Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2019 has just wrapped up, and it’s safe to say that their newest operating system, iOS 13, is drawing a lot of attention. After the flames have settled down, we’re going to run through some of the key features of iOS 13, and how this will influence future Smart Spaces development.
Key Features (and what they mean for our platform)
Sign in with Apple
Apple are replacing autofill/quick sign-ins with “Sign in with Apple”, which syncs across all iOS devices to encrypt your personal information and protect personal data harvesting from particular apps. Per each account, it will automatically create an alias email address to auto-forward to your private one so that you can easily manage email notifications and protect yourself from spam. In regard to smart buildings and IoT products, the main concerns about security have been: how their data will be interpreted, used, and linked back to themselves. This is why our stout developers at Smart Spaces are working to incorporate Apple sign-in, as well as similar OAuth certification for Android platforms. User data and responsible use should be top priorities for all IoT platforms, and it remains so for Smart Spaces.
Voice Control
One aspect Apple was keen to highlight was the vast improvements that have been made towards voice recognition, allowing for fast and easy navigation throughout apps using just your voice in even more different languages. Siri has been around but has very limited ability to navigate through apps hands-free and efficiency, rendering it an infrequent feature used by previous iPhone and Mac owners. For Smart Spaces, the new voice control development will be an exciting addition to our voice control portfolio. Not only will Smart Spaces’ users be able to control their environment and interact with their community via Amazon Alexa, but now from the app itself!
iPad OS
Apple is working on a dedicated operating system for its range of iPads, dubbed “iPad OS”. Highlight features are to include a home screen widgets section, slide over multitasking, split-screen viewing, and new shortcuts. This opens various avenues of possibilities for our smart platform, with Project Catalina’s announcement enhancing the development process for our iPad app variants moving forward.
WatchOS 6
The Apple watch, which holds over 50% of the total smartwatch market, will be given a new operating system also – WatchOS 6. This means that dedicated apps can be built specifically for Apple watches. For Smart Spaces, we have been developing the ability for visitors and tenants to use their smartwatch in order to receive and display their QR code, meaning that you will no longer even need your phone to enter your building.
Reduced App Size
We all hate it. Trying to install an app, when your phone gets hit with iOS 13 claims to be able to reduce storage space for every iPhone app by 50%, with updates being cut by 60%! This goes for all apps, so suffice to say that any Smart Spaces white-label app will take up even less storage for any iOS 13 users.
We hope you’re as excited as we are for Apple’s innovative iOS 13 operating system! With a lot of work in our development pipeline before its release in fall, now’s the perfect time to smart-enable your building or business centre. Smart Spaces is an intuitive IoT-based white-label application, supplying the likes of GPE (a FTSE 250 company) and other commercial real estate firms with unparalleled levels of control over their environment and their work. Occupiers can control the lighting, heating and energy use for their designated floor, going so far as to simply using their phone to enter the building.
