iOS 10: WWDC First Look

WWDC kicked off on Monday with exciting announcements across Mac OS X MacOS, tvOS, watchOS, and of course, iOS. The tenth full iteration of iOS ranks among its most robust, full of new features and technologies that stand to, once again, reinvent we use our smartphones.

Here’s a quick glance at 5 things that really stood out in Monday’s iOS 10 preview:

For the first time since her debut in 2011, Apple will allow developers to integrate Siri technology and functionality into 3rd party apps. This has incredible potential and we can’t wait to see all the new things Siri will be able to do.

Quick Note to Developers: Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.

You have to give it to Apple. Despite the terrible launch of Apple Maps in 2012, despite the continued improvements to Google Maps, despite the success of 3rd party maps like Waze, Apple has continued to stick with their default map program. iOS 10 includes some of the most impressive improvements to Apple Maps in quite some time, allowing integration with selected third-party applications such as OpenTable and Uber. This integration will allow you to book tables and find rides directly from the Maps app, without ever having to leave.

Creepy though it may be, your iOS device knows everywhere you’ve visited since it’s been with you. When iOS 10 arrives this fall, it will actually be able to put that data to use! Well, use for you that is. The new version of Maps will be able to make suggestions for your destination based on your travel history and habits.

Huzzah! At long last, those useless Apps pre-installed on your phone may finally fade away. Up until now, there has been an ever-increasing number of default apps installed onto iOS devices that were impossible to delete.

Finally, with iOS 10, Apple will allow you to remove many of these applications. Notice, I did not say “delete.” When news of this first broke, many outlets reported that Apple would allow you to delete these apps. It turns out this isn’t the case. Engadget reports that, in fact, Apple will allow you “remove” the apps from your home screen and purge the data your phone gave them. The binary files for the apps, however, are on your iPhone to stay. Still, you can finally retire those “Can’t Delete” and “Crapple” app folders you’ve been hiding away on your home screen.

This is another huge development for iOS 10. Previously, Apple Pay was only available at retail locations and within iOS apps. Now, iOS will support Apple Pay on the mobile web. This has the potential to be a boon to retailers eager to improve their online conversion rates. Conversion has long been a terrible pain-point on the mobile web and anything that can streamline and improve on the experience is a welcome addition.

iOS 10 is now available in Beta for developers and is expected to launch for the public this fall. With the beta status, features and functionality are still subject to change. At first glance, however, this looks to be a very powerful update for iOS and we can’t wait to see how these features impact the mobile experience.