With iOS 6, Apple seems to be more focused on refining the overall user experience than debuting significant new feature additions. On the other hand, it's still an improvement over iOS 5. But let's face it -- this won't be a difficult decision to make.
Read the full review →Conclusion: We like it
Apple's latest mobile operating system adds 200 new functions and upgrades, including call-management features that let you blacklist callers and send canned text messages when you're not available; FaceTime video-calling over mobile networks; and a more useful version of the Siri personal assistant app. The most notable change, however, is Apple's new Maps app, which replaces the Google Maps app that was part of earlier versions of iOS. For the first time iOS has built-in turn-by-turn navigation, and it includes a slick "flyover" feature that lets you zoom in on certain locations using aerial photos. However, Maps is a decidedly mixed bag, as iOS 6 loses Google's helpful Street View, along with its mass-transit directions, and Maps' Yelp-driven point-of-interest data is not nearly as robust as Google Maps' data. While you're waiting for Google Maps to return (and for the native app to get better), be sure to check out our list of Must-have mapping and transit apps!
Critic reviews
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Simply put, there’s no reason not to update to iOS 6, and plenty of reasons for you to jump onboard.
Read the full review →In the end, iOS 6 is to software what the iPhone 5 is to hardware: a big collection of improvements, many of which are really clever and good, that don’t take us in any big new directions. Lots and lots of nips and tucks — that’s Apple’s motto lately.
Read the full review →Apple iOS 6, Cupertino's latest mobile operating system, offers slick new maps, Passbook, and numerous tweaks and additions. If you own a compatible iOS device, there's simply not questioning whether to upgrade.
Read the full review →Apple iOS 6, Cupertino's latest mobile operating system, offers slick new maps, Passbook, and numerous tweaks and additions. If you own a compatible iOS device, there's simply no questioning whether to upgrade.
Read the full review →A couple of big features and a ton of tiny tweaks come together to make iOS 6 a must-have update, just as long as you can get it on your device.
Read the full review →Much like OS X's move from Leopard to Snow Leopard, iOS 6 refines many of the major changes introduced in iOS 5. It's a more modest release than iOS 5, but existing iOS users will be pleased with the update.
Read the full review →Overall, iOS 6 is a big step forward, but that’s hardly surprising given Apple’s track record. As always, there will be those who say it doesn’t push the envelope enough, and Maps has already ruffled quite a few feathers.
Read the full review →There’s no way around saying it, iOS 6 is an evolution rather than revolution of the iOS platform. While updates may range in significance depending on your usage model ... there are new features both big and small, and enough small improvements to keep it fresh.
Read the full review →Despite a subpar Maps app, iOS 6 offers plenty of reasons to upgrade, from a smarter Siri and Facebook integration to easier photo sharing.
Read the full review →There are lots of new features in iOS 6. Some will massively improve the way you use the phone, others won't make a blind bit of difference. With over 200 new elements and features, that's always going to be the case.
Read the full review →iOS 6 is superior in every way to what came before it, and lays important groundwork for the future.
Read the full review →The key thing remains: it all works together flawlessly, and many of the zinged up features will work with existing iDevices.
Read the full review →Many of these are good and solid, reducing the friction and increasing the functionality of iOS, and delightfully so. But a lot of it them are also about Apple and the future of their platform.
Read the full review →iOS 6 is rather like the iPhone 5 or Mountain Lion; the refinement of something that already works extremely well.
Read the full review →iOS 6 doesn't spoil iOS, but it'll be a few weeks or months before its benefits become more apparent, as features develop and a few niggles are squished.
Read the full review →It remains a stable, solid operating system with the sort of attention to detail for which Apple has become known. However, the highlight features in iOS 6 are underwhelming and, in the case of Maps, worryingly error prone.
Read the full review →iOS 6 is yet another welcome update to polish off what was already a solid OS. It’s got a ton of small features to make daily inconveniences that much more manageable, and that’s really what technology should be; it should work to make our lives easier. iOS 6 does that in the simplest of ways.
