Thousands of applications and amazing features features with an easy-to-use interface and rock-solid stability, iOS — Apple’s mobile operating system — is the foundation of iPhone. And even as other phones try to catch up, the technologies and features built into iOS 4 keep it years ahead of the competition.
Elegant and intuitive interface.
The revolutionary Multi-Touch interface in iOS was designed for the most natural pointing device ever: your finger. So whether you’re using one of the built-in apps or one of the over 350,000 apps and games available from the
App Store, you control everything with a tap, drag, swipe, pinch, flick, or twist of your fingers. Even tasks that might seem complicated — such as starting a
FaceTime call or editing a video with
iMovie — are simple, easy, and fun.
The world’s largest app platform.
With over 350,000 apps in practically every category, iOS 4 is the platform for the world’s largest collection of mobile apps. Apple gives third-party developers a rich set of tools and APIs, and they’ve been creating apps and games that redefine what a mobile device can do. Where to find these apps? Just browse the
App Store from your iPhone and download them with a tap.
Learn more about developing for iOS
Hardware and software made for each other.
Because Apple makes both the iPhone hardware and the operating system, everything works together seamlessly and intelligently. This integration enables apps to take full advantage of iPhone hardware features such as the
Retina display, the Multi-Touch interface, the accelerometer, the three-axis gyro, GPS, accelerated graphics, and more. FaceTime is a perfect example. It uses both iPhone 4 cameras, the display, one of the two microphones, and your Wi-Fi connection.
Safe and secure by design.
iOS 4 is highly secure from the moment you turn on your iPhone. All apps run in a safe environment, so a website or app can’t access data from other apps. iOS 4 supports encrypted network communication to protect your sensitive information. Optional parental controls let you manage iTunes purchases, Internet browsing, and access to explicit material.
Ready for business.
Businesses around the world are choosing iPhone for its
enterprise-ready features and powerful security. iOS 4 works with Microsoft Exchange and standards-based servers to deliver over-the-air push email, calendar, and contacts. iOS 4 protects your data by encrypting information in three separate areas: in transmission, at rest on the device, and when backed up to iTunes. You can securely access private corporate networks through industry-standard VPN protocols. And companies can easily deploy iPhone across an enterprise using configuration profiles.
Accessible by everyone.
iOS 4 comes standard with a wide range of
accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience everything iPhone has to offer. For example, the built-in VoiceOver screen-reading technology allows those who are blind or have low vision to hear a description of the item they’re touching on the screen.
Works all over the world.
iPhone and iOS 4 are made to be used around the world. The user interface is localized into over 30 languages, and you can easily switch between them. Because the
keyboard is software based, you can select from over 50 different layouts with support for language-specific features including diacritic marks on characters, handwritten input for Chinese, and contextual character options for Japanese. In addition, the built-in dictionaries support 50 languages and dialects, VoiceOver reads screens in 33 languages, and
Voice Control understands 24 languages.
