Apple rolls out animated emojis and Siri Uber integration with iOS update
Apple is placing emojis to the front and centre of its latest round of updates to iOS and Siri as part of a batch of fresh texting tools.
These will enhance the range of emoticons available with improved image sharing functionality and the addition of animations to messages, together with larger emojis, embedded photos and videos in a string of text messages and an ‘emojify’ function which can automatically convert text to an emoticon.
The changes were announced by CEO Tim Cook at Apple’s annual developer conference during a demonstration of the new look operating system, as Apple positions itself as a hub for people’s lives as an ever present communication and sharing companion.
In a separate move Apple will also open up its Siri voice assistant to outside developers in a bid to enhance production of intelligent apps compatible with the service, such as Uber. This will dovetail with compatibility for the voice activation tool being extended desktop and laptop users.
The latest version of iOS will be known as macOS Sierra and will also include a shared clipboard, enabling content to be shared conveniently between connected Apple devices.