IOS 6

iOS 6 was the sixth major release of the iOS mobile operating system designed by Apple Inc., initially released on September 19, 2012. The final version of iOS 6 was 6.1.5. It was preceded by iOS 5 (final version was 5.1.1) and was succeeded by iOS 7 on September 18, 2013.

History
iOS 6 was previewed on June 11, 2012 during Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2012, with release announced for Fall 2012. Following the pattern of previous iOS releases, older devices are no longer supported, specifically the third-generation iPod Touch and the first-generation iPad. Supported devices on this release include the iPhone 3GS or later, the fourth-generation iPod Touch and later, the iPad 2 or later, and iPad Mini.

On September 12, 2012 at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, among other items unveiled, Apple announced three iOS-related items; the release of the next generation of iPhone, called iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod Touch, and the expected final release of iOS 6.0. The September 19 release date of iOS 6 was announced at this event.

While the iPhone 5 came installed with iOS 6 starting September 21, other units will require an over-the-air update or an install through iTunes. An update to iTunes version 10.7, which was released on September 12, 2012 is necessary to install the iOS 6 update on a device.

The release of iOS 6 is Apple’s fastest beta-to-product development for its mobile OS.

Features
Unlike previous iOS versions, two notable apps that iOS 6 removed by default are Google Maps and YouTube. However, they can be purchased for free in the iTunes App Store.

The built-in Maps app uses Apple's new vector-based engine that eliminates the lag present while downloading bitmaps from Google's servers, making for smoother zooming. New to Maps is turn-by-turn navigation spoken directions in certain countries, 3D views in some major cities and real-time traffic. Turn-by-turn navigation is only available for iPhone 4S or later and iPad 2 or later with cellular capability, while 3D views are only available for iPhone 4S or later, fifth-generation iPod Touch, and iPad 2 and later.

Another change includes the inability to download Podcasts through the regular iTunes application. Instead, users are prompted to download the official Podcasts App in order to continue.

iOS 6 brings the retrieval of documents such as boarding passes, admission tickets, coupons and loyalty cards through its new Passbook app. An iOS device with Passbook can be scanned under a reader to process a mobile payment at participating locations. The app has context-aware features such as notifications for relevant coupons when in the immediate vicinity of a given store.

Apple’s Siri intelligent personal assistant was improved to include the ability to make restaurant reservations, launch apps, dictate Facebook or Twitter updates, retrieve movie reviews and detailed sports statistics. Siri, which previously was only supported on iPhone 4S, is also now supported on iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod Touch, third- through fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini.

Facebook comes integrated through Apple’s native apps with iOS 6. Facebook features can be directly accessed from within native apps such as Calendar which can sync Facebook events, or use Facebook’s like button from within the Apple App Store and Game Center.

New privacy settings are available to the user. In addition to location services, the following have been added in iOS 6: photos (already partially restricted in iOS 5), contacts (address book), calendars, reminders, Bluetooth sharing, Twitter, Facebook, and Sina Weibo. iOS 6 also comes with a "Limit ad tracking" user control in the general settings menu to allow users the option to prevent targeted advertising. Apple's Advertising Identifier replaces the company’s existing UDID standard. Advertising networks not yet using Apple's Advertising Identifier device identifier standard would not be affected although Apple will require the standard in the future.

Later on, some apps like Google and Twitter had redesigned their interfaces since the release of iOS 7. The software was dropped for the iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch (4th Generation) but Apple still continues to develop apps for most of the new features while still running the iOS 6 base software. This also gives users a slight preview what the apps will look like when running the iOS 7 software despite the fact that the operating systems run differently.

Problems
In iOS 6, Apple replaced the previous Google Maps-based application with its own Maps, and was faced with poor reception from critics and users, with inaccurate or incomplete data, no support for transit maps, and low-quality satellite imagery. Apple was also faced with criticism from Ireland's Minister for Justice and Equality Alan Shatter when a map incorrectly marked Airfield, a farming area in Dundrum, Dublin, with an icon indicating that it was an airport. Apple CEO Tim Cook later issued a letter on Apple's website apologizing for the "frustration caused by the Maps application".

