The new iOS 10 by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been described by the company as its biggest release yet, and as an operating system with more personal, powerful and playful features. The good thing for small business owners is that the new features would seem to drastically enhance the way you can run your business on your iPhone or iPad.
Whether you are using the new iPhone 7 or many of the previous versions also supported by iOS 10, there are some new features that will make you more productive, the company says.
Here are 10 features small business owners can start experimenting with right away with iOS 10.
iOS 10 Features for Business
Comprehensive Privacy and Advanced Security
With smartphones and tablets now inexorably linked to the way we do business, and the threat of digital security also an inevitable part of this ecosystem, it is extremely important to have a comprehensive privacy and advance security solution in place.
The privacy features in iOS 10 now requires your permission if an app in Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Photos or others want your location information or personal data. This features extends with even more control to the way in which HealthKit and HomeKit access your data.
Your conversations in iMessages and FaceTime are encrypted, so hackers waiting in the middle of a conversation won't be able to see, hear or read what you are communicating. And when you are on Safari surfing the web, you can browse privately, block cookies, and prevent websites from tracking you.
The security, according to Apple, is the most advanced security of any mobile operating system. The new features help secure your personal protection with hardware and firmware that have been designed to protect against malware and viruses throughout the entire system. The device is protected with Touch ID and the apps have high-grade encryption, app transport security, and more.
Maximized Graphic Performance
When you are on a smartphone or tablet the last thing you want is lackluster performance from your device. Since iOS has been engineered specifically for the iPhone and iPad with a framework the company calls Metal, it is able to maximize graphic performance whether you are videoconferencing, accessing applications from the cloud, viewing a PowerPoint presentation, moving from app to app or playing the most complex 3D video game after a hard day of work.
Enchanced Machine Intelligence
The new OS has been designed to take advantage of the progress that has taken place in software intelligence. This includes Apple-developed machine-learning technology, which has also been incorporated into Siri.
The result is a more intuitive system that makes everything you do with your device easier and faster. Proactive suggestion, and predictive typing have been combined with Siri for a personal assistant that will answer many of your questions and take your requests by speaking naturally. Siri now works with your favorite apps, so you can request a ride, send payments using Square Cash, book a reservation through OpenTable, and more.
Continuity Across All Devices
Even if your business is mobile first, there are multiple computing devices that are part of the total technological solutions in place in your company. This generally means laptops and desktops both at the office and at home. In order to ensure continuity across all devices, iCloud and iOS automatically connect many of Apple's products.
You can start a task on the iPad and finish it on your Mac and stream video from your iPhone or iPad to your television through Apple TV. Everything gets synced automatically, so any time you add a new document, image or video the latest version will appear on all your devices.
AirDrop for Large File Sharing
You now work outside of the office just as much as you do inside, and this means sharing large files that far exceed the limitations of email servers. AirDrop is a feature that lets you send large files wirelessly no matter where you are, so you won't have to go back to the office when you are on location.
Handoff Email and Messaging Across Devices and Solutions
The continuity feature extends to an application called Handoff which lets you write an email and hand it off to Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Podcasts, Clock, and News.
When you are ready to text you can send messages from any of your devices, receive it on your iPhone and reply on your iPad or Mac. You can choose a number from Safari, Contacts or Calendar to quickly send a text message.
Multilingual Typing
We live in a very connected world, and even the smallest of businesses now interacts with people in many countries around the world. This means multiple languages, and the multilingual typing feature lets you type in two languages at the same time without having to switch keyboards.
The OS recognizes English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish pairs, as well as Chinese.
CarPlay
As a small business owner on the go, you can sometimes use your car as your second office. CarPlay makes it possible to safely and easily use your iPhone to make calls, send and receive messages, get directions and more so you can focus on your driving. It puts the functions you want to use on the built-in display of the vehicle so you can control them with your voice, touch or the knobs and controls of the car. Currently CarPlay is available on more than 100 automobile models, with more on the way.
Unsecured WiFi Network Warning
Free WiFi is so tempting but if you are not 100 percent sure it is secure, you can easily fall victim to an attack. Unsecured WiFi Network Warning makes recommendations when you connect your iOS device to an unsecured network.
New Notifications with 3D Touch
The new rich Notifications feature lets you quickly view videos, photos and reply. All it takes is tapping on the notification to launch the app or force press with the new feature rich 3D Touch to popup a preview. It also lets you clear the notification and delete emails from the expanded notification.
New APIs for Developers
Although Apple is notorious for protecting its intellectual property, the company has been coming around after witnessing the great benefits of what APIs have accomplished for other companies. The Apple iOS 10 SDK has new APIs and services that now contain its more popular applications, including Messages, Siri, and Maps. Developers will now be able to create innovative functionalities using Apple's platform creating more business models for small developers.
Greater Compatibility with Other Apple - and Android - Devices
The new iOS 10 is compatible with: iPhone 7 and 7 Plus; iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus; iPhone SE; iPhone 5s, 5c, 5; iPad Pro 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch; iPad Air 2; iPad Air; iPad 4th generation; iPad mini 4; iPad mini 3; iPad mini 2; and iPod touch 6th generation.
Apple has also made it much easier to move to iOS on your Android device. You can download the Move to iOS app on your Android device from any Android app store, and it supports all phones and tablets running Android 4.0 and later. You can get more information from Apple here.
If you want to upgrade to iOS 10 here's where you can do it.
Images: Apple
This article, "10 Features of Apple's iOS 10 Small Businesses Need to Know About" was first published on Small Business Trends
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