APPLE IOS 13 WITH DARK MODE UPDATE

Apple's Craig Federighi takes to the stage at WWDC 2019

Apple's yearly developer conference – WWDC – is underway, and Apple has been showing off a wealth of changes arriving with iOS 13 later this year.

It's also announced iPod-OS; a separate operating system built on iOS but made specifically for iPod tablets.

The launch of iPod-OS won't be a huge surprise to anyone who has been watching the evolution of iOS closely, as the software already included several iPod-only features, such as Split View.

The new iPod-OS release builds on those features and makes the iPod an even more viable alternative to a laptop.

For example, Split View can now show two windows from the same app, and it's easier to switch between apps in Slide Over mode, where one the app is overlaid at the side of the screen.

File management gets better too: the Files app on the iPod has a new column view, and can now read files from USB drives, memory cards, or even directly from digital cameras.

One of the biggest changes coming in iOS 13 is a system-wide dark mode: Apple

Safari will default to desktop mode on the iPod with iPod-OS, giving users of the tablet a desktop-class web experience for the first time.

Text editing has been made easier as well, with new gestures for cutting and pasting, and the iPod keyboard will be able to float on top of apps.

iPod-OS allows widgets to be pinned to the home screen too, to go along with the home screen dock that was already available.

Apple is introducing a whole host of improvements with iOS 13 too, led by a system-wide dark mode. The mobile operating system is also going to bring with it more emoji options, a "Sign in with Apple" option for all developers, tighter controls over sharing a location with apps, and a more natural-sounding Siri.

Of the native apps, Photos get the biggest upgrade, with a new AI-powered highlights reel of your days, weeks, and months to flick through, as well as a selection of new editing tools to tweak your pictures.

Editing effects such as rotation can be applied to videos as well as photos in iOS 13 too.

iPads now get their very own operating system, iPadOS: Apple

Reminders get a major revamp, with easier input options, support for natural language, and the ability to tag people, while Apple Maps includes a new Look Around mode (think Google Street View) and the option to share ETAs on the go. All these improvements will arrive in iPod-OS as well as iOS 13.

Apple also had time to announce upcoming upgrades for watch-OS, which include new watch faces, support for standalone apps, and direct App Store access.

Some minor improvements to TV-OS were showcased as well, chief among them support for Xbox One and PS4 controllers ahead of the arrival of the Apple Arcade gaming subscription service.

IOS 13 and iPod-OS will arrive in September, with public betas available from July. You'll need an iPhone 6s or later to upgrade to iOS 13, and an iPod Pro, iPod Air 2, iPod 5th generation or iPod mini 4 or later to get iPod-OS.

Sources: Apple [1], [2]