Before and After iOS 9: What's Different?

Our side-by-side comparison highlights what changed from iOS 8 to iOS 9.

At a glance, Apple's latest mobile OS, iOS 9, looks pretty similar to last year's iOS 8âboth still mostly resemble the visually overhauled iOS 7. But Apple loves small tweaks as much as big reinventions. So here are some side-by-side image comparisons of the new OS and its predecessor that show off what has changed.

iOS 9 has a host of new and updated built-in Apple apps. Notes lets you draw and make checklists. Maps now include transit directions. Passbook has become Wallet, which includes the updated Apple Pay. And Apple News is a brand-new news curation app.

Along with these updated features, the new iOS also has some new graphical flourishes. Dialogs sport rounded corners. Fonts on the keyboard change from upper to lower case. The new multitasking bar is flowing and expansive. And if you have an iPad Air 2 or any of the upcoming new iPads you'll have access to even more multitasking options like Split View, Slide Over, and Picture in Picture.

Fortunately, iOS 9 is more than just pretty graphics. Usability has also been improved. New search options like Settings search and Siri-powered proactive Spotlight search make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for, sometimes before you even know it yourself.

Pictures speak louder than words, though. So click the link above or below to check out our iOS 8 vs. iOS 9 slideshow. And if you're feeling nostalgic, you can revisit the upgrades made to iOS 7, iOS 6, and iOS 5.

Click To View Slideshow »

Home Screen

The two home screens are virtually identical, but take a look at iOS 9's new built-in apps like Wallet and News (right). These apps replace iOS 8's Passbook and Newsstand, respectively (left).

iCloud Drive

We dinged iOS 8 (left) for making the useful file-syncing feature iCloud Drive too difficult to find. In iOS 9 (right), you can put iCloud Drive right on the home screen.

Mail

Using iCloud Drive, you can now include attachments on your emails in iOS 9 (right). iOS 8 (left) just let you paste in certain media files.

Keyboard

iOS 9's new keyboard (right) will reflect whether you're typing in upper or lower case. iOS 8's keyboard (left) stayed capitalized no matter what.

Maps

Directions in the new Maps (right) now include transit directions, a must in major cities and a glaring omission in iOS 8 (left).

Multitasking Menu

iOS 9's multitasking menu (right) is flowing and expansive compared to iOS 8 (left). On the iPad, it's even better with the new Split View.

Newsstand vs News

Newsstand in iOS 8 (left) was a neat way to access your digital subscriptions, but iOS 9's Apple News (right) is a full-blown news aggregation and curation service.

Notes

The new Notes app (right) lets you organize your thoughts with check lists and doodles. It's also easier to attach photos and URLs in your notes compared to iOS 8 (left).

Passbook vs. Wallet

These menus may look the same, but iOS 8's Passbook (left) is now Wallet in iOS 9 (right). Wallet includes Apple Pay's updated gift card and customer loyalty programs.

Passcodes

iOS 9 lets you make stronger six-digit passcodes (right) vs. iOS 8's limit of four (left).You can also strengthen your security even more with two-factor authentication and Touch ID.

Search

iOS 9's Siri-powered Spotlight search (right) is much smarter and more proactive than iOS 8's search options (left).

About Our Expert

Jordan Minor

Principal Writer, Software

My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I'm a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I'm the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

The Technology I Use

I use the newest Android and iOS smartphones for testing, but I currently use an iPhone 14 as my personal phone. I just hate that we gave up headphone jacks.

I've always favored gaming laptops over desktops. On that note, I have a 16-inch HP Envy with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. No matter what machine I’m working on, an alarming amount of my personal and professional life revolves around cloud-synced Google Drive files.

For food subscriptions, my household sticks with CookUnity and HelloFresh for meals. Video streaming is a bit more complicated. While there are too many services to list, we're subscribed to most of the major ones. These days, I find myself drawn to HBO Max's movies and shows, as well as Peacock's reality trash.

I've been a lifelong Nintendo fan, and I sincerely believe the Nintendo Switch will go down as one of the best gaming consoles of all time. It has an unbelievable library of new and old games from Nintendo and third-party companies. The handheld/console hybrid approach makes playing games so much more flexible, a legacy that continues with the Nintendo Switch 2 and Valve’s Steam Deck.

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