What’s new in iOS 13

Dark Mode A new Dark Mode option gives the entire iOS experience a beautiful dark color scheme that’s perfect for low-light environments. Quickly turn on Dark Mode from Control Center, or set it to automatically turn on at night. When Dark Mode is turned on, the light from your device won’t disturb the people around you. See Adjust the iPhone screen brightness and color.

Photos Browse your photo library by days, months, and years so it’s easy to find and share your photos and videos. As you scroll, Live Photos and videos play, bringing your photo library to life. Redesigned editing tools make it easy for you to apply changes to your photos and see at a glance where those changes were made. See View photos and videos and Edit photos and videos.

The photo library shown in Days view. A selection of photo thumbnails fills the screen. In the top left of the screen are the date and the location where the photos were taken. In the top right are the Select and More Options buttons; tap Select to share photos and More Options for photo details. Below the thumbnails are options to view the photo library by Years, Months, Days, and All Photos. Along the bottom are the Photos, For You, Albums, and Search tabs.

Camera Portrait Lighting now lets you virtually adjust the intensity of each studio lighting effect. On supported models, a new Portrait Lighting effect, High-Key Light Mono, creates a beautiful look with a grayscale subject on a white background. See Take Portrait mode photos with your iPhone camera.

Maps Rebuilt from the ground up, Maps features more realistic details for roads, beaches, parks, and buildings. Explore where you’re going before you get there with Look Around, build collections of your favorite locations, share your ETA, and more. See Look around in Maps, Create collections in Maps, and Share your ETA.

The Maps Look Around view of the street leading to the Transamerica Pyramid building.

Sign in with Apple Sign in to apps and websites quickly and easily using the Apple ID you already have. No filling out forms or creating new passwords—just tap the Sign in with Apple button in any participating app or on a website, use Face ID or Touch ID to complete sign in, and you’re all set. Apple doesn’t track your profile and protects your Apple ID with two-factor authentication. See Sign in with Apple.

Siri The new Siri voice sounds incredibly natural, particularly when speaking longer phrases. Siri also offers personalized suggestions when you search in Podcasts, Safari, and Maps, and can detect reminders in Messages. See Ask Siri.

Animoji and Memoji Three new Animoji characters—mouse, octopus, and cow—give you more options to express yourself. Make your own Memoji one in a trillion with new hairstyles, headwear, makeup, and piercings. Automatically generate sticker packs based on your Animoji and Memoji characters that allow you to express a range of emotions in Messages. See Use Animoji and Memoji in Messages.

The create Memoji screen, showing the character being created at the top, features to customize below the character, and options for the selected feature at the bottom of the screen. The Done button is at the top right and the Cancel button is at the top left.

Messages Automatically share your name and photo when you start a conversation. You can use an Animoji, an image, or a monogram for your photo. See Edit your Messages name and photo.

Announce Messages (iOS 13.2) When you wear AirPods Pro, AirPods (2nd generation), or other supported headphones, Siri can read your incoming messages, and you can speak a reply for Siri to send. See Listen and respond to messages.

Set communication limits (iOS 13.3) Use Screen Time to limit who your children can communicate with—and who can communicate with them—throughout the day and during downtime. See Set communication limits on a family member’s device.

App Store Subscribe to Apple Arcade (not available in all countries or regions), a service that gives you access to new games on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV. With a single subscription, you can download and play any Apple Arcade game from the App Store, without ads or additional purchases. See Get apps, games, and fonts in the App Store.

Apple TV+ Subscribe and watch new and exclusive Apple Originals, ad-free and on demand. Watch Apple TV+ (not available in all countries or regions) in the Apple TV app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, and supported smart TVs and streaming devices. See Set up the Apple TV app.

Fonts You can now get fonts from the App Store to use in documents you create on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. See Install fonts.

Keyboard Use QuickPath (not available for all languages) to enter a word by sliding your finger from one letter to the next. The keyboard recognizes the path you draw and converts it for you, making one‑handed typing a breeze. See Enter text using the onscreen keyboard.

The Notes app is open and the keyboard is displayed at the bottom of the screen. A gray swipe from the “a” key to the “g” key shows the motion of using the QuickType keyboard.

Audio Sharing Share what you’re listening to with a friend who’s also wearing AirPods or compatible Beats headphones or earphones. See Share audio with AirPods and Beats headphones.

The screen shows two pairs of AirPods connected to the iPhone.

Health A more personalized Health app makes it easier than ever to access the information that matters most to you. With the new Cycle Tracking option, you can keep track of your menstrual cycle, set up fertility notifications, and more. See View health and fitness information and Track your menstrual cycle.

The Summary screen in the Health app showing highlights for steps taken that day. The highlight reads, “You’re taking more steps than you usually do by now.” A chart below the highlight shows 4,028 steps so far today, compared to 2,640 steps for the same time yesterday. Below the chart is information about mindful minutes spent. The Summary button is at the lower left, and the Browse button is at the lower right.

Reminders The all-new Reminders app makes it easier than ever to create and organize reminders. Use the quick toolbar to add dates, times, locations, flags, photos, and even scanned documents to your reminders. See Set reminders.

A Reminders screen showing a list of reminders. An Add button is at the bottom left of the list.

Shortcuts The Shortcuts app is now built into iOS 13 and is the home for all your shortcuts. Get started with Shortcuts by adding a personalized daily routine to help streamline your day. See the Shortcuts User Guide.

HomeKit Secure Video (iOS 13.2) Footage from your home security cameras is end-to-end encrypted and stored securely in iCloud. Only you and the people you share the footage with can view it. See Set up security cameras in Home.

CarPlay An all-new CarPlay dashboard gives you a single place to keep track of maps, audio controls, and Siri suggestions. Easily view the Calendar app to take a glance at the day ahead, then tap for directions or to dial in to a meeting. See Intro to CarPlay.

Performance Face ID unlocks your device up to 30 percent faster in iOS 13. Apps open up to two times faster, and apps from the App Store are packaged in a new way that makes them up to 50 percent smaller.

Privacy and security Control the location data that you share with apps. You can choose to grant an app access to your location once or anytime you use it. When you receive alerts about an app that’s using your location in the background, you can decide whether to update your permissions. See Set which apps know your location.

Battery information A new option helps slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your iPhone spends fully charged. See Optimize battery charging.

Learn tricks for iOS 13 The Tips app adds new suggestions frequently, so you can get the most from your iPhone. See Get tips.

Note: New features and apps may vary depending on your iPhone model, region, language, and carrier.

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iPhone User Guide

What’s new in iOS 13