Apple iOS 10.3 beta: Siri learns IPL cricket, improved 3D Touch support for native apps and more

By tech2 News Staff /  25 Jan 2017 , 12:36

Apple has just released the first beta of the latest version of its mobile operating system, tagged as iOS 10.3. The new beta brings plenty of improvements, but also seems to have added some new features, some of which are even India specific.

Siri finally gets smarter in iOS 10.3. In fact she has gotten smart enough to understand the Indian Premier League (IPL) and cricket, a game which until now was not officially supported by the digital assistant. With Apple making plenty of efforts to get into India, Siri’s knowledge about cricketer Virat Kohli will certainly be a much-welcomed move.

Siri can now get iOS users cricket scores and even answer cricket-related queries. This would include everything from IPL rankings to how a the Royal Challengers are doing, down to the finer details like cricketer stats and team backgrounds.

There are other updates in the first beta as well.

The Find My iPhone app now gets smarter with an update, that will now also let you locate your lost or missing AirPods. Owners who have misplaced their lost AirPods with the iOS 10.3 update can also locate their headphones using their desktop computer by logging on icloud.com/find.

SiriKit domains have now expanded with support for paying and checking status of bills as well. Payments apps can now use Siri to interact with users and get things done. SiriKit will also add scheduling of rides with ride booking apps.

CarPlay adds some nifty new shortcuts. You can now launch the last two used apps from shortcuts and the Music menu now displays Up Next. Maps in CarPlay will now also display EV charging stations where available.

Apple has also added some new 3D Touch gestures on its native apps. The Maps app now allow for 3D Touch on the weather icon. Pressing down on the weather icon will get hourly forecasts, chance of rain and daily high and low temperatures.

Pressing down on the iMessage app icon now also also reveals iMessage apps. The Mail conversation view also seems to be revamped with a couple of navigational improvements.

This is just the first update for iOS beta 10.3, and we can expect some more features to show up in the coming updates as well. Of course since this is a beta, users willing to download and explore the above features will also encounter a few bugs so don’t expect a silky smooth experience.

Skype update for iOS adds Siri integration, supports iOS 10 features

#SKYPE

By tech2 News Staff /  29 Sep 2016 , 14:33

Skype has announced an update for iOS users that claims to integrate the best iOS 10 features into the Skype experience.

The latest Skype version 6.25 for iPhone and iPad adds support for Siri integration, which enables users to use Siri to make Skype calls. Now you can simply say “Call James Archer” to start a call on Skype after confirmation on the right contact from Siri, Skype says in a blogpost.

Image Credit: Skype

In addition to Siri integration using the SiriKit, Skype has also added support for CallKit where incoming Skype calls will look exactly like any regular incoming call. This will enable easier switch between a regular call and a Skype call. The company announced that SiriKit and CallKit integration would arrive at their Skype for Business iOS apps next month providing business owners same freedom as announced in the Skype Blogs.

Image Credit: Skype

There are some limitations with the implementation of the features as you can only make calls to the people if they are in your Skype contact list. You can’t search and add new contacts to your Skype contacts using Siri commands. This update comes right after the update released fromWhatsApp and OlaCabs for iOS 10.