When Apple announces its newest operating systems each year at WWDC, the sheer amount of information the company throws at you can be overwhelming. In iOS 13 alone is a laundry list of new apps and features, performance and UI improvements, and revamped experiences across Apple's flagship mobile OS.
The updated mobile OS will come pre-installed on Apple's new iPhone 11 lineup, and begins rolling out to older smartphones today; here's how to get it when it arrives. From AR and video editing to an arsenal of privacy-focused tools, and beyond, here are the features you'll want to check out.
Dark Mode
It's about time. Instead of manually enabling Dark Mode one by one in whichever apps support it, iOS 13 adds OS-level Dark Mode that you can flip on to plunge your entire smartphone experience into darkness. Your eyes will thank you later.
Sign In with Apple
The biggest theme of iOS 13 is privacy. Apple fired another salvo in its ongoing feud with Facebook by rolling out Sign In with Apple, a simple API developers can integrate into their apps to replace "social sign-ins" and give users one-tap, Face ID-authenticated sign-in to any app without any third-party tracking or revealing any additional personal information.
Anonymize Your Email Address
Not only is Apple making sign-ins more private, but they'll also throw spammy apps and marketers off your trail. Apple will now give users the choice to share their own email address, or to hide it from whatever app or service they're subscribing to and instead allow Apple to create a unique random email address for each app that forwards to your real email address and can be disabled at any time.
See Which Apps Are Tracking You
Apple is also keeping a closer eye on location tracking, taking some not-so-subtle shots at Google. In iOS 13, users can share their location with an app just once and force the app to request permission again the next time it wants access. Apple will also compile reports on the apps that do have location access, and shut down backdoor location tracking mechanisms such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning.
Video Editing
This one's big. For the first time, Apple will give users the ability to edit videos with the same array of tools, options, and filters as in photo editing. You can now rotate a video, apply filters and effects, and more, all from within the Camera and Photos apps on your iPhone.
Intelligent Photos Organization
Speaking of photos, Apple has redesigned the Photos app itself with machine learning to reduce clutter and duplicates, and intelligently organize your photos and videos. Aside from UI enhancements such as pinch-to-zoom, a new tab categorizes your photos by day, month, and year, grouping meaningful events together using AI. Portrait Lighting, meanwhile, will support lighting adjustments.
Share Audio
With the new intuitive audio sharing in iOS 13, you can share a snippet of audio, whether it's a movie, a song, or a snippet from your life, with another iOS users with just a tap. The catch: it only works if you have AirPods.
Revamped Reminders
Apple completely overhauled the Reminders app in iOS 13 with a more intuitive layout, labeled lists, and the ability to tag other contacts in your reminders. The app also got smarter: simply type in your reminder and iOS will know when and where to notify you about it.
Deeper Memoji Customization
Apple really wants you to trick out your virtual avatar. The iOS 13 release adds significantly more customization for Memoji, including makeup and accessories, from eye shadow and lipstick to hats, glasses, and yes, AirPods.
Memoji Stickers
Apple and Facebook do both agree on one thing: they have no qualms ripping off whatever Snapchat is doing. New Memoji Stickers, available in iOS 13, give users packs of different Memoji expressions accessible right from the keyboard in iMessage or any other app.
Improved AR Creation
At WWDC, Apple made three new announcements around its continued investment in mobile augmented reality creation available across iOS 13 and its other operating systems. In addition to ARKit 3, which boasts better motion capture and people occlusion, Apple released two new tools: RealityKit, which leverages a native Swift API for photorealistic rendering and camera motion blur, and a new Reality Composer tool to build interactive AR experiences with a built-in AR content library.
Siri Suggested Automations
Siri will enjoy a host of improvements in iOS 13 across different platforms such as HomePod and CarPlay, but the most powerful capability comes in the Siri Shortcuts app. A new suggested automation feature will help those who've never used Siri Shortcuts before to take their habits and personalize them, adding AI-assisted templates for things like heading home to going to the gym.
Lookaround Mode in Apple Maps
Sure, it may be a carbon copy of Google Street View, except 3D and in Apple Maps. But that doesn't mean it won't be fun to tap around and explore new places in HD.