In September 2012, a privacy expert with the software company Abine expressed her concern that in spite of new targeted ad opt-outs, advertisers could still identify users based on other data and Apple could curate user databases for marketing or to sell to others. Also that month, several users have reported a higher-than-normal data usage after iOS 6 upgrade, causing some to be heavily billed for data largely exceeding their data plan.

The iOS 6.1 update released on January 28, 2013 has generated reports of decreased battery life and issues with signal strength.

Version history: portable iOS devices
iOS 6 was previewed on June 11, 2012 during Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2012, with release announced for Fall 2012. Following the pattern of previous iOS releases, older devices are no longer supported, specifically the third-generation iPod Touch and the first-generation iPad. Supported devices on this release include the iPhone 3GS onwards, the fourth-generation iPod Touch onwards, and the iPad 2 onwards.

On September 12, 2012 at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, amongst other items unveiled, Apple announced three iOS related items; the release of the next generation of iPhone, called iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod Touch, along with the final release of iOS 6.0.

iOS 6 was released to the public through iTunes and over-the-air updates on September 19, 2012.

Version history: Apple TV (2nd generation) onwards
On September 24, 2012, Apple TV (2nd generation) onwards received the iOS 6.0 software update, with version 5.1's main features being Shared Photo Streams, iTunes account switching, better AirPlay functionality, and Trailers searching, among other smaller improvements.

{|class="wikitable collapsible expand" style="width:100%; font-size:88%;" !style="background:#3d4; text-align:center;" colspan="5"|Table of versions: iOS 6.x – Apple TV (2nd generation) onwards !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|iOS version !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Apple TV Software !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Build !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Release date !style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Features !style="white-space:nowrap; background:silver;"|
 * - valign="top"

6.0
!style="white-space: nowrap; background: silver;"|
 * 5.1
 * style="white-space: nowrap;"|10A406E (5201)
 * 2012-09-24
 * Shared Photo Streams: Accept invitations for Shared Photo Streams, browse photos and comments, and receive notifications of new content.
 * AirPlay: Send audio content from Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers/devices (including AirPort Express and other Apple TVs). Also includes the ability to require an onscreen code to use AirPlay with your Apple TV.
 * iTunes account switching: Save multiple iTunes accounts and switch quickly between them.
 * Trailers: Search for movie trailers. In the United States, see show times for local theaters.
 * Screen savers: New Cascade, Shrinking Tiles, and Sliding Panels screen savers.
 * Main menu: Reorder icons on the second page by holding down the select button on the remote.
 * Subtitles: SDH support for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as improvements to viewing and selecting subtitles.
 * Network configuration: Support for setting up advanced network options using configuration profiles.
 * Stability and performance: Includes general performance and stability improvements.
 * Stability and performance: Includes general performance and stability improvements.

6.0.1

 * 5.1.1
 * style="white-space: nowrap;"|10A831 (5433)
 * 2012-11-29
 * Adds support for Up Next with iTunes 11 or iTunes Match.
 * Includes performance and stability improvements with the iTunes Store, AirPlay, Netflix, iTunes Match, and wired ethernet connections.
 * Includes performance and stability improvements with the iTunes Store, AirPlay, Netflix, iTunes Match, and wired ethernet connections.

!style="white-space: nowrap; background: silver;"|

6.1.3
!style="white-space: nowrap; background: #3d4;"|
 * 5.2.1
 * syle="white-space: nowrap;"|10B329a (6025)
 * 2013-03-19
 * Hulu Plus app: Completely redesigned, adds support for closed-captioning.
 * iTunes in the Cloud: Adds support for Music in the Cloud in Japan and Israel.
 * Stability and performance: Including improvements for software update, subtitles, and general performance.
 * Security Fixes.
 * Security Fixes.

6.1.4

 * 5.3
 * syle="white-space: nowrap;"|
 * 2013-06-19
 * Third-party content: Adds support for Crunchyroll, ESPN, HBO GO, Qello, and Sky News (some sources depend on country).✝
 * iTunes Store: Improves reliability of signing into the iTunes Store and playing purchased content.
 * iTunes Store: Improves reliability of signing into the iTunes Store and playing purchased content.

✝ Further channels added on August 27, 2013 without a software update: Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Smithsonian Channel  (some sources depend on country)

!style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|iOS version !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Apple TV Software !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Build !style="background:#e9e9e9; width:8em; text-align:center;"|Release date !style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Features
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * }