What is your Favorite iOS9 feature?

[mikzn]

Using OS9 for a while, what is your favorite feature? Improvement?
What made this a worthwhile upgrade?

Please share what productivity enhancements, cool new capabilities or what ever significant improvement you see in iOS9?

For example: Mine Are . . .
Add / Send Attachments from iCloud drive with reply / emails - Awesome! useful.
Reminders / Notes / multi device sync - Cool and useful on a daily basis - eliminates some other apps.
Handoff really works now - I know that many other may dispute this but it never worked for me on iOS8, plus I have 2 iPhones ( 4S and 6 ) and can answer a call from either - cool. ( work phone and personal - separate carriers)
iCloud Drive - yes i have drop box too - but somehow I trust apple more with my private files and it it now works great! Good for a quick back up of important files / projects.
Low Power Mode / Battery - battery just as good or better than iOS8 - but hey iOS9 is doing a lot more!
Split View - Don't use it - is it useful?

Additions from comments below. . .
Safari - Improved performance
Spotlight - Improved Search functions
"Go Back To" - back feature to last screen

 

[C DM]

Low Power Mode is a fairly good addition. Back to app linking on the top left is quite useful. Ability to have different sorting of notifications (sorting by day vs. by app). Content (ad) blocking for Safari, and Safari being more stable in general. Various tweaks and improvements like that are nice.

For iPad there's certainly more with split view and slide over, as well as picture-in-picture, along with trackpad navigation (which is there on the new iPhones too).

 

[vertsix]

The lag.

/s

Low Power Mode is nice, and the Google Now looking thing on the left page of the SpringBoard is useful too.

 

[Jessica Lares]

The app integration in spotlight search.

Low Power Mode is great too.

 

[I7guy]

The app integration in spotlight search.

Low Power Mode is great too.

Low power mode and 3D Touch.

 

[sunking101]

I haven't needed to use low power mode yet, and I can't see me ever needing to use it, but it's nice to know it's there should I ever find myself in an emergency situation.

Aside from iCloud, iOS9 works reasonably well for me and the feature set is the best yet. My personal favourite new feature is the 'go back to' link at the top left of the screen when leaving an app such as mail.

 

[scjr]

Content blocking. Split view/PIP.

Not a feature, but Safari is a rock on iOS 9. It was a crashing and reload page disaster on 8.4.1.

 

[philipyoungg]

The app integration in spotlight search.

Low Power Mode is great too.

Yeah, spotlight search is no brainer for people who tend to look for documents / contacts / anything else. I can literally live with only spotlight bar now

 

[Ipadlover29]

Ability to dial contacts from spotlight search.

 

[sunking101]

I've never seen the necessity for spotlight search, or the hype. If I want to dial a contact I go to the phone app. If I want to look up an old email I use the search facility in the mail app. What am I missing by not using spotlight?

 

[Mefisto]

Now that the software of the phone has had time to acquaint itself with 3rd party apps and their content, I'm really liking the deep linking abilities (or whatever they're called) in Spotlight. Also content blockers are really a hoot, although even without them enabled Safari seems to run laps around the iOS 8 -version of itself.

The small "Back to..." by the signal dots is also quite useful. I think those would be the top features for me, although it's more than possible that I'm forgetting a few as well.

All in all not a bad update.

 

[philipyoungg]

I've never seen the necessity for spotlight search, or the hype. If I want to dial a contact I go to the phone app. If I want to look up an old email I use the search facility in the mail app. What am I missing by not using spotlight?

Because you don't even need to open the app. Want to call your friend, Sandra? Type Sandra on spotlight and press the call icon. Want to review email from John about Expense Q3? Write it on spotlight. Often opening steps menu from health app? Type steps on spotlight, and you're going to the respective place immediately.

Basically, this is a killer feature that makes my workflow pretty much the same as I would do on Mac.

Now I only need spotlight to do what Siri can do. Writing "remember to make sandwich tomorrow at 7PM" put subsequent reminder automatically?

That's super insane.

Edit: I even replaced my 4S and iPad 3 for this feature. You can also browse something, and if you want to read it on home—tell Siri to "remember about this when I got home". Works wonder.

