Yet if you fail to keep up with the new trends you will lose out, warned industry pundit
Following the Tuesday night release of iOS 10, an industry pundit has hailed the update as a possible revolution for businesses and mobile app developers creating for the enterprise.
Nick Black, CEO at UK mobile app developer, Apadmi, spoke about the effect the update will have on businesses and the new features that are likely to kick start trends with developers, while he warned that those that do not keep up with iOS 10 trends will lose out.
Black stated: “The release of iOS 10 will be a welcome step for many businesses. Functionality and ease of access are greatly improved, and many practical features that are favoured by businesses have been polished. For example, the addition of SiriKit is an exciting new feature, especially for developers. This allows Siri to be plugged into almost any app, which will streamline everything from messaging to mobile payments; admin such as booking hotels and taxis will now just involve a quick conversation with Siri.”
SiriKit enables iOS 10 apps to work with Siri, so users can get things done with your content and services using just their voice. In addition to extending Siri’s support for messaging, photo search and phone calls to more apps, SiriKit also adds support for new services, including ride booking and personal payments.
Black commented on SiriKit: “This could revolutionise the way businesses approach customer service, for example by linking Siri to third party apps for 24 hour response capability. This will be particularly helpful when the query is simple to respond to, by cutting down on response time and freeing up resource of real customer service professionals. For companies who are often bombarded by customer service questions, tools like this will be invaluable in improving the way they interact with consumers.
“Siri’s update has also incorporated the QuickType keyboard to allow for more intelligent suggestions, for example referring to meetings that have been saved in the Calendar app,” continued Black. “This will allow for easy management of time, especially while on the move.
“We expect this to be a growing trend within apps as developers shift towards utilising in-app voice-based interactions. With many businesses encouraging the growth of artificial intelligence to boost productivity, this move can only be a positive development,” he added.
Meanwhile, Black noted that the notification functionality has also been updated to make using Apple products easier and slicker. He pointed to the ability for users to access new messages without opening the iMessage app; instead they can simply tap on the notification to view. “Similarly, access to various apps through the lockscreen will be extended, allowing users to source useful content like messages, without even unlocking their phones,” he said. Concluding, Black stated: “Businesses designing apps now and in the future should consider how its functionality will integrate with iOS 10. While this update has welcomed third party apps more than ever before, apps that don’t embrace these new opportunities will be left behind.”
