Just under 40% of adults check their phone at bedtime (rising to 60% for the under-35s), according to Ofcom. If you're one of them, Apple's new iPhone operating system, iOS 13, will be right up your street.
When it becomes available this autumn, the new operating system's Dark Mode setting will make looking at your phone's screen in the dark much easier on the eye - quite literally!
Dark Mode uses darker background tones such as grey instead of harsher white, for squint-free phone use in low light. Apple says this new mode will be available in all of its own apps and is encouraging other app developers to tweak their apps to include it, too. Dark Mode can be switched on or off manually, or scheduled to come on automatically at sunset.
Apple unveiled the newest version of its smartphone operating system last night, which will be available as a free download to iPhone users around September time. Unfortunately, it’s only available for the iPhone 6s and above so if your iPhone is older than this you won't be able to take advantage of the new features.
Extra features
There are changes to the Photos app, too, in iOS 13. When you take several similar photos, at a wedding for example, the app will automatically pick the best shot and hide the other photos. You'll still be able to access the other shots if you want to but it does mean your photo album won't be so cluttered. There are basic video editing tools, too, which let you rotate, crop or apply filters to the footage you film without needing to download a separate app.
Apple says the new software will make it faster to unlock your phone using Face ID, its facial recognition technology. It also claims to have found a way to reduce the size of apps so they take up less space on your iPhone and are faster to open.
PadOS
Meanwhile, iPads are to get their own software called PadOS. This will offer all the benefits of iOS 13 but will give the user a more computer-like experience. For example, you can split the screen to display one email while you’re composing another, or view and edit several Notes in one go. Apple also says that PadOS will display the desktop version of a website scaled to fit the iPad’s screen rather than the version of the website that's designed for mobile devices. PadOS will be available for the iPad Air 2 and later models, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation or later models and iPad mini 4 or later models.
iTunes' swan song
At the same time, Apple announced it is replacing iTunes on the Mac with three new apps; Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts. However, it confirmed Apple Music will still allow you to access any music you’ve purchased from iTunes or copied from CDs to your computer.
Apple Watch and TV
Apple Watch will also benefit from updated software in September. This will let women log information relating to their menstrual cycle to see when their next period and fertile window are predicted, similar to a feature currently available on Fitbits. The new software also brings voice memos, a calculator and an app store to the Apple Watch.
Apple TV, the TV streaming device, is also getting some handy new features in the autumn. You'll be able to set up different user profiles, so everyone sees their own personalised recommendations rather than endless suggestions of Peppa Pig after the kids have been glued to the TV. And when Apple Arcade launches later in the year, the games service will also be available through Apple TV.
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article
JBL T500BT Over Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
Bose QuietComfort QC35 II
Sol Republic Amps Air
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
