IOS 10
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Source model | Closed, with open-source components |
| Initial release | September 13, 2016; 4 years ago (2016-09-13) |
| Latest release | 10.3.4 (14G61) / July 22, 2019; 16 months ago (2019-07-22) |
| Platforms | iPhone
iPad |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (XNU) |
| License | Proprietary software with open-source components |
| Preceded by | iOS 9 |
| Succeeded by | iOS 11 |
| Official website | at the Wayback Machine (archived September 12, 2017) |
| Support status | |
iOS 10 is the tenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 9.
It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, 2016, and was released on September 13, that year.
It was succeeded by iOS 11 on September 19, 2017.
iOS 10 incorporates changes to 3D Touch and the lock screen.
There are new features to some apps: Messages has additional emojis and third-party apps can extend functionality in iMessage, Maps has a redesigned interface and additional third-party functions, the Home app manages "HomeKit"-enabled accessories, Photos has algorithmic search and categorization of media known as "Memories", and Siri is compatible with third-party app-specific requests, such as starting workouts apps, sending IMs, using Lyft or Uber or to use payment functions.
iOS 10 is also the last version of iOS to support devices with a 32-bit processor, and it is also the last version of iOS to support 32-bit apps.
Reviews of iOS 10 were positive.
Reviewers highlighted the significant updates to iMessage, Siri, Photos, 3D Touch, and the lock screen as welcome changes.
The third-party extension support to iMessage meant it was "becoming a platform", although the user interface was criticized for being difficult to understand.
Third-party integration in Siri was "great", although the voice assistant was criticized for not having become smarter than before.
Reviewers were impressed with the image recognition technology in Photos, although noting it was still a "work in progress" with a higher error rate than the competition.
3D Touch "finally feels useful" and "works in almost every part of the OS".
The lock screen was "far more customizable than before", and reviewers enjoyed that notification bubbles could be expanded to see more information without needing to unlock the phone.
A month after release, iOS 10 was installed on 54% of iOS devices, a "slightly slower migration" than for the release of iOS 9, speculated as being caused by an early release issue that may have "put some [users] off downloading the update".
User adoption of iOS 10 steadily increased in the following months, eventually totaling 89% of active devices in September 2017.
History
Further information: iOS version history § iOS 10
Introduction and initial release
iOS 10 was introduced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address on June 13, 2016.
The first beta release was made available to registered developers following the keynote.
Apple released the first public beta release on July 7, 2016.
iOS 10 was officially released on September 13, 2016.
Updates
10.0.1
iOS 10.0.1 was released on September 13, 2016, as the first update to iOS 10.
It was released just after 10.0, which contained a bug that sent devices in a recovery mode loop after updating.
10.0.2
iOS 10.0.2 was released on September 23, 2016.
The update contained bug fixes, specifically fixing a bug that temporarily disabled the headphone controls on the Lightning EarPods that ship with the iPhone 7, fixing a bug preventing app extensions from being enabled, and fixing an unexpected crash of the Photos app when activating iCloud Photo Library.
10.0.3
iOS 10.0.3 was released on October 17, 2016, exclusively for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models, with a fix for connectivity issues.
10.1
iOS 10.1 was released on October 24, 2016, with a new portrait camera mode for iPhone 7 Plus, transit directions for Japan in Apple Maps, the ability to replay Bubble and Screen effects in iMessage, as well as many bug fixes.
iOS 10.1 also features a warning message when launching a 32-bit app, that says the app "may slow down your iPhone".
iOS 10.1 also allows users to use iMessage effects even when the "Reduce Motion" setting is turned on.
10.1.1
iOS 10.1.1 was released on October 31, 2016, with a fix for an issue where Health data could not be viewed for some users.
On November 9, 2016, Apple released a new version of iOS 10.1.1, only available for users who hadn't yet updated to the previous 10.1.1 update.
No information on the new update was given.
10.2
iOS 10.2 was released on December 12, 2016.
The update included a new TV app that unifies content from different video apps, and recommends new shows and films to watch.
