Select a region
The first significant new features to be pushed out by Apple in iOS 9 have arrived – with iOS 9.1 now available to iPhone and iPad users.
The software update contains a new app for users in the UK, with Apple’s News app – a personalised, aggregated app that pushes articles to you each day. Think of it as an Apple-made Flipboard.
Then there’s a host of new emoji which have been approved by the a regulatory panel (yes, there really is one for emoji) and can now be pushed out by Unicode, the firm that creates the industry standard for the icons.
Several other bug fixes have also been implemented as part of the update – including fixes for issues surrounding audio messages, Calendar and Games Centre.
Still unsure as to whether you should upgrade? Here’s a closer look at News and those precious emoji.
The News app will automatically appear on your home screen once the update is complete, offering tailored news articles based on topics and publications that you select.
The app gives you the option to choose some to begin with, but then users can return to the Explore tab at any point in order to add or remove different topics and sources from your list.
The ‘For You’ section is the most prominent part of the app, and it’s here that the app pushes recommended stories to you. You can then add these to a Saved section if you want to come back to them later, as well as use a search feature to hunt down specific writers, topics, stories or publications.
If you’re looking for something a little more hands-on, the Explore section has some loose recommendations for content, but lets you seek out what you want at your own pace.
A lot of emphasis has been placed on the look of News, and how it is laid out as though a magazine – something the likes of Flipboard has been popularising for some time. However on iPhone this doesn’t appear too prominent, with most pages heavy on white.
The update many have been waiting for has arrived – more than 150 new emoji are now available from within the native keyboard. These include a taco, burrito, middle finger, a cricket bat and a unicorn all being added for the first time.
Essentially almost every category in your emoji section has had some new additions.
Something for the iPhone 6s owners – Live Photos has been tweaked slightly. The update adds a feature that can now sense when you lower your hand after taking an photo, so Live Photos doesn’t capture the random view as your hand falls.
There are also three new wallpapers that are all planet themed; Jupiter, Mars and Neptune images have all been added.
