This particular release happens to be the first major update for iOS 7 ever since it was first released late last year. There have been several incremental updates since then, though mostly have merely brought security patches and bug fixes. iOS 7.1 has been in beta stage for a few months now, it brings several user interface changes as well as improvements. Today Apple has finally released iOS 7.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Users with supported devices can download it right away.
User interface tweaks are most visible in the power off toggles and the dialer, both get rounded UI elements. Incoming call interface has been tweaked to display separate accept and decline buttons alongside the floating Remind Me and Message circular icons. The keyboard interface has been slightly improved and the native music application has been dusted up a bit as well.
The random reboots that many iPhone 5S, iPad Air and Retina iPad mini users were experiencing have been taken care of by iOS 7.1. It also brings improvements for the Touch ID fingerprint scanner to make fingerprint recognition more accurate and swift. iOS 7.1 has been optimized to run faster on legacy devices such as the iPhone 4, iPad 2 and the third generation iPad.
The new CarPlay feature makes it formal debut with iOS 7.1. It aids users on the road by providing an eyes-free experience for crucial tasks such as responding to calls, dictating replies to text messages and even accessing the music library. Car manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Volvo have committed to supporting the system in their new cars.
Since there’s bound to be a rush by most iOS device owners to upgrade to the latest version, it may cause download times to stretch out. Users should automatically receive a notification concerning iOS 7.1 when it goes live in their region.
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