The update also added new and redesigned emoji, stabilization and photo grouping accuracy changes to Photos, new "Love" and "Celebration" Messages screen effects, notification support for HomeKit-accessories, as well as revamped sorting options and design tweaks in the Music app.
iOS 10.2 also adds a telemetry diagnostic tool that Apple can use to report battery consumption, for diagnosing reported issues with 30% battery shutdowns on some iPhone models.
iOS 10.2 also includes three new wallpapers for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, specifically the wallpapers featured in the marketing of the phones.
10.2.1
iOS 10.2.1 was released on January 23, 2017, with bug fixes and security improvements (including device throttling on older iPhone models to address the aforementioned battery issue).
10.3
iOS 10.3 was released on March 27, 2017.
The update introduced a "Find My AirPods" feature for lost AirPods headphones, changed the default from HFS+ to for improved performance and encryption (also increases usable storage on the device), support for additional Siri actions, including status of bills in payment apps and scheduling with ride-booking apps, a new Apple ID view in Settings, the ability for developers to respond to reviews in the App Store as well as "Helpful" and "Not Helpful" review labels, improved overview of iCloud storage usage, and bug fixes and stability improvements.
Users can also give app ratings inside the app itself.
iOS 10.3 also features a significant security patch fixing an issue where a JavaScript exploit link would cause devices to repeatedly call the 9-1-1 emergency phone number.
The update also added a Podcasts widget and made app transitions smoother, and extended support for Wi-Fi calling to more carriers.
For CarPlay, the update added a quick-access multitasking screen with the three most recently used apps, and added functionality for the Maps app to find electric vehicle charging stations.
10.3.1
iOS 10.3.1 was released on April 3, 2017, with bug fixes and security improvements, including a fix for a Wi-Fi vulnerability discovered by Google's Project Zero team of security researchers.
10.3.2
iOS 10.3.2 was released on May 15, 2017, with bug fixes and security improvements.
10.3.3
iOS 10.3.3 was released on July 19, 2017, with new wallpapers for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, along with bug fixes and security improvements, including a fix for a Wi-Fi vulnerability, infamously known as "Broadpwn", in which devices searching for signal were open to hackers.
This was the last version of iOS supported by the iPhone 5C and non-cellular models of the iPad 4.
10.3.4
iOS 10.3.4 was released on July 22, 2019, to address a time rollover issue that could impact GPS location performance and could cause the system date and time to be incorrect.
This update is only available for the iPhone 5 and the cellular model of the iPad (4th generation).
System features
Control Center
The Control Center has been redesigned and split into three pages: one for general settings, such as quick toggles for airplane mode and orientation lock, one for audio controls and one for controlling HomeKit (internet of things) appliances, if used.
3D Touch capabilities have been added to several toggles.
Home screen
Apps can show a widget when their home-screen icon is accessed with 3D Touch.
Most default apps included with iOS devices can be hidden from the home screen and 're-downloaded' from the App Store.
Upon doing this, the sandbox of the respective app is removed, which contains user data, settings and caches.
The app is also hidden from other places, such as the "Today" view, the Settings app and "Share Sheets", through which the user can interact with the app from within another app.
This feature was first hinted at during an interview in September 2015, in which Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple was "looking at" allowing customers to remove unused stock apps.
iOS 10 allows users to prioritize certain app downloads by using 3D Touch.
Keyboard
QuickType virtual keyboards, which provide word-completion capabilities, can predict likely responses to questions and suggest relevant information based on location, calendar availability or contacts.
The "Define" feature in previous iOS versions has been replaced by "Look Up", and now expands its utility from just providing definitions to retrieving information from locations, web browsing history, downloaded apps, suggested websites, and more.
The QuickType keyboard will allow the user to type in multiple languages if the user selects the desired languages in the "Dictionary" and "Keyboard" settings menus.
The user has the ability to change keyboard settings specifically for physical keyboards (such as autocorrect and auto-capitalization).
Lock screen
The "slide to unlock" mechanism on the lock screen has been removed in favor of pressing the home button.
Similar to the feature on the Apple Watch, "Raise to Wake" wakes up the device when the user lifts it.
This function requires a device with an M9 motion coprocessor or newer.
The "Today" view of Notification Center has been replaced by widgets, and is accessible by swiping from left to right.
