before the anticipated release of iOS 10, we have a while to wait before even get a glimpse of the next gen iOS. Nevertheless, I have a feeling Apple will do something rather spectacular for the 10th edition of its operating system as it will debut alognside Apple's upcoming iPhone 7, so expect a big redesign and lots of lovely new features. Or if not, complete and utter disappointment.
