iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch. The update is packed full of new features – here’s a rundown of some of the best.

Dark Mode
Dark Mode is a feature that iPhone users have been clamouring for years for, and was inevitable at some point. A light-on-dark colour scheme, Dark Mode is easier on the eye, aesthetically pleasing and will save you some battery life too. Dark Mode is available on the lockscreen, wallpaper, Music, Messages, Photos, Apple News, Calendar and Notes apps, but no doubt third-party apps will be updating to include this new feature soon. Dark Mode joins similar features already available on Android phones, as well as apps like Twitter and Apple’s own desktop OS, MacOS 10.4.

Photos
Apple has made two big changes to their Photos app; a complete overhaul of the design, and a new set of editing tools to tweak your photos with. The app makes it much easier to view old photos by selecting the day, month and year. It’s a much simpler and easier way to browse your photos, and will make finding that one photo you’re looking for from a few years ago so much easier. The editing tools are very similar to Instagram. When you tap to edit a photo, you’ll get a list of different adjustments to scroll through, including contrast, brightness, highlights, shadows, and more. You can also compare the edited version of your photo with the original, and toggle on or off any changes you’ve made. Videos can now be edited in the Photos app for the first time, and users can do things like crop or rotate videos without using a third-party video editing app.

Apple Maps
Apple is working hard to bring its default mapping application up to standard with Google Maps, the standard map app for most mobile users. Apple have included a new Street View-style mode, allowing you to browse locations in the real world. Apple is aiming to get this updated version of Maps rolled out across the US by the end of 2019, with other locations coming in 2020, so it might take some time before all the new features are available worldwide. Maps includes some other useful features, like a collections tab to save your favourite locations, and real-time transit information.

Location
Apple has made several improvements regarding the use of locations on iOS devices. Firstly, it is now harder for companies and app developers to track your location, by introducing new permissions options for giving apps your location; users can now choose only to share their location while the app is open, and will ping you if the app is trying to track your location while it is in the background. The Find My Phone and Find My Friend apps have been merged into a single app called Find My, making it easier to find any devices on your account, and anyone who has shared their location with you.

Other Features
Apple have made a few minor adjustments to their Messages app. You can now search for old messages using keywords, a feature that has always existed but never quite worked – it now works perfectly. You can set a profile picture that will show up when you send a message to someone, similar to Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Memeoji is also getting more customisation options. There is also a new feature that’s designed to make signing in to apps more secure, known as Sign in With Apple. This feature, which hasn’t rolled out yet, will supposedly allow for a more secure sign-in on apps like Twitter and Facebook, by using FaceID.