Apple Rolls Out iOS 11

In line with plans announced last week at the Apple event introducing iPhone X and other products, the company today began to roll out iOS 11 to iPhone and iPad users.

Developers and members of the public have participated in public betas of the operating system since June, but Apple is now making iOS 11 available to all compatible iPads and iPhones. As Apple begins requiring that apps be compatible with 64-bit processors, most phones or tablets released in recent years will get the update — with the exception of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c, as well as the fourth-gen iPad, all released in 2013 or earlier.

The launch of iOS 11 was announced last week at the first-ever event held at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. The iPhone X, iPhone 8, and 8 Plus all made debuts at the event, as did Apple TV 4K and Apple Watch Series 3.

To get the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the instructions.

The new edition of iOS comes with a boatload of new features you should know about, including more personality for Siri, a new App Store, augmented reality games, and emojis that can track your face.

New Siri: In iOS 11, the AI assistant will be able to perform on-the-spot translations, starting with translations from English to Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Italian, French, and German.

Siri’s male and female voices will also be more expressive in iOS 11. Apple has made Siri’s voice sound more natural by using Apple’s algorithms and a process that identifies the particular sounds people make (called phonemes) when they pronounce a word in natural language.

The Sirikit, which developers can use to connect an app with Siri, is also getting upgrades to enable payments and answer questions about your personal finances, interact with productivity apps like Todoist, and scan QR codes using your voice.

Siri will also begin to make recommendations in native Apple applications, like recommending stories to read from News search results in Safari based on your reading habits. Confirm a flight or reservation in Safari and Siri will automatically add the event to your calendar.

Siri also has a mildly refreshed look, now appearing as a floating orb when speaking to you.

Files app: The Files app gives you access to files stored locally on an iPhone or iPad or with cloud services like Microsoft OneNote, Google Drive, or iCloud Drive.