iOS 7.1 review

iOS 7.1 GESTURES

New gestures have been added into the mix, so you can use the OS without having to resort for a physical or onscreen button so often. Backwards and forwards swipes are the big addition for applications that support it. These allow you to swipe from the left to go back and from the right to go forwards.

For example, in Safari in back swipe lets you go back a page, while a forwards swipe lets you go forwards a page. Generally speaking, the back swipe is the better supported action. For example, in Facebook you can swipe back from a specific post to view your News Feed, but you can can’t then swipe forwards to go back to the post.

The start of the app is the limiting factor when moving back, so you’ll never be thrown back to the home screen or to a completely unrelated app. Once you get used to these new gestures they do make the OS a lot easier and more intuitive to use.

iOS 7.1 SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight, the method for searching your iOS device, has now moved. Rather than sitting to the left of all the home screens, it’s now accessible from any home screen by swiping down on any icon. It works in the same way, searching your phone’s content, including messages, emails, apps and music amongst others, for your keywords. It no longer searches the internet. From our point of view that’s not a problem, although we know that some people loved this feature.

iOS 7.1 MAPS

Maps was one of the big problems with iOS 6, with the new service failing to find a lot of places, having spelling mistakes and generally not keeping up with Google Maps. In iOS 7 it still has its fair share of problems. Search for Luton when in London, for example, and it doesn’t give you the town close by with its own rather substantial airport, but Luton in Devon, which is a small village. The mapping information really needs to improve, although if you enter postcodes rather than keywords, it’s a lot more accurate.

Apple has done a good job with the interface and it’s fast and responsive to use. If you’ve got an iPhone 5S, you get the benefit that the phone can detect when you’ve stopped driving and switch the directions to walking ones instead.

Apple Maps used to be the Achilles heel of the OS and, while it still needs a lot of improvement, the fact that Google Maps is available as its own app, means it’s not the problem that it once was.

iOS 7.1 LOCK SCREEN

Apple has updated the lock screen and you can now access Control Centre and Notification Centre while your phone is locked. Both can be disabled if you’d rather keep all information private. You can also choose which applications are allowed to display notifications on your Lock Screen.

What’s particularly neat, is that you can swipe on a notification and you’ll be taken to the originating app when you’ve entered your phone’s passcode. It’s a little tweak but one that we’ve found saves a fair bit of time and lets you get the important information faster.

We like the Camera icon (bottom right), which lets you launch the camera app, so you can start taking photos without having to unlock your phone. For privacy, only photos you’ve taken in that session can be viewed, leaving the rest of your photo roll unavailable until the phone’s unlocked. With iOS 7.1, Apple has made the lock screen a little bit brighter, but that’s the only change you get.