On the iPad, widgets can be displayed in a two-column layout.
Notification Center
The Notification Center no longer has a "Today" view.
Notifications, now larger, can expand to display more information and all unread notifications can be cleared at once, using 3D Touch.
Apps that need to be updated frequently can now have notifications that update live.
The Notification Center contains a Spotlight search bar.
Settings
A new Magnifier setting was added which allows users to triple-click the home button to launch the Camera app with magnification enabled.
There are also new "Color Filters" settings to compensate for a user's color blindness.
Color Filters options include grayscale, red/green filter for protanopia, green/red filter for deuteranopia, and blue/yellow filter for tritanopia.
For the Messages application, users can now turn on Low Quality Image mode, which saves "your poor iPhone from stuffing itself full of images" based on new animated stickers and GIFs that can be sent in iMessage.
The Wi-Fi menu in Settings now shows warnings about the security of a network and whether a network lacks Internet connectivity.
This is shown to the user as small subtext under the Wi-Fi's network's name.
"Raise to Wake" can be enabled or disabled in Settings.
In iOS 10.2, a "Preserve Settings" feature allows users to set the Camera app to launch with certain settings by default.
Options include launching with the Video or Square mode rather than the Photo mode, preserving the last-used filter, and preserving the capture settings for Live Photos.
Music added to Apple Music on one device can now be automatically downloaded to other devices using the "Automatic Downloads" setting.
The Settings allows the user the option to have routes in the Maps app avoid toll roads and/or highways.
In iOS 10.3, Settings was updated to feature information relating to a user's Apple ID account in the main menu, and features a section that allows users to see which old, unmaintained apps won't work in future versions of iOS.
Additionally, users can now see a breakdown of their iCloud storage.
The user can enable a setting to have Siri announce incoming callers, with options for "Always", "Headphones & Car", "Headphones Only", and "Never".
CarPlay
iOS 10 now allows users to rearrange and remove apps from their CarPlay display, through Settings.
In iOS 10.3, Maps on CarPlay added electric vehicle charging stations.
Universal Clipboard
As part of the overall Continuity features introduced in iOS 8, a new Universal Clipboard feature allows users of Mac personal computers running macOS Sierra and iOS devices running iOS 10 to easily copy material to and from different devices through iCloud.
As part of Continuity, a new "Continuity Keyboard" feature allows users to type text on an iPhone and have the text appear on an Apple TV running tvOS 10, avoiding the Siri Remote for text input.
Other changes
iOS 10 features new sound effects for locking the device and for keyboard clicks.
In the event that a device detects liquid in the Lightning port, a notice warns the user to disconnect the Lightning cable and allow the port to dry.
iOS 10 also allows TTY calls to be made without any additional hardware.
iOS 10 allows users to find their Apple Watch using Find My iPhone.
Spotlight can now search the contents of the user's iCloud Drive.
Storage is reported to the user in the base 10 (1 kilobyte equals 1000 bytes) format instead of base 2, which was used in older iOS versions.
App features
App Store
iOS 10 allows developers to buy advertisement spots in the App Store when users search for content.
It also brings back the "Categories" section, which replaces the "Explore" section introduced in iOS 8.
In iOS 10.3, developers gained the ability to respond to user reviews, and "Helpful" and "Not Helpful" review labels can help surface the most relevant customer reviews.
Calendar
In iOS 10, users can now change what day of the week the calendar starts on, as well as alert settings for birthdays and events, and calendar type (Gregorian, Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic).
Camera
Music will no longer stop playing when the Camera app is launched, unless the user decides to record a video or take a Live Photo.Live Photos can be taken with filters (previously only available for still photos).
In iOS 10.1, the iPhone 7 Plus received a new depth of field portrait camera mode, using both the wide-angle and telephoto lenses on the phone to "create shallow depth of field portrait photos with blurred backgrounds".
Clock
The Clock app now employs a dark theme.
A new "Bedtime" feature reminds the user when to go to bed to get the desired amount of sleep.
There is also a new stopwatch face, accessed by swiping to the left.
Contacts
The Contacts app in iOS 10 allows users to set default phone numbers and email addresses for contacts who have multiple numbers or addresses.
