iOS 13 will be speed-focused with revamped Screen Time, iMessage, Books, Health features

AppleInsider

The Health app in iOS could include a new "hearing health" section while Reminders could face an overhaul, a report claims, detailing some of the changes that may be arriving in iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS Apple could introduce as part of WWDC 2019.

Taking place from June 3, WWDC is usually Apple's venue to showcase the additions and alterations it will be making to its main operating systems for a future release. The milestone versions of the operating systems all typically introduce many new features, and for 2019, a report seems to suggest it will continue to be the case for this year.

As well as a slew of performance improvements in iOS 13, unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim there will be a new keyboard option that will let users swipe multiple letters in a single motion to type complete words, similar to SwiftKey. It is suggested Apple may keep the feature internally, but it has a chance of release.

The Health app will have an improved homepage to show daily activity. A new "hearing health" section will detail how loud a user plays music through headphones or the general loudness of the external environment, while the sexual health section will more comprehensively track the menstrual cycle.

Reminders will have a new start screen with four default sections in a grid, showing the day's tasks, all tasks, scheduled tasks, and flagged tasks, with each having their own colored pages. The Apple Books app include an updated progress tracker with a new rewards system, to encourage users to read more.

The iMessage app will get a "WhatsApp-like enhancement" where users set a profile picture and display name, and selects who can see it. A dedicated menu for conversations will allow users to send sticker versions of Animoji and Memoji.

The Maps app will make it easier for users to declare frequent locations, and to quickly select them for navigation. Places will be groupable and have a photo assigned to them.

The Find my Friends and Find my iPhone services will be unified in one app, allegedly named "GreenTouch" internally. There is also the suggestion it could be joined up with a physical accessory that Apple could produce, similar to the Tile dongle, to allow other items to be found via the same system.

Mail may gain the option to mute conversation threads, block messages from specific contacts, and also simplify the folder management system. The Home app could become more integrated with security cameras, allowing users to view past recordings from connected imaging devices.

On the non-App side, Screen Time will allegedly let parents dictate who their children can or cannot contact at specific times, such as limiting contact with teachers for during school times, or for friends to only evenings and weekends. The second screen functionality offered by Duet Display and Luna Display could be cloned by an Apple-produced version, offering Apple Pencil support, a wider viewing area, and Mac notifications.

A system-wide Sleep Mode will use an updated Bedtime function currently offered in the Clock app, with it turning on Do Not Disturb, darkening the lock screen, and muting all notifications among other changes. Increased tracking for sleep patterns could be offered as part of the update.

Sharing will be reorganized with suggestions of people to share items with, based on previous sharing habits. Better hearing aid support, a downloads manager for Safari, and more iPad multitasking tweaks are also touted, as well as the previously-reported Dark mode.

For macOS 10.15, Apple will be bringing over a variety of elements from iOS over to the desktop operating system. Along with new standalone apps for Apple Music and other elements in iTunes, Apple is set to also add the merged Find my iPhone and Find my Friends app to macOS, effects and stickers for Messages, the new Reminders app, supporting updates to Apple Books, and the integration with Siri Shortcuts.

GeorgeBMac

i'm disappointed that Apple has not strengthened reporting from the health app.
Essentially, it is a black box that data goes into but nothing meaningful (just summaries) come out of.  So, to get meaningful information out of the health app, you need a 3rd party app to extract it.

As one example:    The Apple Watch running activity app works well to collect and display information about a run while you are running.   But then, for instance, heart rate, climbing, pace etc get buried in the health app without anyway to extract them.  As a result, I'm forced to use a third party app to record and analyze my exercise.

I find it frustrating since this is such an easily solved problem:   The data is there.  Others can get to it.  Why doesn't Apple?

rogifan_new

Man I’d love to know who is leaking this stuff. And I’m with John Gruber; I don’t think Apple is intentionally leaking stuff to drum up excitement for WWDC. Reading this Bloomberg article and adding it to the stuff already leaked to 9to5Mac, basically an entire keynote worth of features has leaked. If you’re an employee who’s worked hard on all this stuff for the past year or more how deflating to have most of it leak out in a Bloomberg article. There’s no surprises then for WWDC. Everything Craig says on stage is something we already know about. That can’t be fun for employees. The last time I remember this much stuff leaking out before WWDC was iOS 7. I am very curious where this is coming from. Is it an employee? Do some 3rd parties already have iOS 13 builds?

macman1984

I wish they would bring back the capability of copying PART of a text message.  It's SO BRAINDEAD that I have to copy an entire message, paste it and then delete the 90% of the message I don't want.  Idiots...

mike1

Would love to see multiple "phone books". It is the only feature from the Blackberry days that I miss.

