iPhone iOS 13 update – how to get early access to Dark Mode feature and find out which models can upgrade
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APPLE'S iOS 13 update for your iPhone is now official – and it brings a new Dark Mode, major performance boosts, and swipe-to-type texting.
We reveal the new iOS 13 features, how to get iOS 13 early, and how to unlock a secret Dark Mode without even updating your iPhone.
iOS 13 features – what's new?
Apple exec Craig Federighi said: "iOS 13 is a huge release packed with lots of capabilities."
He revealed that the iOS 13 update will significantly improve your iPhone performance.
Here are some of the stats:
- Face ID will unlock your phone 30% faster
- App Store downloads are 50% smaller, due to a re-jig of how apps are package
- App updates are now 60% smaller than before
- App launch speed is up to twice as fast as before
Speeds will vary depending on the iPhone model you have, but it's going to be super beneficial to any iPhone owner that can access iOS 13.
Perhaps even more exciting is the addition of Dark Mode, which is a black theme for your iPhone that makes it easier on your eyes in the dark.
It's a long-awaited (and widely rumoured) feature that is already offered by a number of apps, including Facebook Messenger and Twitter.
How to get a FAKE Dark Mode early
Here's what you need to do...
- There is a very similar feature called Smart Invert, which is classified as an Accessibility tool.
- The Classic Invert feature will invert all colours on your iPhone, which turns black into white and white into black.
- This makes pages full of text much easier to read at night, but it also means images will look extremely weird.
- However, there's a similar feature called Smart Invert, which will invert white pages to black (and black text to white), but ignore already-dark areas of the page.
- It's not perfect, and will often get it wrong – but it's very effective, and as close to Dark Mode as you can get right now.
- To turn it on, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations > Invert Colours, and turn Smart Invert on.
- Once that's done, you can toggle it on or off by tapping the Home button three times – or the Power button three times, if you don't have a Home button.
Also added is a new "swipe to type" function for texting. This lets you drag your finger around the keyboard to type words, just like the SwiftKey keyboard or Android phones.
Apple Maps is also getting some much-needed love, with 3D terrain mapping (courtesy of Apple flying and driving across the USA with scanning).
Other countries will get this eventually, but it's US only for now.
Apple announced a new 'Sign In With Apple' feature that offers an alternative to 'Log In With Facebook' buttons you see on websites.
It means you'll be able to sign up easily (and privately) for websites using your Apple, with an option to share a fake email that reroutes emails to your actual account.
Each app gets a unique random email address, so you can disable them at any time when you're "tired of hearing from that app", Federighi explained.
It'll be available across all of Apple's platforms, and across the web.
Your iPhone camera roll is getting a major upgrade too, thanks to artificial intelligence.
There'll be an option to hide duplicate photos, boring screenshots and photos of receipts, so you see a streamlined album of your best snaps.
It should make looking through your camera roll much more enjoyable.
You can split your camera roll into 'Days', 'Months' and 'Years' to see attractive highlights over those time periods, with the AI tech applied to make it look "beautiful", according to Apple.
How to get iOS 13
The beta version of iOS 13 is available for paying Apple developers right now and then will be ready for the public who want to try the beta version in late June.
If you want to try iOS 13 beta then you can sign up on the and register with your Apple ID.
Then you'll need to log in to the Beta Software Program and click on "Enrol" to sign up your iOS device.
Then you need to download and install the configuration profile.
The beta version of iOS will then be available in"Settings", under "General" and then "Software Update".
The official iOS 13 update should be available for everyone in September and it is likely to launch alongside or just after the new 2019 iPhones.
Don't expect your phone to work perfectly with the beta version of any software as there will still be glitches that need to be resolved before the software is available to everyone.
iOS 13 supported devices revealed – which iPhone models can upgrade?
Here's the full list of iPhone models that can upgrade to iOS 13:
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPod touch (7th generation)
Any other iPhone models won't be eligible to download the iOS 13 update.
MOST READ IN TECH
Apple also used WWDC to reveal the next big iPhone software upgrade: the iOS 13 update.
The event also saw the announcement that iTunes is being split up into three apps.
And Apple showed off the first trailer for original TV series For All Mankind, which imagines life if Soviet Russia had beat Nasa to putting man on the Moon.
What's your favourite new iOS 13 feature? Let us know in the comments!
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