Apple is expected to unveil its next big update to the iPhone, which will likely be called iOS 9, at its annual developers conference next month.
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Although the company hasn't revealed any information about its future plans just yet, 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman just published a huge report that paints a pretty clear picture of what to expect from iOS 9.
Gurman's sources seem to be pretty well connected, since many of his reports turn out to be accurate.
Here are all of the big changes we can expect to see in iOS 9 and the next iteration of OS X based on his latest report.
- It sounds like Apple will make it really hard to jailbreak iPhones. One feature, currently being called "Rootless," will reportedly prevent anyone from accessing protected files on Apple devices. This makes it sound like Apple is trying to make it nearly impossible to jailbreak iPhones moving forward. Jailbreaking is a term that refers to the process of removing hardware restrictions on iOS so that you can have more control over the iPhone, such as adding new customization features. It seems like a move to boost security on the device.
- iOS 9 won't crash older iPhones and iPads. This is a really big deal. Apple devices are infamous for not being able to support the company's latest software updates, which in a sense sometimes forces users to buy the latest iPad or iPhone. That won't be the case this time around, according to Gurman. Devices as old as the iPhone 4s and original iPad mini should be able to run iOS 9 just fine.
- Syncing files across Mac and iOS will be more secure. Apple's iCloud Drive platform will soon provide the backend for syncing across devices, according to Gurman. This means that whenever things like your email, notes, and contacts sync across devices, it will be powered by Apple's iCloud instead of an IMAP-based server, which is the technology that's currently used. The big takeaway here is that this will make syncing more secure since it offers stronger encryption than most IMAP-based servers. This sounds like it only applies to Apple's core apps, though.
- Your iPhone and Mac may be able to intelligently distinguish between safe and untrustworthy Wi-Fi connections. A new feature called "Trusted Wi-Fi" may be coming to the next versions of iOS and OS X, although Gurman warns that it could be pushed back to the following year. It sounds like Trusted Wi-Fi would let you automatically connect to routers that are safe and trustworthy without any additional security measures. But for those that are less secure, like public Wi-Fi networks, it would employ a more heavily encrypted connection.
- Other new apps and updates coming to iOS 9. As Gurman previously reported, Apple will probably introduce its smart-home application in iOS 9. It will be based on the HomeKit framework Apple announced last year. At the same time, Apple is expected to issue a significant update to Apple Maps that would bring mass transit directions too. The iPad will likely get a split-screen feature that lets you run more than one app on the screen at the same time.
