Apple has released iOS 7.1 to the general public. The update is the first major update to the mobile operating system since iOS7’s release in September. The update includes improvements to Siri, and fingerprint recognition in Touch ID, and also includes CarPlay support, which was unveiled by Apple last week.
The update also includes visual tweaks, with redefined icons for some of the built-in apps such as FaceTime, Messages, and Phone, and also redesigned aspects included in the Phone app, and on the shutdown screen.
A new “Button Shapes” option also indicates where tappable areas are located.
The full release notes are:
CarPlay
– iOS experience designed for the car
– Simply connect your iPhone to a CarPlay enabled vehicle
– Supports Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, and 3rd-party audio apps
– Control with Siri and the car’s touchscreen, knobs, and buttonsSiri
– Manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while you speak and releasing it when you’re done as an alternative to letting Siri automatically notice when you stop talking
– New, more natural sounding male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, UK English, Australian English, and JapaneseiTunes Radio
– Search field above Featured Stations to easily create stations based on your favorite artist or song
– Buy albums with the tap of a button from Now Playing
– Subscribe to iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to enjoy iTunes Radio ad-freeCalendar
– Option to display events in month view
– Country specific holidays automatically added for many countriesAccessibility
– Bold font option now includes the keyboard, calculator, and many icon glyphs
– Reduce Motion option now includes Weather, Messages, and multitasking UI animations
– New options to display button shapes, darken app colors, and reduce white pointOther
– New Camera setting to automatically enable HDR for iPhone 5s
– iCloud Keychain support in additional countries
– FaceTime call notifications are automatically cleared when you answer a call on another device
– Fixes a bug that could occasionally cause a home screen crash
– Improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition
– Improved performance for iPhone 4
– Fixes display of Mail unread badge for numbers greater than 10,000
– Continued user interface refinements
The iOS 7.1 update can be downloaded over the air by going to Settings, then tapping “General,” and then tapping “Software Update” on your iOS device.
Update Note: It should go without saying, but those users with a jailbroken device should stay away from iOS 7.1 for now. If you update to iOS 7.1, you will lose your jailbreak!
