NOTE: Several sources have reported at the University and elsewhere that some Office365 accounts are unable to send or reply from iOS 11’s Mail app. Some success in fixing this issue has been reported by removing and re-adding the account. ISC and others at Penn are investigating this issue and will update the community as more information becomes available. In the meantime, and in general, ISC suggests following Microsoft’s recommendation to use the Outlook app for the best iOS experience with Office365. This issue appears to be addressed in iOS 11.0.1.
iOS 11 has begun pushing out to compatible iOS devices. iOS 11 is the newest major release of Apple’s mobile OS. This upgrade focuses on a subtly revamped user interface and overall design, strengthens the productivity capabilities of the iPad, and provides some improvements for Siri. iOS 11 will be compatible with iPhone 5s or newer, iPad 5th gen and iPad mini 2 or newer, and iPod touch 6th gen, as well as all iPad Pro models. While iOS 11 is available for a wide range of devices, not all iOS 11 features and improvements will be available on all devices.
32-bit App Compatibility:
One major system level change and a significant item to consider before upgrading is that iOS 11 will no longer support 32-bit apps. Any 32-bit apps still running on your device (usually apps that have not been updated in four years or more) will no longer function after an upgrade to iOS 11. If you are currently running iOS 10.3, you can find a list of apps that will no longer be compatible by navigating to Settings >> General >> About >> Applications, and looking under the “No Updates Available” heading. If any apps appear on this list that you find pertinent or necessary, it is highly recommended that you remain on iOS 10.3.3, until an update for the offending apps has been pushed, or an alternative solution has been found.
Key Features:
- Design Updates
- Updated and heavily expanded, customizable Control Center
- Expanded 3D Touch options
- Merger of Lock Screen and Notification Center
- Siri Improvements
- Updated, more natural sounding voices
- On-device learning to understand your preferences
- Added suggestion capabilities
- Cross-device Siri syncing
- With end-to-end encryption
- Apple Music-linked improvements, such as learning your tastes, and answering music trivia
- File browsing in the new Files app
- Overhauled Notes app
- Indoor maps added to Maps
- Do Not Disturb while driving
- Support of Augmented Reality (AR) through ARKit
iPad Specific Features:
- Expanded dock, resembling that of macOS
- Overlays over all apps with swipe up from the bottom
- Revamped and expanded App Switcher for improved multitasking
- Drag and Drop
- Expanded Apple Pencil support for iPad Pro
- Instant Markup for annotation of anything on screen
- Instant Drawing and Instant Notes
All of the above is included, alongside a series of more granular and minor app updates, as well as several smaller tidbits to items such as storage management, account management, etc.
Upgrading to iOS 11 on Your Device:
Information Systems & Computing (ISC) strongly recommends that all University users considering upgrading their devices to iOS 11 adopt a "wait and see” approach and continue to use earlier versions of iOS for at least a few days following the release of the latest version of iOS. This will allow time for any initial bugs and compatibility issues in iOS 11 to be identified and fixed.
ISC and others across campus have tested iOS 11 and have not discovered any compatibility issues with various University systems and many current University apps, including the apps and services listed here:
- Penn O365 and associated Microsoft Office apps
- Penn+Box
- AirPennNet
- BlueJeans
- Zoom
- Junos Pulse VPN
- PennMobile
- Canvas
- Slack
The iOS 11 upgrade should not affect any data on the device being upgraded, but as with any operating system change, ISC strongly recommends performing a backup with iTunes before upgrading the device. ISC also recommends connecting devices to a power source for the duration of the upgrade process. Lastly, ISC recommends updating all apps via the App Store before upgrading to iOS 11.