Read the full review →iOS 6 is still brand new, and Apple has plenty of time to make updates and adjustments. We don't expect the next major iOS push until WWDC 2013 next June, but hopefully we'll get a few wishes granted in point releases between now and then.
Read the full review →Some neat tweaks and additions, but iOS 6 doesn't quite go far enough and Maps is currently very bad
Read the full review →Overall, iOS 6 is very good, with some nice touches throughout that ease pain points and refine the experience. But the question marks of Maps and the App Store are big ones. These are challenges that Apple will hopefully meet, but we’ll see.
Read the full review →I've been an Android user for a little over two years, coming from a Motorola Droid X (my review: http://gdgt.com/motorola/droid/x/reviews/4ee/), and I do have an iPad 2 from launch. So this review is going to be a pretty heavy comparison between Android and iOS on a phone. Also, it's pretty...
Read the full review →iOS 6 isn't a revolution like some hoped or thought it would be. It's an evolutionary step, and a small one at that. It introduces some nice new features like Passbook, but falls short on delivering any game changers. The new Maps seems to be irking a lot of consumers, but many don't know the...
Read the full review →iOS From An Android User's Perspective My previous phone was a Droid X, and I recently switched to an iPhone 5. Things I like about iOS Notifications vs Alerts - It's nice to be able to say notifications from this app can just be thrown into the notification tray, but this app is important...
Read the full review →Almost everything about iOS6 is great. The maps app is getting quite a bit of heat. I haven't found any issues, but my usage is fairly limited. There are some quirks I found online and they do exist (see Brooklyn Bridge in the flyover mode but it is fine in 2D mode).. One other minor quirk...
Read the full review →I'm a longtime Apple Fanboy but with each new thing Apple does I become a little less of a fan. I'm not a hater. Honest. I just am saddened by the direction Apple is going. iCould works great for things like apps, contacts, calendar and mail. However in other areas iCould is horrid. If I...
Read the full review →Ahhhh iOS 6. While the improvements in speed and performance are there, I simply cannot get past putting such a sub-par Maps application on a device as its default. Names of locations are out of date sometimes by months, other times by years. Yelp integration places markers for places that are...
Read the full review →Overall, very happy I'm confident that maps will improve (hopefully soon given the bad press). Crowd-sourcing for map data does not seem the best way to go. I also noticed my battery life has improved on my old 3GS since the update. Unless the maps are a deal breaker for you, I strongly...
Read the full review →Hi guys, I just wanted to give a quick review on iOS6. I would just like to point out that I am a developer and this is not a Jailbroken device. I have been using the developer preview of iOS6 for a day and a bit on my iPhone 3GS. Firstly, lets start with some of the main features. I think one...
Read the full review →A little underwhelmed with maps. Despite lack of flyover for Columbus, Ohio, the regular mapping works well here, and quick too. Passbook is going to be a BIG feature once more retailers adopt.
Read the full review →I think that this is just another representation of how biased gdgt is towards Apple. The gdgt score for this is 93, compared to Android 4.1 JB's 87, while the critics gave this a 7.9 and the users and 8.7, Jelly Bean got an 8.6 from critics and a 9.6 from users. I cannot stand how biased this...
Read the full review →As free update it worth! but Strongly NOT Recommended for iPod touch and other A4 Devices.
Read the full review →iOS 6 is just another step forward for the iOS platform, which is certainly in the top 2 of mobile operating systems - and it sits in first place for me. If you have a supported device, there's no reason at all why you shouldn't upgrade. Other than the crappy maps app, although its driving...
Read the full review →How it stacks up
Instantly compare the Apple iOS 6 side by side with some of the top devices on gdgt!
Compare theseOther Apple OS / platforms
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Apple OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) 89 -
Apple Mac OS X Lion (10.7) 89 -
Apple iOS 5 93 -
Apple iOS 7 -
Apple iPhone OS 3.0
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