8 things you probably didn’t know about Apple’s upcoming iOS

With the new iPhone(s) being announced on the 10th of September we tell you about 8 features you may not know about of iOS7 that will feature when you update your existing iPhone. 

Livephoto filters

At this point, most of us are used to adding filters to photos after we snap the pics. But the Camera app in iOS 7 allows for live previews. You’ll see exactly how the photo will look in black and white or with a vintage filter before you ever even take it.

And the best part? These filters are applied in a non-destructive way. So even though the photo looks like it came straight out of the 1960s when you take it, your iPhone still has the “normal” version saved. You can revert to it (or switch to another filter) in an instant.

Warning Feature: Detection of third party cables and accessories 

This one we will would like to point out before you update! There are strong rumours that iOS7 will detect if your accessory was made by or authorised by Apple. If it wasnt everytime you plug in your third party cable or dock you will get a very annoying pop up message. As far as we can tell it will still work its just this message that will pop up each time. So no more buying those nice cheap cables from eBay / China!

Bigger folders, more icons you can hide

Folders will be able to handle many more apps per folder, no more having to create that new folder “Games 2”. Also you will be to hide unwanted stock Apple icons to keep your homepage tidier than ever before. Instead of only having room for 16 apps, folders can contain pages and pages of apps.

Teach Siri how to say your name correctly

For those out there with awkwardly pronounced names you can finally teach Siri how we want her (or him) to say them. Instead of relying just on phonetic spellings, Siri will ask you how you want a name pronounced and then take some time to learn it.

Smarter, more relevant notifications

The Notifications Center consists of three sections in iOS 7 — “today,” “all,” and “missed.” The “today” section presents a quick summary of what’s going on: How the weather looks and whether it’s someone’s birthday, but also more prescient stuff, like whether you should leave early for a meeting because traffic is looking bad.

Block calls and messages

Previously you had to use a third party app if you wanted to block unwanted calls, text and Facetime calls from unwanted contacts, but Apple have confirmed this will be a built in feature if iOS7.

Add A Custom Station To iTunes Radio

iTunes Radio is here – and it’s looking pretty cool. One of the more Pandora-like options in iTunes Radio is the ability to create a station based on your favorite artist or song, and even mix and match artists for a custom bunch of songs you can play uninterrupted, like, well, radio. You can even tell iTunes Radio what songs or artists not to play in the mix, as well as manage which types of songs (Top Hits, Mix, Discovery) from each artist to play.

Bonus: One iOS 7 perk you can get now

iOS 7 adds a neat button to Safari to switch into “private” browsing mode, so you can shop for presents or do other secret stuff, without leaving a history or cookie trail in the browser. But you can already access this “private” mode in the current iOS. Just go to Settings, tap on Safari and flip the “Private Browsing” toggle.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming iOS7 plus some “how to” guides on how to make the most of it when its released.