Apple has released its first major update to iOS 7. iOS 7.1 includes improvements to Touch ID fingerprint recognition, bug fixes, visual tweaks and more.
When Apple unveiled iOS 7 at last year's WWDC, the company gave iOS a dramatic makeover when it came to its appearance. Apple didn't stray too far from the familiar UI millions of people have become accustomed to while using iOS with the release of iOS 7. Instead, it focused on brightening up the overall look by using bright colors and other visual tweaks.
Apple faced early criticism for its color choices because the bright colors made it harder to recognize on-screen buttons and decipher iOS 7's very thin system wide font. Apple has heard the criticism and the release of iOS 7.1 addresses that by making buttons more visible by allowing users to change the display of button shapes, darken app colors and reduce iOS 7's white point.
iOS 7.1 also includes support for Apple's just announced CarPlay, which brings the iOS experience to the car. Users can simply plug in an iPhone to a supported vehicle and use the smartphone's Phone, Music, Map, Messages, and third party audio apps through the car's infotainment system.
Siri has received an update that will now allow users to manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while speaking and releasing it when done, as an alternative to letting Siri try and figure out when you stop talking. Siri's voice has also been improved to make it more natural sounding, according to Apple's release notes. Apple has also updated the built-in calendar, which has a new Month view that makes it easier to see upcoming events at a glance.
iPhone 5s users should see a noticeable improvement in the success rate of Touch ID. This should fix some user's reports of Touch ID becoming less accurate over a period of time, forcing some users to go through its setup process every few weeks. Apple has also included an update for the iPhone 5s' camera, which now automatically enables HDR when taking pictures.
Apple's release notes also claim that an occasional Home screen crash bug has been fixed and iPhone 4 users will enjoy improved responsiveness and performance. You can easily update your iOS 7 device by going into Settings, General, and Software Update., the update should only take a few minutes over Wi-Fi. Let us know in the comments if iOS 7.1 fixes any issues you've been dealing with.
