Set to arrive on September 30, iOS 10, the latest update of Apple’s mobile operating system, will offer a number of new features, including a redesigned lock screen, a more intelligent Siri digital assistant and new looks for other apps.
One improvement to Siri will be especially welcome for at least one famous iPhone user: Barbra Streisand. In an interview over the weekend, the singer told NPR that she called Apple CEO Tim Cook to request that the next update for Siri corrects how the assistant pronounces “Streisand.”
“She pronounces my name wrong,” Streisand noted, after NPR’s Scott Simon had Siri say her name as “Streizand.” The correction pronunciation is “Streisand with a soft “s,” like sand on the beach,” the singer said.
“What did I do? I called the head of Apple Tim Cook and he delightfully agreed to have Siri change the pronunciation of my name finally with the next update on Sept. 30,” Streisand said. “So let’s see if that happens because I will be thrilled. “
Raise To Wake, More 3D Touch
For the rest of the iPhone-using population, Apple is billing iOS 10 as “the biggest release ever” of its mobile operating system. The next version will also introduce a native app for Home automation, new animations and personalization options for Messages, more gender-diverse emojis and something called “Differential Privacy.”
Differential Privacy is a technology to “help discover the usage patterns of a large number of users without compromising individual privacy,” according to Apple. “In iOS 10, this technology will help improve QuickType and emoji suggestions, Spotlight deep link suggestions and Lookup Hints in Notes.”
iPhone users will notice the differences arriving with iOS 10 from the moment they pick up their devices, as the new Raise to Wake feature automatically wakes their screens when they pick up their phones. The update will also add deeper integration for 3D Touch for greater control over apps on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Also Coming: iPhone 7
The new mobile operating system adds new capabilities for integration with smart-home applications as well.
“Accessories can be managed individually or grouped into scenes so they work together with a single command and can be controlled by using Siri,” Apple said in a statement recently. “They can be managed remotely or set up for home automation with Apple TV, and can respond with automatic triggers set by time of day, location or action.”
Apple first unveiled some of the changes coming with iOS 10 at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, when it rolled out the first developer preview of the operating system. A public beta of both iOS 10 and macOS Sierra for desktops came out in July. Both the developer preview and public beta have since been updated several times. It is widely expected that iOS 10 will arrive at the same time as Apple’s latest iPhones: the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
