iOS 13 is a massive release that packs tons of new features and enhancements. It is easily the biggest update that iOS has received in the last few years.
With iOS 13, Apple has added a number of much-requested features from iPhone users along with some new ones aimed at making the overall experience better. Apple even branched out iPadOS 13 from iOS 13 so that it is able to offer more device-specific features without creating too much confusion among users.
iOS 13 Features: What’s New
iOS 13 comes with a plethora of new features and enhancements. Below are the best iOS 13 features for iPhone:
Dark Mode
iOS 13 adds a native system-wide Dark mode to the OS. The theme has been beautifully executed by Apple and looks stunning on iPhones with OLED displays like the iPhone X and iPhone XS. Apart from looking good, the Dark mode will also help improve the battery life on OLED iPhones.
Users have the option of manually enabling Dark mode or setting up a custom schedule. They can even set Dark mode to trigger automatically depending on the sunrise/sunset schedule.
Apple has also added a Dark mode API to iOS 13 which third-party apps can take advantage of. Depending on the system theme, third-party apps can also change between light and dark theme.
New Reminders App, Improved Apple Maps
iOS 13 introduces a brand new Reminders app which is not only more functional but also smarter. With natural language input support, one can simply type in their reminder and the app will automatically figure out the time, day, location, and the reminder part automatically
Apple Maps is also getting a big upgrade as a part of iOS 13. Apart from improved and more detailed Maps data, it is also getting a Look Around which is Apple’s take on Street View and shows street-level imagery. Apple expects to roll out Look Around to the entirety of the United States and a few other popular cities across the world by the end of this year.
Sign In with Apple
Apple is going to launch its own SSO solution with iOS 13. Called ‘Sign In with Apple,’ the company’s approach is focused on privacy and security. Sign In with Apple will allow users to sign in to third-party apps without sharing their email ID, phone number, or any other personal detail.
Faster App Launch Times
Apple is promising faster app launch times with iOS 13 along with smaller app sizes. The company claims that app opening times under iOS 13 will be 2x fast, while app downloads and app updates will be about 50% and 60% smaller, respectively.
Faster Face ID
iOS 13 brings about major speed improvements to Face ID. Apple claims that Face ID under iOS 13 is 30% faster and the speed improvements are clearly visible when one will get around to trying out iOS 13 on their iPhone X/XS/XR.
New Photo and Video Editor
iOS 13 brings a more powerful and advanced photo editor and introduces a video editor as well. The new Photo editor gains control for highlights, variance, and an easier to use UI. As for the video editor, it allows one to crop, rotate, or add filters to their video.
Improved Safari
Safari in iOS 13 gains a download manager which means one can download any type of file on their device. Safari also gains a new start page which provides one with quick access to their favorites, frequently visited, and recently visited websites.
Improved Share Sheet
Share sheet in iOS 13 has one tap suggestions for sharing a photo or document with some who is in the photo. There’s a new actions bar that comes up based on the content.
Redesigned Volume HUD
The new Volume HUD appears in the top-left corner of the screen in an unintrusive manner. It first shows up as a full sized slide. But it immediately shrinks and becomes unintrusive.
New Animoji and Customizable Memoji
iOS 13 three new Animoji to iPhone X/XS and iPhone XR: Octopus, Cow, and Mouse.
Additionally, iOS 13 makes Memoji more customizable and allows them to be used as stickers in third-party apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and more.
You can check our post for the comprehensive list of new iOS 13 features and improvements for iPhone.
Also check out the best iPhone apps updated for iOS 13, and the top iOS 13 tips and tricks so you can most of the latest iOS software update for iPhone.
Which iPhones Will Get iOS 13?
Given the sheer number of features and changes that iOS 13 brings, it is not surprising to see that it drops support for a number of devices as well. While iOS 12 supported the iPhone 5s, iOS 13 drops support for not only the 4-inch iPhone but also the massively popular iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
This means you need a minimum of iPhone 6s or higher to be able to enjoy iOS 13.
Below are the iPhones that support iOS 13:
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone SE
Table of iOS 13 versions
Apple has released a record of 17 software updates for iOS 13 since the release in September 2019. Please find the list of the iOS 13 software updates, their release dates, and the links to learn about the new features and improvements.
| iOS 13 version | Release Date | Features |
| iOS 13 | September 19, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13 |
| iOS 13.1 | September 24, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.1 |
| iOS 13.1.1 | September 27, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.1.1 |
| iOS 13.1.2 | September 30, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.1.2 |
| iOS 13.1.3 | October 15, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.1.3 |
| iOS 13.2 | October 28, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.2 |
| iOS 13.2.1 | October 30, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.2.1 |
| iOS 13.2.2 | November 7, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.2.2 |
| iOS 13.2.3 | November 18, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.2.3 |
| iOS 13.3 | December 10, 2019 | What’s new in iOS 13.3 |
| iOS 13.3.1 | January 28, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.3.1 |
| iOS 13.4 | March 24, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.4 |
| iOS 13.4.1 | April 7, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.4.1 |
| iOS 13.5 | May 20, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.5 |
| iOS 13.5.1 | June 1, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.5.1 |
| iOS 13.6 | July 15, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.6 |
| iOS 13.6.1 | August 12, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.6.1 |
| iOS 13.7
(Latest) |
September 3, 2020 | What’s new in iOS 13.7 |
You can download the latest iOS 13 software update from our iOS firmware download page.
How to Use iOS 13 Features
Check out useful iOS 13 articles, how-tos, guides, below.
- Use Memoji Stickers on iPhone in iOS 13 in Any App
- How to Use New Text Editing Gestures in iOS 13
- How to Pair PS4 or Xbox Controller to iPhone or iPad
- How to Download Files Using Safari on iPhone and iPad
- How to Repeat or Shuffle Songs in Music App on iPhone
- How to Move and Delete Apps on iPhone
- How to Turn Off 3D Touch on Your iPhone
- How to Enable Dark Mode on iPhone
- How to Rearrange Apps on iPhone Home Screen
- How to Improve iPhone Battery Life
- How to Share Audio to Multiple AirPods from iPhone
- How to Use The New Video Editor on iPhone
- How to Disable Bluetooth and Location Access for Apps on iPhone
- How to Take Full Page Screenshots of Websites in Safari on iPhone
- How to Optimise iPhone Battery Charging
- How to Update Apps on iPhone
- How to Download Apps Larger than 200MB Over Cellular Data On iPhone
- How to Create Custom iMessage Profile on iPhone in iOS 13
- How to Automatically Close Safari Tabs in iPhone and iPad
- How to Change iPhone Wallpaper Daily Using Shortcuts
- How to Silence Robocalls And Spam Calls Automatically on iPhone
Common iOS 13 Issues
Like any major iOS software update, users have reported several issues with iOS 13. Apple has released several updates to fix bugs in iOS 13. Check our post to learn how to fix the most common iOS 13 issues and problems reported by users.
Check out the latest iOS 13 news below.
This post was last updated on June 28, 2020.
