What hidden features have you found in iOS 6?

Question

This is the required hidden gems questions for iOS 6.

Here are the rules:

• One feature per answer
• Also include how you use the feature or why it is useful
• Must be an under-documented feature. No "flag pole" features like VIP's in Mail.

Answer 1

Safari on iPad now lets you open up to 24 tabs, up from 8 previously. The iPhone is still limited to 8, sadly ;(

Also, the + button for opening a blank tab becomes disabled once you reach the limit on both iPhone and iPad, although you can still lose tabs inadvertently by opening links in new tabs after reaching the limit.

Answer 2

You don't have to enter your password any longer when updating an app you've already bought and installed.

Answer 3

PRIVACY

Now we have a better control over application that require personal data!

With the privacy field on "Settings", we can see which application have access to your contacts, your calendar, your photos, your bluetooth, and disable this access directly from "Settings -> Privacy".

(By my point of view this is very important!)

Answer 4

In iOS 5, Apple added a "Store" button to the upper-left of the Music app. It used to drive me nuts because I'd tap it as I was backing out of a long stack of views (for example, traversing back from now playing, to artist's album list, to the artist list).

In iOS 6, a slight delay has been added to that button. If you back up through the stack in 6, the first tap on the Store button no longer activates it.

Answer 5

Opening a new tab in iPad's Safari now focuses the URL Bar instead of the Search bar.

Answer 6

Reference Dictionaries for French, German, and Spanish (in addition to the one for Chinese mentioned in Apple's "new features" list).

These could be downloaded when I tapped the "define" option for a selected word in those languages.

Answer 7

The animation in an app does not stop when double-pressing the home button. For example, go to the messages app, scroll in a long conversation and double-tap the home button.

Answer 8

Improved accessibility features

iOS 6 gains some really neat features concerning accessibility. For example, there is the all new Guided Access feature which allows you to prohibit people from leaving a specific app or even from using certain interface areas. It can also disable sleeping the screen and motion controls (like rotation and shaking).

Also, Apple added the ability to adjust the speed with which you have to double- or triple- click the home button.

Answer 9

When you are viewing a location's details in Maps the 'distance' ticks up/down as you get closer/further, I really love this.

Answer 10

It is now possible to add an Internet link to your Reading List straight from Mail. You no longer have to open the link in Safari before saving it to your Reading List.

More globally, this is made possible by the OS-wide Reading List API, enabling any app to interact with the Reading List.

Answer 11

Apple's new iOS 6 Maps support automatic offline use for a wide area

Vector maps in iOS 6 are so efficient that Apple can cache a very large surrounding area for offline browsing and GPS navigation under Airplane Mode or when traveling outside of data coverage.

Map data cache is available even after power cycling. Hybrid and 3D building model are cached.

Answer 12

Open in.... for documents is no longer limited to the last 10 suitable apps. That is, if one taps and holds a PDF mail attachment, for example, all the apps capable of opening the PDF are presented for selection (may need to swipe to second screen, but they are all there).

Answer 13

Delete own Shared Photostream comments

You can delete shared Photostream comments by tapping and holding on your own comment until the Copy | Delete options appear. The option to "Delete" only appears on comments you have made.

This can be very helpful if you happen to mistype, or if you say something you later wish you hadn't.

Answer 14

Rearrange mailboxes. I receive email from about 8 different email addresses and now you can rearrange the order in which they appear.

From the Mailbox Screen, select Edit in top right hand corner of the panel. The three transparent grey lines that indicate moving/rearranging appear. Drag and drop accordingly.