Apple recently held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference where it announced the next iteration of its mobile operating system, the iOS 9. After the announcement, the rumor mill for the next iPhone was churning frantically with a range f predictions as to what the next flagship phone from Apple will feature based on the new iOS.

Let’s take a quick look at what to expect with the new iOS 9 – availability, new features, compatibility – as well as what new iPhone rumors surfaced since the announcement of the mobile OS upgrade.

iOS 9

Siri

Apple’s personal assistant has been upgraded to become more intelligent with a tool called Proactive, which makes Siri contextually aware so it can deliver better information based on the user’s location and the time of day.

Spotlight Search

Search on your iDevice will get better as it will now include content from third-party apps as well as frequently used apps and contacts.

Updated Maps

Maps will now include support for metropolitan public transit systems and schedules in a number of cities worldwide such as New York, Baltimore, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Mexico City, Toronto, London, Paris and Berlin, as well as 300 cities in China and the scope is expected to broaden at a later stage. The Maps app will also include mapping of entrances and exits in subway station to help commuters find their way.

News

A new News app will be introduced in iOS 9 which will function as a news reader app, curating news from various sources. This app will replace Newsstand.

Multitasking on iPads

iOS 9 will deliver new multitasking features to iPads such as a new Shortcut Bar, new Multi-Touch gestures, Slide Over, Split View, and Picture-in-Picture. Some of the new features will not be available on all iPads able to support iOS 9.

Cellular support for Continuity

Continuity is a feature introduced in iOS 8 which allowed users to start a task on one iDevice and continue it on another, but it is only available when all the devices are connected to the same WiFi network. In iOS 9, Continuity will now be supported on cellular connection and Apple has tapped T-Mobile to be the first U.S. carrier to support the feature.

Content blocking extensions on Safari

iPhone users who hate ads will be delighted with Apple’s support for content blocking extensions for Safari on iOS. Users will now be able to download apps that would prevent ads from popping while they are browsing the web. Though this may be good news for users, the same cannot be said for advertisers.

Larger keyboard

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith pointed out that iOS 9 will have support for larger keyboard on the iPad, hinting that Apple may be releasing a 12” iPad Pro in the future. The larger keyboard is said to resemble hardware keyboards used in laptops and desktops, which means users will have access to more functions on their virtual keyboard.

Messaging

iOS 9 will have three new messaging features; namely the time-sorted notifications in the Notification Center, quick reply to any messages including third-party messaging apps, and search across all messages.

HealthKit

The HealthKit will have a new Reproductive Health feature which will allow users, specifically women, to monitor their periods as well as log their sexual activities. These features can be used by those who practicing planned parenting.

iPhone

Better camera

With the availability of the developer beta of iOS 9, developers have been scrutinizing every inch of the mobile OS to unearth clues as to what the new features of the next iPhone will be. One developer discovered codes that points to better FaceTime and iSight cameras. The iSight camera is expected to have DSLR qualities while the FaceTime camera will have 1080p resolution among other upgrades.

Specs

The next iPhone is rumored to feature a 2GB RAM, a more powerful A9 processor manufactured by Samsung, 256GB onboard storage, and will probably come out by September  with a price tag of somewhere between $649 and $849.

Other updates to watch

Apple Music

Music enthusiasts will be delighted coome June 30 with the official launch of Apple’s revamped music app. Apple Music is a paid service that costs $9.99 a month or $14.99 for a family plan which can be enjoyed by six people. It will feature Beats One, a 24/7 radio station, music service My Music that offers millions of songs to subscribers and Connect, the social networking feature of the service.

watchOS 2

This fall, Apple will be releasing the new version of its watch operating system called watchOS 2. The new version will feature new watch face options such as Time-lapse, Photo and Photo Album; Time Travel is also a new feature that allows users to see past and future events with the simple turn of the Digital Crown; Activation Lock, which allows users to remotely wipe content in case it gets stolen will also be introduced among other features.

If you want to try out the beta version of iOS 9, you can find the information you are looking for here. If you have iOS 9 installed and want to downgrade, you can follow the steps here.