 

[C DM]

I've never seen the necessity for spotlight search, or the hype. If I want to dial a contact I go to the phone app. If I want to look up an old email I use the search facility in the mail app. What am I missing by not using spotlight?

Just different ways to use something. Nothing is really better or worse, just depends what works (what they are used to, how they have things set up for themselves, etc.) for different people.

 

[Act3]

content block in safari and the back button

 

[Badrottie]

It is too early because the developers are still working on their apps for split view, pip, etc.

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

Now I only need spotlight to do what Siri can do. Writing "remember to make sandwich tomorrow at 7PM" put subsequent reminder automatically?

That's super insane.

This doesn't seem to work for me using an iPhone 6

 

[ardchoille50]

I would have to say the addition of the iCloud Drive app is my favorite feature. Though, I haven't figured out how to add files to iCloud Drive with the new app (would love to learn how to do that).

 

[philipyoungg]

This doesn't seem to work for me using an iPhone 6

Maybe I wrote it wrongly. I think adding Siri feature by writing would be killer feature. Hahaha.

 

[Aston441]

Lack of notification sounds. Now I can go blissfully through my day completely unaware of all the people trying to contact me. Combined with the lack of a standard notification LED that phones have had since the 1980s, iPhone is essentially perfect non communication device now.

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

Lack of notification sounds. Now I can go blissfully through my day completely unaware of all the people trying to contact me. Combined with the lack of a standard notification LED that phones have had since the 1980s, iPhone is essentially perfect non communication device now.

Dumbest post of the day. So far anyway

 

[mikzn]

I would have to say the addition of the iCloud Drive app is my favorite feature. Though, I haven't figured out how to add files to iCloud Drive with the new app (would love to learn how to do that).

On iPad You can save email attachments / files from mail to iCloud Drive folders by pressing on the attachment and holding < then save to what ever folder.

you can also create new folders in iCloud Drive by pressing select - then at bottom of screen "New Folder"

- I have not figured out how to save a download from safari to iCloud drive.

 

[mikzn]

An interesting article pointing out new areas of OS9
23 Things You Can Do in iOS 9 That You Couldn't Do in iOS 8

 

[dk001]

An interesting article pointing out new areas of OS9
23 Things You Can Do in iOS 9 That You Couldn't Do in iOS 8

However, how many are really useful on the iPhone (vs. the iPad) and on legacy devices?
Nothing here in iOS9 has "reached out and grabbed" my attention that can be used on my 6S+ or Mini 3.

Looking through the list I'm not finding much (for me) that someone else already does better.
1. Get public transit directions
- Google does this so much better - I live in LA and Apple Maps says - Not implemented
2. Read the news
- Flipboard - need I say more
3. Access iCloud more easily
- When is iCloud going to become a real cloud? I can't depend on the iCloud working pretty much flawlessly.
4. Split the screen
- Device limited - very limited
5. Go back quickly
- okay.....
6. Run smarter searches
- haven't seen that one work yet
7. Write on email attachments
- okay
8. Take better Notes
- still waiting for that one. It is very limited and still buggy
9. Abandon poor wifi connections
- eat your data plan up buffet style
10. Zoom in on your videos
- okay
11. Get listening faster
- doesn't always work
12. Add events from your emails
- This seems to work sometimes - very source dependent
13. Search through Settings
- helps with common items - searching for that "special" switch .... luck
14. Block out the ads
- that has been useful for the most part - needs some work
15. Select multiple photos
- okay
16. Hide photos
- okay
17. Manage battery life
- rather have LONGER battery life
18. Add a Find my Friends widget
- not a social insect
19. Call up Siri from anywhere
- Siri is marginally useful at best and now I can get "marginal" from anywhere - wow
20. Turn the keyboard into a trackpad
- use?
21. Find your selfies more easily
- not a social insect
22. Use picture-in-picture
- on my 6S+? or my 6+? or my Mini3?
23. Attach any kind of file to an email
- finally into the 21st century? now for multiple file selection and add ....

I sound very morose in this post
For me the Keynote vs. Reality has been a bit of a let down.

