The new iOS 10 and what it means for publishers

With the new update to Apple’s iOS there are new opportunities for digital publishers. Most importantly the revamped lock screen, can now be customized and shows more widgets. Enabling the user to get a quicker overview of their news.

Widgets

Widgets on your lock screen can now be added, removed and rearranged. Thus, making the lock screen truly customizable and adaptable to individual preferences. Clicking on an article lets you jump directly into the news app. The lock screen has now become a powerhouse, by not only giving users an overview of everything but also giving access to everything else from there.

Show more on top of some widgets expands it and present you with further articles or for example the weekly weather forecast.

Interactive Notifications

Notifications are now more interactive. They have been redesigned with clear bubbles containing time stamps and the source of the notification. The notification overview is shown automatically when the iPhone is picked up. Force touching notifications gives options of what to do next. You can either read an article right now, have it remind you to read later or mute.

Upgrade of Apple News app

Apple News, currently only supported in the US, UK and Australia has a bunch of new features. The biggest change to the News app is however the interface. It has been completely redesigned and has a much bolder look. After a first approval process by Apple any publisher can create content through their existing CMS for Apple News. Apple News also offers daily news updates via email and breaking news notifications.

In the Apple News Widget, available in all regions, the AppleNewsBot fetches news from publishers’ websites and displays it for iPhone users.

Other important new features in Apple News:

• You can now embed social media posts in your articles.
• Featured Stories is a new article group in the personalized feed that can contain customized cover art.
• Videos article tiles can automatically play in the different feeds.

Publishers and third party advertisers can now integrate all Apple News advertising into their own workflow. New APIs provide a single interface, greater efficiency and is easier to use.

To sum up

iOS 10 is the most third-party-friendly operating system Apple has ever released. Messages, Phone, Maps and Siri have all been opened to developers. Apple is still careful and controls who is allowed into the iOS.

The new iOS 10 update gives publishers new ways to make news available to their users and offers new ways to interact with them.

iOS 10 is available for download now.