Apple is pushing its latest software update, iOS 7, to compatible devices starting September 18. Planning on downloading the software update? Be ready for major changes to both form and function. iOS 7 comes with a more modern look – including new icons, a new font, bold colors and less filler.
And iOS 7 can do a lot more. There’s an updated search function on every home screen. The Control Center puts your most-used apps and settings in one place. The Today feature collects current need-to-know information, from weather to traffic flow. And with AirDrop, you can automatically share files between iOS devices.
But when you download iOS 7, it’s not just your operating system that will change. Apple’s makeover also means a makeover for the programs you access on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s what to expect from your favorite apps on iOS 7.
How iOS 7 Will Change Your Apps
A new look
Many apps will undergo a redesign that mirrors Apple’s. Like iOS 7, they’ll be more minimalistic, with less bars and buttons and a simpler interface. Take a look at these before and after pictures from developer portfolio site TapFame.
Here’s payment app Venmo before (left) and after (right) iOS 7:
Bookmarking app Instapaper:
Service-connecting app IFTTT (If This, Then That):
These apps and dozens of others took a cue from iOS 7, streamlining and modernizing their design.
A new feel
Like the changes to iOS 7, apps on the new operating system changed their feel as well as their look – literally.
iOS 7 is more gesture-sensitive than previous versions of iOS. Motions like swiping and zooming replace button-based navigation, making it simpler to travel through apps. Instead of going deeper into apps – and farther away from the home screen – you’ll be able to flip easily between parallel pages.
An app that’s already mastered this gesture-based navigation? User-generated Q&A site Quora. The latest Quora update allows readers to swipe back and forth among different feeds, like Top Stories and Questions and Answers. Users can also keep an eye on their in-app location with the dots at the top of the screen.
Which apps will change the most?
Most apps will undergo changes to fit in with iOS 7. Some will be minor alterations – but others will be total transformations. Which apps will iOS 7 affect the most?
Photography apps
Some of the biggest software changes in iOS 7 are for the camera. There’s a slider for different camera functions, from video to panorama. A quick-burst photo option. Live filters that you can apply to your subject before you even take the picture.
These updates will mean big changes for amateur photographers and the apps they use, like Instagram, Camera+ and PicStitch.
Entertainment apps
iOS 7’s focus on functionality will mean bigger, better things for entertainment apps. Apps are removing their extra bells and whistles to emphasize exactly what they do best. And for many entertainment apps, that’s video streaming.
Video-streaming apps, like Netflix, HuluPlus and HBO GO, want to emulate the experience of watching a real TV screen on your phone or tablet. And that means cleaning up extra features in favor of bigger, simpler displays – something that will be easier with iOS 7.
And it won’t just be independent streaming services that change their look. Many Internet and TV providers offer customers access to mobile video streaming, too. Apple users who subscribe to AT&T, Time Warner or Verizon home services may soon find that their provider’s online streaming app has a different look with iOS 7.
Author Bio: Chris Beck is a well published freelance writer in the insurance and tech space. Originally from Asheville, NC and a University of South Carolina Alum, he graduated with a degree in Journalism. He is also an avid Gamecock sports follower with a family of four, six if you include our Fox Hound and German Shepard.
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