 

[C DM]

However, how many are really useful on the iPhone (vs. the iPad) and on legacy devices?
Nothing here in iOS9 has "reached out and grabbed" my attention that can be used on my 6S+ or Mini 3.

Looking through the list I'm not finding much (for me) that someone else already does better.
1. Get public transit directions
- Google does this so much better - I live in LA and Apple Maps says - Not implemented
2. Read the news
- Flipboard - need I say more
3. Access iCloud more easily
- When is iCloud going to become a real cloud? I can't depend on the iCloud working pretty much flawlessly.
4. Split the screen
- Device limited - very limited
5. Go back quickly
- okay.....
6. Run smarter searches
- haven't seen that one work yet
7. Write on email attachments
- okay
8. Take better Notes
- still waiting for that one. It is very limited and still buggy
9. Abandon poor wifi connections
- eat your data plan up buffet style
10. Zoom in on your videos
- okay
11. Get listening faster
- doesn't always work
12. Add events from your emails
- This seems to work sometimes - very source dependent
13. Search through Settings
- helps with common items - searching for that "special" switch .... luck
14. Block out the ads
- that has been useful for the most part - needs some work
15. Select multiple photos
- okay
16. Hide photos
- okay
17. Manage battery life
- rather have LONGER battery life
18. Add a Find my Friends widget
- not a social insect
19. Call up Siri from anywhere
- Siri is marginally useful at best and now I can get "marginal" from anywhere - wow
20. Turn the keyboard into a trackpad
- use?
21. Find your selfies more easily
- not a social insect
22. Use picture-in-picture
- on my 6S+? or my 6+? or my Mini3?
23. Attach any kind of file to an email
- finally into the 21st century? now for multiple file selection and add ....

I sound very morose in this post
For me the Keynote vs. Reality has been a bit of a let down.

It's like that with any release--some will find more new things that are useful to them while others will find less.

 

[pacorob]

Using OS9 for a while, what is your favorite feature?

For example: Mine Are . . .
Add / Send Attachments from iCloud drive with reply / emails - Awesome! useful.
Split View - Don't use it - is it useful?
"Go Back To" - back feature to last screen

Go back to
I really like the go back to feature (although it doesn't look nice).

Attachments
I agree that it's good to see that it's (finally) there to attach files from the cloud.
The way that you can add attachments from the cloud or save to the cloud is still awfull in Mail (only select/upload one file at a time). I love 3rd party Mail app Spark on iPhone for that to attach multiple files at once (still not upload multiple files at once unfortunately). Also the iPhone Mail way of attaching is awfull. We want to see the attachment icon to attach right away. On iPad it's easy.

Split View (and Slide Over, Picture in Picture)
I really love the Split View feature although i had high hopes to also get it on my iPad mini2. Unfortunately i can only use Slide Over and Picture in Picture (PiP). Maybe i will upgrade in the near future to the mini4 which does support this great Split View feature to have a website open on one and and a notes app or chat window on the other for example. I do hope more and more apps will support these features.

It is too early because the developers are still working on their apps for split view, pip, etc.

Indeed a lot of developers are still working on adding these nice iOS9 features to their apps.
This is a great list to see almost all apps which currently support these features.

I would have to say the addition of the iCloud Drive app is my favorite feature. Though, I haven't figured out how to add files to iCloud Drive with the new app (would love to learn how to do that).

Here is a nice instruction how to save files to iCloud Drive from the Mail app. You can also use this feature with other Apple or 3rd party apps (like e.g. Documents 5).

22. Use picture-in-picture
- on my 6S+? or my 6+? or my Mini3?
23. Attach any kind of file to an email
- finally into the 21st century? now for multiple file selection and add ....

Picture in Picture is supported as of mini2 and up so you can use it for apps that have this feature. See also above the link to a topic which has quite a lot of apps in there which support this feature. I use it daily on my iPad mini2. I agree that it would be nice to see this feature (officially) on iPhone 6s and 6s+ too in the near future although i'm afraid you will have to jailbreak (when it's available for iPhone too).

I agree that it remains odd that the way you can attach a file via the Mail app (especially on the iPhone) is awfull. Luckely there are 3rd party apps like Spark which can attach multiple files at once. See also this topic.