If I download my work contacts to my phone, it's all 400+ or nothing. Don't need 400 random names in my contacts.

Right now, I have set up a Note with the numbers of the people I would need to reach.

frantisek

As well as a slew of performance improvements in iOS 13......

Whether it is true then keep iPhone 5s in game please.....

usersinceos1

"...unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim ..."

Are these the same unnamed sources at Bloomberg that claimed the presence of sinister asian spy hardware on chips?  Show me the goods, or you have no credibility.

rogifan_new

usersinceos1 said:

"...unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim ..."

Are these the same unnamed sources at Bloomberg that claimed the presence of sinister asian spy hardware on chips?  Show me the goods, or you have no credibility.

This is coming from Mark Gurman. That other story did not. While Mark’s rumors aren’t 100% correct they’re usually pretty accurate. He has good sources.

dysamoria

I literally and seriously want no new features; ONLY a focus on bug-fixing, and speed improvements on EXISTING devices.

AI needs bug fixes too. Like this text box. It CLEARLY is not the size of the outline shown here. Tap outside the invisible boundary and your ability to type goes away on iOS.

then there’s the broken autocorrect on new lines.

notice the lack of capital letters...

StrangeDays

mike1 said:

Would love to see multiple "phone books". It is the only feature from the Blackberry days that I miss.

If I download my work contacts to my phone, it's all 400+ or nothing. Don't need 400 random names in my contacts.

Right now, I have set up a Note with the numbers of the people I would need to reach.

Do groups help with this use case? Friends, Work, Family, etc

mike1

StrangeDays said:

mike1 said:

Would love to see multiple "phone books". It is the only feature from the Blackberry days that I miss.

If I download my work contacts to my phone, it's all 400+ or nothing. Don't need 400 random names in my contacts.

Right now, I have set up a Note with the numbers of the people I would need to reach.

Do groups help with this use case? Friends, Work, Family, etc

Haven't that looked at that. I'll read up and play around. Thanks!

litoloop

really getting excited. especially the unification between ios and macos. hope to hear more development about ipad specific enhancements.

wow321

Can I have a simple update where the mail app or any mail app (like Outlook for iOS) can support both non default fonts and sizes, as well as pictures in email signatures?  That way my clients and colleagues cannot tell that I’m responding from an iOS device!  This is especially true when you are using an iPad Pro touted as a “laptop replacement.”

Johan42

Let’s go dark mode.

fastasleep

wow321 said:

Can I have a simple update where the mail app or any mail app (like Outlook for iOS) can support both non default fonts and sizes, as well as pictures in email signatures?  That way my clients and colleagues cannot tell that I’m responding from an iOS device!  This is especially true when you are using an iPad Pro touted as a “laptop replacement.”

You can, there's a whole way to paste full-on HTML into your iOS signature, but it's not intuitive. Here are instructions I sent a client back in the iOS 6 days, I'm going to venture a guess this still works:

Apple Mail:

• Start by sending yourself an email with the HTML signature in it from your Mac or wherever you have it set up already

• Next, go to your iPhone (or iPad) and open that message.

• Tap and hold the signature text.

• Select all the text and images of your signature.

• Copy the selected block of content.

• Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Signature

• In the text field, tap, hold, and paste your signature. You will lose some formatting so be sure to:

• SHAKE your phone to bring up the Undo dialog; select "Undo Change Attributes" 

PS — Anyone can tell what the sending mail client is by looking at the headers of your message, so beware when lying to your boss or whatever.

ireland

All I want is cross platform iMessage and interaction and workflow improvements (why is it a chore to add or edit a contact or calendar event, after all these years??) and bug fixes across the boards (Siri UI, Safari text entry, home screen icon rearranging and organising, and editing a contact from search view, I’m looking at you). The basics are a mess.

And scrap the heap that is reminders app entirely and add reminders to calendar, simply by giving events a couple more capabilities. There’s just no need for it.

