--- description: Apple is expected to unveil iOS 9 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. title: Everything We Know About Apple’s New iPhone Software image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9183fb1718655c83/6988520735ba6f5266c0d777/gettyimages-455691914.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Everything We Know About Apple’s New iPhone Software by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 28, 2015 3:39 PM CUT  A shopper ltries out the new Apple iPhone 6 at the Apple Store on the first day of sales of the new phone in Germany on September 19, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. A shopper ltries out the new Apple iPhone 6 at the Apple Store on the first day of sales of the new phone in Germany on September 19, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.Sean Gallup—Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 28, 2015 3:39 PM CUT The next version of Apple’s mobile operating system is almost here. The company is expected to unveil iOS 9 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. A new iOS update isn’t quite a big deal as a new iPhone, but the announcements can often be substantial–iOS 7 brought us a completely revamped mobile interface, while iOS 8 featured a health activity tracker and improved predictive keyboard. Here’s what’s [rumored](http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/27/ios-9-and-os-x-10-11-weekend-reading-roundup-new-features-enhancements-detailed/ "undefined") to be in the works for Apple’s iOS 9: **A New Font** Apple is reportedly planning to dump the Helvetica font it’s been using since iOS 8 in favor of a San Francisco font that’s currently in use on the Apple Watch. The font was chosen for Apple Watch specifically because it’s readable on small screens. **A “Home” app for connected devices** In iOS 8 Apple added HomeKit, a framework that helps users control connected devices in their home. Now the company is working on a user-friendly app called “Home” that will let users more easily control disparate devices from a single interface. Among the features rumored to be part of the Home app are virtual rooms that let users easily detect which parts of their house have which connected devices. However, 9to5Mac [warns](http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/20/apple-plans-to-refresh-ios-9-os-x-10-11-using-new-apple-watch-font/ "undefined") that the featureset so far is fairly limited so the app may not be ready for a public debut in June. **Improved Apple Maps** Apple is finally planning to add subway and bus routes to its Maps app, a feature that’s been available in Google Maps for years. The initial rollout may be limited to just a handful of cities globally, including New York and San Francisco. The company is also using Roomba-sized robots to develop indoor maps of buildings and landmarks, though that feature won’t necessarily be ready for iOS 9. **Dual-app viewing for iPad** Apple wants to give iPads the ability to run two apps side-by-side. The split-screen functionality is already available in tablets by Samsung and Microsoft, so it would be a welcome addition to Apple’s device. The new mode could allow users to resize an app to take up one-third, one-half or two-thirds of the screen. **The iPhone 4S may still be supported** The iPhone 4S is close to four years old, which is an eternity in the world of mobile tech. However, Apple is expected to continue supporting the still-popular device with iOS 9\. In fact, according to [9to5Mac](http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/22/ios-9-os-x-10-11-to-bring-quality-focus-smaller-apps-rootless-security-legacy-iphoneipad-support/ "undefined"), Apple is changing its software development process to ensure that iOS 9 runs better on old iPhones and iPads than iOS 8 did. **Contact-specific read receipts** Passive-aggressive texters, rejoice! Apple is apparently [tweaking iMessage](http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/26/ios-9-supports-iphone-6s-force-touch-may-enhance-imessage-keyboard-apple-pay/ "undefined") to let you choose which of your contacts you share read receipts with. Drake is probably [really excited](http://genius.com/4888102 "undefined"). **A Google Now Competitor** Apple may be planning to expand its digital assistant capabilities beyond Siri with a new personalized interface code-named [Proactive](http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/27/apples-proactive-to-take-on-google-now-with-deep-ios-9-search-augmented-reality-maps-siri-api/ "undefined"). The menu, which would likely be located left of the main home screen, would integrate information from a user’s calendar, Passbook and other apps to provide daily itineraries. Proactive could remind you to call your mother each week for instance, or automatically pull up directions to your office each morning. The similarity is similar to Google Now, which is available for Android phones. ### This Is How Apple Teases All Its Huge Announcements  iTunes launch on Windows, October 2003 Apple  iPod Nano, September 2005 Apple  5th Generation iPod, October 2005 Apple  iTunes 7 with movies, September 2006 Apple  iPhone, January 2007 Apple  iPod Touch, September 2007 Apple  MacBook Air, January 2008 Apple  App Store & iPhone 3G, June 2008 Apple  2nd Generation iPod Touch, September 2008 Apple  iPhone 3GS, June 2009 Apple  3rd Generation iPod Touch, September 2009 Apple  iPad, January 2010 Apple  iPhone 4, June 2010 Apple  4th Generation iPod Touch, September 2010 Apple  MacBooks with unibody design, September 2010 Apple  2nd Generation MacBook Air, October 2010 Apple  iPad 2, March 2011 Apple  iCloud & iOS 5, June 2011 Apple  iPhone 4S, October 2011 Apple  iBooks 2 & iBooks Author, January 2012 Apple  3rd Generation iPad, March 2012 Apple  MacBook Pro with Retina display, June 2012 Apple  iPhone 5, September 2012 Apple  iPad Mini, October 2012 Apple  iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C, September 2013 Apple  iPad Air & iPad Mini with Retina display, October 2013 Apple  iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus & iOS 8, September 2014 Apple  iPad Air 2 & iPad Mini 3 & Apple Pay, October 2014 Apple  Apple Watch, March 2015 Apple ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/"},"headline":"Everything We Know About Apple’s New iPhone Software","datePublished":"2015-05-28T15:39:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:44:46.887Z","description":"Get ready for split-screen views, transit routes and lowkey shade delivered via iMessage","url":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/","keywords":["Tech","Apple","apps","iPad","Mobile","pubdesk","iOS 9"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9183fb1718655c83/6988520735ba6f5266c0d777/gettyimages-455691914.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9183fb1718655c83/6988520735ba6f5266c0d777/gettyimages-455691914.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Apple Starts iPhone 6 Sales In Germany","caption":"Apple Starts iPhone 6 Sales In Germany","creditText":"Sean Gallup—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/","name":"Everything We Know About Apple’s New iPhone Software"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"5 Ways Jonathan Ive Changed Your World","description":"Jonathan Ive has been essential in designing the envelope-pushing products for Apple for nearly two decades.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/U5Oyjh6b/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-03-17T07:04:35.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U5Oyjh6b.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/","duration":"PT3M22S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3899983/apple-ios-9-iphone/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```