Introduction to IOS 11

This week, Apple has been rolling out IOS 11 to its iPhone and iPad users.  If you have not already,  you will probably get a notice on your device soon that it is time to upgrade.

While it is not urgent, we recommend you upload your iPhones and iPads to the latest OS, both firm devices and your personal ones.  It ensures you have the most current security measures, and also can take advantage of new features.  At some point, your device will start haranguing you to implement the update.  But if you want to do it on your own time schedule, just go into "Settings" then "General" the "Software Update."  Your device should either tell you it has already downloaded the files and would you like to proceed, or you may be asked to download the setup files prior to update.

A few things to consider when downloading the update: Especially if you do not have the setup files downloaded already, the download may take hours.  I strongly recommend being on Wifi for the download, not only to save time, but because downloading over LTE will use about 2 GB, which costs the firm about $20 on our data plan.  If your drive is nearly full, you may need to clear out some space before you can download the large setup files.

Because of the time it takes, you may want to run the upgrade over the weekend while you are at home on your home Wifi. Do it at a time you know you will have a few hours when you do not need your device.  I also recommend doing when you have your device connected to a charger so that the battery does not fail in the middle of the upgrade.  You will need to know your Apple ID and password to restart your phone after the upgrade.  Make sure you know it before you start the upgrade.

Once installed, one of the first things you may notice is the file folder icon added to the bottom of your screen.  This is the new file explorer, something Windows and Android users have enjoyed for years but which is new to Apple.  You can not only explore your local drive but can connect to cloud storage, including Box.

Also, you should notice an improved dictation service.  You can use the microphone on the pop up keyboard to dictate text into just about any app.  If you use handwriting in Apple Notes, the new IOS can use word recognition to identify your handwritten words.

Apple has improved the ability to cut and paste, move text between documents or move documents between applications.

For more details on the changes, you may want to read this article on macromors.com.