Planning for iOS 9 and the iPhone 6S

After months and months of rumors, leaked images and speculation, Apple finally announced its latest suite of products. Along with new additions in the shape of Apple TV and the new, bigger iPad Pro, Apple also released the latest iteration to its main money maker: the 6S and 6S Plus.

But why does any of this matter for app development? Well, arriving on all these new iPhones and iPads will be iOS 9, Apple’s mobile device operating system. Launching on Wednesday, September 16, iOS 9 offers a number of new features that are worth noting. These include:

• A Smarter Siri
• 2 apps running side by side
• Picture in picture
• Swift 2 programming language

Each of these is probably deserving of its own blog post, but for now, it is important simply to be aware that these changes are coming. And despite iOS 9 not even being released to the public yet, Apple has already moved on and seeded iOS 9.1 to developers. App development moves fast!

With so many major changes happening both to the front-end and back-end of an app, it is now more important than ever to test apps rigorously. With Apple placing record orders for components, the chances of a large install base for the iPhone 6S are high — and with customers of legacy devices such as the iPhone 6 rushing to install the latest OS, it’s imperative that your app is ready for the annual Apple update.

Having been developing apps for iOS since its inception, Apexon has created a number of products that take the hassle out of mobile app testing by automating the whole process. Automating app testing not only makes the process faster, but it also enables problems to be found and diagnosed quickly.

Not everyone uses the same development tools. Our products have been designed with both open source and commercial tools in mind. This means we can support tools such as Perfecto by Perforce, HP Quick test, Selenium, Eggplant, Calabash, Robotium and SOAP. By supporting so many standards, we can help you develop your app and have it in the app store ready for iOS 9.

A new iOS is not just a headache for creating new apps. Pre-existing apps need to take into account Apple’s latest software update as well. One way to remove this headache is with a mobile optimization strategy. With the iPhone 6S bringing not only a new OS but also new features like 3D Touch, it is imperative to upgrade your app. Even if your app has built up a large user base, glitches and problems will quickly see the user numbers dwindle. Building a user base is hard, but keeping it is even harder.

Few events in tech make as much noise as an Apple Event. With over 700 million iPhones sold to date, and an expected 75 million to be sold in the next financial quarter, there will be a lot of users out there waiting for amazing apps. Ensuring that your app runs well on the latest and greatest hardware and software might feel like a never-ending challenge. Using solutions such as mobile app testing and mobile app optimization can make that process easier.

To find out more about the solutions and services that Apexon offers, contact a sales representative at info@apexon.com .