Review: The New iOS7

Okay, you know I’m a tech nerd so obviouslyyy I downloaded the new iOS7 to my iPhone 5 as soon as it was avail.  I’ve been hearing mixed reviews from my friends, colleagues, and favorite radio talk show hosts but I am here to set the record straight: this update was long awaited and much needed!!  I love it!Although I’ll always be an avid apple product junkie, lately I’ve felt as though the iSoftware (yes, I think I just made up a new term) was outdated and ready for a makeover.  Clearly I’m not the type of person who can’t handle change but I am the type of person who likes changes for the better… and trust me, I’ll notice when a change has backfired for the worse.  This new iOS7 software is DEFINITELY a change for the better.  It’s way more clean, vibrant, and sleek than any other previous iSoftware to date.  It’s current with the times.  It’s fun.  It’s easy.  And the best part: it’s more like an android but it’s still so ultra simple in a sea of confusing android devices. (And I would know since I was a not-so-proud owner of the Droid Incredible for a few years – did I just admit that out loud?!?!)

It seems as though even without Steve Jobs in the picture, the Apple people have gotten it right.  They knew it was time for a major update – and they delivered.

There are so many new features to freak out about but below are my favorites… get ready to have your mind blown!

1. Safari on your phone syncs up to Safari on your computer:
   Oh, you have to leave whatever you were searching the net for on your computer.  No big deal – those same windows will show up right on your iPhone and you can finish doing what you were doing.  And vice versa :)

2. Speaking of Safari, you can now have more than just 7 windows open at a time.
   Finally!!!!!!

3. Turning off apps makes way more sense:
   Before, you double tapped the home button to be shown all the moving app icons with x’s in the corner. Now, you still double tap the home button but you are taken to a “multitask screen” where you find the app you want to close out of and swipe it upward until it disappears.  In iOS7 though, you don’t just see the icon when you close out of it, you can see a screenshot of what you left off doing with that particular app.

4. Spotlight is easier to get to than ever:
   Spotlight, which allows you to quickly search your device for any app, text, person, etc. is wayy more convenient.  You used to be able to find the search bar by swiping your home screen all the way to the left but now, all you have to do is tap the middle of any of your app screens and swipe downward.

5. You can now see a time stamp for EVERY text message:
   While sifting through your messages apps before, you probably noticed – and were annoyed by – the fact that you couldn’t see “message sent” times on all your conversations. Now you can. All you have to do is swipe left while in your messages app. Uh-maze!

6. Don’t like the way Siri pronounces a name or a word – change it!
   Just tell her “That’s not how you pronounce that.”  She will then ask you the correct way and listen as you say it.  Afterwards, she’ll give you three options for how to say it and you choose the one you like best.

7. The camera has filters!  And you can take square photos!
   Enough said… :)

8. iCloud Photo Sharing
   I’ve been waiting for this for a loooong time.  Never made sense to me that if you created a shared stream, you were the only one who could add pictures to it.  Now, whoever you share with can add photos, videos, and comments that will sync automatically to everyone’s devices. It’s too good to be true if you ask me!

9. By swiping your finger upward from the bottom of ANY screen, in ANY app, you can do A LOT of different things!!
   For one, you can toggle between airplane view, Wi-Fi, and bluetooth.  You can also turn on and off the “Do Not Disturb” feature and in addition, quickly and easily lock or unlock the picture orientation with a click of a button. But wait there’s more: you can change your screen brightness, play music, turn on the flashlight, go to a calculator, open the camera, or set your alarm.

10. They’ve introduced a new feature and concept: AirDrop
    Instead of sharing things over text or email while in the same room with the person you want to share with, you can AirDrop that picture, or video, or anything else from any app using AirDrop.  I like it.