As with every major operating system update there are plenty of new features for us iOS app developers to take advantage of. But before starting to enjoy the benefits of the new features it's worth double checking that your existing apps still function correctly.
Whilst it's not as glamorous, or fun, as playing around with the new toys available it's an important process to go through as Apple has a habit of updating what apps have access to, and how they can access them.
18 Years of iOS Evolution: From iPhone OS to iOS 18
Our iOS compatibility expertise stems from launching Map My Tracks in 2007, navigating every iOS version from iPhone OS 1.0 through iOS 18. Across 18 years and 18 major iOS releases, we've systematically updated the app to adopt new capabilities whilst maintaining backwards compatibility and consistent 4.6-star user ratings. This continuous evolution experience extended to our partnership with BSkyB (Sky Corporation) as Official Technology Partner to Team Sky (2010-2015), where professional GPS tracking apps required rigorous OS testing to ensure Tour de France champions never experienced failures during critical race moments. We perform this same proactive compatibility testing for all client apps before each iOS release.
View the case study: Map My Tracks: 18 Years of iOS Evolution
For the most part, apps developed for iOS7 and above should be fine but it's the devil in the detail that can be trouble. Just like website browser testing it's worth having your app checked out when a new version is released to make sure the hidden corners of the app still work as expected. We do this on behalf of our clients to ensure that users do not have any excuse to migrate away from using their app.
Once the less glamorous work of OS testing has been done then it's time to take advantage of the new features available.
So what's new
We're looking forward to experimenting with the new options open to us as developers. The more notable ones include:
Siri for developers
Siri is being opened up for third-party developers to interact with. We'll now be able to ask Siri to trigger tasks in apps. This could be to find out how far you have run today, or to order an Uber.
Apps in iMessage
iMessage is getting an upgrade which includes its own App Store. The supercharged iMessage will now let you order food, shopping or tickets through supported apps.
There are plenty more in iOS 10 so it will be interesting to watch how they all get used by the developer community.
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