The app also allows the user to add and remove contacts from the Favorite Contacts list.
Home
Home is a new app that allows users to manage appliances compatible with HomeKit, Apple's API for home automation.
In the app, users can add compatible HomeKit accessories, such as locks, lights, and thermostats, and then directly control the appliances through the app.
A "Scenes" panel allows many devices to be controlled at once to fit a mood or setting.
Geo-fencing activates scheduled sequences following the user's location.
The Mail app now allows users to unsubscribe from mailing lists with an Unsubscribe button.
Users can dismiss the message to unsubscribe for a particular mailing list by tapping the "X" at the top right corner, preventing the Mail app from displaying the unsubscribe button for that mailing list again later.
Apple has added back support for HTML5 video in Mail, which was previously stopped in iOS 8.
Mail can filter messages, either by unread/read, or by categories.
iOS 10 also changes how email threading works, by placing the oldest email at the top by default.
An option in Settings lets users revert to the previous threading system with the most recent message on top.
Additionally, the new threaded conversations allow users to tap a message to see a scrollable stream of messages inside the thread.
Maps
Maps has been redesigned and updated with additional features, including scanning calendar events for locations, learning from a user's typical actions, and a redesigned driving view.
A marker can be automatically placed to indicate the user's parked car.
The marker can also tell the user when they last parked their car, and a Notes field allows the user to enter information, such as parking garage number, in the app.
The app now helps users find the nearest gas station, fast-food restaurant or coffee shop, by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
Maps also estimates how long the detour will take.
Users can add third-party extensions to the Maps app, which enable additional functionality, such as a restaurant-booking extension can help the user reserve a table from inside the Maps app.
Users can now pan and zoom while in navigation mode.
The app displays the current temperature and weather conditions in the bottom right corner.
In iOS 10.3, the app also allows the user to see a weather forecast by using 3D Touch on the current temperature.
This functionality allows users to see an hour-by-hour breakdown of the area that they are looking at.
Messages
The Messages app incorporates its own App Store, which lets users download third-party iMessage apps that can be accessed within iMessage conversations.
Users can use them to send stickers, play games or send rich content, such as media previews, to recipients.
The Messages App Store has three navigation fields: Featured, Categories, and Manage.
The app has been updated to include many visual effects.
Chat bubbles, for example, can be sent with a "loud" or "gentle" animation that the recipient sees upon receiving.
"Invisible ink" effect obscures the message until the recipient swipes across it.
Full-screen effects like balloons, confetti or fireworks can be sent.
There is also support for interactions similar to the Apple Watch, such as sending quick sketches and recording and sending the user's heartbeat.
In order to use the screen and bubble effects, the Reduce Motion setting needs to be turned off.
Messages now allows users to send handwritten notes.
This is done by turning the device to landscape mode for iPhones (landscape or portrait for iPad users) and then tapping the handwriting squiggle.
The Messages app automatically saves recently used notes, to make it easier to send them again.
A handwritten message can be deleted in the same way an app is deleted; by holding down on the message and pressing Delete.
The message can also be saved as a picture file.
New emojis have been added, as well as additional features related to emoji.
Emojis appear 3x bigger if messages are sent with up to three emojis and no text, the keyboard can now predict emojis to use, and an emoji replacement feature attempts to match words in messages and replace them with emojis of the same meaning.
Since the Game Center app has been removed, Messages now handles actions such as inviting friends to a game.
Read receipts can now be turned on or off for individual contacts rather than for all contacts.
Music
The Music app has been redesigned, with an emphasis placed on usability.
The "For You" section has been reorganized, with a playlist offering daily music recommendations.
The "New" tab has been renamed "Browse".
A new tab for music that has been downloaded called "Downloaded Music" has been added.
Lyrics are viewable for songs in-app in iOS 10.
The "Search" tab includes recent and trending searches.
An "Optimized Storage" option removes downloaded music that the user hasn't played in a while.
News
The News app, taking cues from the Music layout, has been redesigned to incorporate bold headings and a newspaper-esque layout in the redesigned "For You" tab.
News also features support for subscriptions and provides notifications for breaking news.
Credits to the contents of this page go to the authors of the corresponding Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS 10.