[2] With iOS 13, Apple began offering a separate operating system, iPadOS, for the iPad.
[6] iPhone OS 1 laid the groundwork of the iPhone's operating system, including a grid-based Home Screen called SpringBoard, and a set of 16 built-in apps, including Text, for sending Short Message Service (SMS) messages, a YouTube app for watching videos hosted on the platform, and Maps, an app built around Google Maps with support for route directions, traffic conditions in supported regions, and support for finding and contacting businesses.
It also featured a version of Safari, the web browser from Mac OS X, built around the mobile touchscreen interface of the iPhone.
Other apps included iPod, for playback of music synced from a Mac or PC to an iPhone; Mail, for composing, viewing, and receiving emails; Phone, for taking or making calls, viewing or adding contacts, and listening to voicemails; and Settings, for customizing the behavior of the iPhone as well as its built-in apps, among others.
Support for multi-touch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom, double tap, and scrolling via flicking and dragging was also included.
[12] iPhone OS 1.1 was released alongside the first-generation iPod Touch on September 5, 2007 as an update exclusive to the device, and added the iTunes Music Store which allowed users to purchase and download music directly onto their iPod Touch.
[13] iPhone OS 1.1.1, released on September 27, 2007,[14] brought the iTunes Music Store to the iPhone alongside other changes, including louder audio receiver and loudspeaker volume, support for viewing Mail attachments in both portrait and landscape orientations, the ability to adjust the volume of alerts, additional intervals for passcode locking, and an option in Settings that allows turning on or off double tapping the space bar on the built-in software keyboard to automatically insert a period and space.
[15] iPhone OS 1.1.2, released on November 9, 2007,[16] included a fix for a security vulnerability discovered in July 2007 involving the TIFF image format.
The update added several new features, particuarly in Maps, such as a hybrid map view combining the satellite view and street and place labels, the ability to triangulate the user's current location via the use of Wi-Fi and cellular towers as well as the ability to drop pins to specific locations.
[20] Apps were also changed to run from the user mobile instead of the root superuser as part of the update.
[26][27] It added a significant number of features related to enterprise environments, including support for Microsoft Exchange through ActiveSync for push emails, contacts, and calendars, support for VPNs that use the IPsec protocol, and the ability to remotely wipe a lost or stolen device.
[24] Several new features were added to Mail, including support for viewing Microsoft Office and iWork attachments, the ability to delete or move multiple emails at once, full support for blind carbon copy (BCC), and the ability to select an outgoing email when composing messages.
Other new features included a scientific calculator mode in Calculator while in landscape orientation, a search function for Contacts, and Restrictions, a parental controls system that allows users to, via a 4-digit passcode, lock down certain functionality of iPhone OS, i.e. disabling access to Safari or disabling playback of explicit music.
[31] iPhone OS 2.2 was released on November 20, 2008[32] and added new features to Maps, including integration with Google Street View, support for directions when taking public transit or walking, and the ability to share a location by email.
An option in Settings was also added that allows users to turn off the software keyboard's autocorrection feature.
[42] Apple announced iOS 4 in April 2010,[43] and released it to the public on June 21, 2010, alongside the iPhone 4.
[44] The iPhone 3G and the second generation iPod Touch were capable of running iOS 4, but couldn't make use of some of the new features like multitasking,[45] and the ability to set a custom home screen wallpaper.
[48] Apple announced iOS 5 on June 6, 2011, at its annual WWDC event,[49] and it was released to the public on October 12, 2011, alongside the iPhone 4S.
[62] It was the first major release of iOS to support 64-bit processors, beginning with the Apple A7 system-on-a-chip (SoC) found in the iPhone 5s.
[66] It also introduced the Control Center, a flyout accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen that provided access to various controls such as toggling on or off Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb Mode, and Rotation Lock.
[67][68] The Notification Center additionally received a redesign, categorizing it into three tabs: All, Today, and Missed.
[69] Other major features included FaceTime Audio for placing audio-only calls over Wi-Fi,[70] AirDrop for wireless transfer of files and other types of content to and from nearby iOS devices,[71] iTunes Radio, an internet radio service based around automatically generated stations,[72] and enhancements to Siri which allow it to retrieve information from sources such as Wikipedia and Twitter[73] and control a number of device settings, such as Bluetooth.
[77] iOS 7.1 was released on March 10, 2014[78] and added CarPlay for integrating iOS with a vehicle’s automotive head unit, allowing users to control certain aspects of their iPhone while driving such as controlling music playback, answering phone calls or listening to voicemails, displaying turn-by-turn directions and traffic conditions from Apple Maps, and responding to or sending messages.
[79] Several accessibility-related features and enhancements were added that make iOS easier to use for people with disabilities, including an option for showing shapes for buttons, and bringing Reduce Motion to other areas, including the Weather app and app switcher.
[80] Other features added include a month view in Calendar, new male and female voices for Siri in various languages as well as the ability to manually control when it starts or stops listening, and a setting on the iPhone 5s to automatically enable high dynamic range (HDR) when taking photos.
Some new features introduced in iOS 14 include redesigned widgets that can now be placed directly on the home screen; the App Library, which automatically categorizes apps into one page; Picture-in-Picture on iPhone and iPod Touch; and the CarKey technology to unlock and start a car with NFC.
iOS 14 also allows users to have incoming calls shown in banners rather than taking up the whole screen (the latter view is still available as an optional function).
Apple announced iOS 16 on June 6, 2022, at its annual WWDC event, with a developer beta released the same day.
Apple announced iOS 17 on June 5, 2023, at its annual WWDC event, with it being released later that year on September 18.
The operating system launched on September 16, 2024, with support for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, however they were released four days later on September 20, 2024. iOS 18 introduces support for Apple Intelligence, the hybrid device and cloud-based artificial intelligence system developed by Apple for its iOS, macOS, and iPadOS platforms.