Oh and one more obvious thing: Calculator on iPad and Dictionary app on iOS with spoken pronunciation feature. Plug the holes and straighten the picture frames. It’s time.

GeorgeBMac

usersinceos1 said:

"...unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim ..."

Are these the same unnamed sources at Bloomberg that claimed the presence of sinister asian spy hardware on chips?  Show me the goods, or you have no credibility.

The unnamed sources were mostly U.S. security personnel who had investigated the matter.  It was never either fully proven nor disproven.  Instead, the questionable motherboards were all pulled from service and the problem went away.

GeorgeBMac

rogifan_new said:

Man I’d love to know who is leaking this stuff. And I’m with John Gruber; I don’t think Apple is intentionally leaking stuff to drum up excitement for WWDC. Reading this Bloomberg article and adding it to the stuff already leaked to 9to5Mac, basically an entire keynote worth of features has leaked. If you’re an employee who’s worked hard on all this stuff for the past year or more how deflating to have most of it leak out in a Bloomberg article. There’s no surprises then for WWDC. Everything Craig says on stage is something we already know about. That can’t be fun for employees. The last time I remember this much stuff leaking out before WWDC was iOS 7. I am very curious where this is coming from. Is it an employee? Do some 3rd parties already have iOS 13 builds?

I wonder if it is Apple themselves?
Most often they get nailed with post-presentation disappointment after a big build-up of expectations.  Like kids at Christmas we and the media tend to place some pretty wild expectations from our wish list on Apple -- expectations that are rarely fulfilled.   So, the leaks could be simply "Management of Expectations" -- like parents telling the 16 year old he shouldn't expect a Stingray under the Christmas tree.   

StrangeDays

GeorgeBMac said:

usersinceos1 said:

"...unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim ..."

Are these the same unnamed sources at Bloomberg that claimed the presence of sinister asian spy hardware on chips?  Show me the goods, or you have no credibility.

The unnamed sources were mostly U.S. security personnel who had investigated the matter.  It was never either fully proven nor disproven.  Instead, the questionable motherboards were all pulled from service and the problem went away.

Nice spin on that. No one knows who the sources were. The only named source stepped forward and said they twisted what he told them and believes they didn’t understand much of it and likely got it all wrong. 

No one ever saw anything questionable on any of the motherboards. It was never proven, where the onus and burden of proof lies, and therefore can be written off as bunk. 

GeorgeBMac

StrangeDays said:

GeorgeBMac said:

usersinceos1 said:

"...unnamed sources of Bloomberg claim ..."

Are these the same unnamed sources at Bloomberg that claimed the presence of sinister asian spy hardware on chips?  Show me the goods, or you have no credibility.

The unnamed sources were mostly U.S. security personnel who had investigated the matter.  It was never either fully proven nor disproven.  Instead, the questionable motherboards were all pulled from service and the problem went away.

Nice spin on that. No one knows who the sources were. The only named source stepped forward and said they twisted what he told them and believes they didn’t understand much of it and likely got it all wrong. 

No one ever saw anything questionable on any of the motherboards. It was never proven, where the onus and burden of proof lies, and therefore can be written off as bunk. 

No spin.   They reported it clearly and objectively.   But it GOT spun!

fastasleep

ireland said:

All I want is cross platform iMessage and interaction and workflow improvements (why is it a chore to add or edit a contact or calendar event, after all these years??) and bug fixes across the boards (Siri UI, Safari text entry, home screen icon rearranging and organising, and editing a contact from search view, I’m looking at you). The basics are a mess.

And scrap the heap that is reminders app entirely and add reminders to calendar, simply by giving events a couple more capabilities. There’s just no need for it.

Oh and one more obvious thing: Calculator on iPad and Dictionary app on iOS with spoken pronunciation feature. Plug the holes and straighten the picture frames. It’s time.

What problems are you having adding and editing contacts and calendar events? I honestly don't see any issues. Editing a contact from search view? I search for a contact, click on it to view, and at the bottom there's an 'Edit in Contacts' button. Not difficult. 

Rearranging home screens and apps is best done with Configurator 2 for any major rearrangement.

I don't want Reminders in my Calendar, thanks. I could see showing Scheduled Reminders in Calendar, but that's it. Otherwise, it's my to-do lists. Why would I want my Shopping list in my Calendar?