Everything You Need to Know About iOS 6

The introduction of a new version of the iOS, the operating system that powers the iPhone and iPod touch (and iPad), is always cause for excitement. That's because each new version brings dozens, or hundreds, of new features with it. But that's not always completely good news.




That's because new versions of the iOS often drop support for older models and sometimes don't run all features on all devices.







That can leave iPhone owners grumpy or looking to upgrade to a new device (or both).




Another reason some iOS 6 users were grumpy had to do with the Apple Maps app, which drew a lot of criticism at its release and even cost one very high-level Apple executive his job.




In this article, you can find out if your iPhone is compatible with iOS 6, what features it offers, and learn all about the history of iOS 6.




iOS 6 Compatible Apple Devices

The Apple devices that can run iOS 6 are:




iPhone iPad iPod touch

iPhone 5 4th generation iPad 5th generation iPod touch

iPhone 4S 3rd generation iPad 4th generation iPod touch

iPhone 4* iPad 2***

iPhone 3GS** 1st generation iPad mini

Not all devices can use every feature of iOS 6. Here's a list of which devices can't use certain features:




*iPhone 4 does not support:




Siri

Maps flyover

Turn-by-turn navigation

FaceTime on 3G

Hearing aid support

**iPhone 3GS does not support:




VIP list in Mail

Offline Reading List in Safari

Shared Photo Stream in Photos

Siri

Maps flyover

Turn-by-turn navigation

FaceTime on 3G

Hearing aid support

***iPad 2 does not support:




Siri

FaceTime on 3G

Hearing aid support

Later iOS 6 Releases

Apple released 10 versions of iOS 6 before replacing it with iOS 7 in 2013, including some bug fixes even after iOS 7 was released.







All devices listed in the chart above are compatible with all iOS 6 versions. For full detail on all releases of iOS 6 and other versions of the iOS, check out iPhone Firmware & iOS History.




iOS 6 Features

The key features added to the iOS with the release of iOS 6 include:




Apple Maps app, replacing Google Maps, which had been pre-installed since the first version of the iPhone

Support for turn-by-turn directions in Apple Maps

Do Not Disturb

Passbook

FaceTime over cellular networks

Expanded Siri features

Facebook integration

Offline Reading List in Safari

Improved privacy controls.

iOS 6 Controversy

While iOS 6 introduced many new features, it also brought with it a lot of controversy, primarily around the Apple Maps app.




Maps was Apple's first attempt at creating it own, in-house mapping and directions app for the iPhone (previously all of those features had been supplied by Google Maps). While Apple touted all kinds of cool effects, such as 3D flyovers of cities, critics charged that the app lacked essential features such as mass transit directions. Critics also pointed out that the app was buggy, directions were often incorrect, and images in the app were distorted.




Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly apologized to users for the problems.







He reportedly asked Apple's head of iOS development Scott Forstall to make the apology. When Forstall refused, Cook fired him and issued the apology himself, according to reports.




Since then, Apple has steadily improved Maps with each version of the iOS, making it a much more effective replacement for Google Maps (though that app is still available at the App Store).




Implications for Older Models

Devices not on this list can't use iOS 6, though many of them can use iOS 5 (find out what devices run iOS 5 here). This likely spurred many people at the time to upgrade to a new iPhone or another device.




iOS 6 Release History

iOS 6 release: Sept. 19, 2012

iOS 6.0.1 release: Nov. 1, 2012

iOS 6.0.2 release: Dec. 18, 2012

iOS 6.1 release: Jan 28, 2013

iOS 6.1.1 release: Feb. 6, 2013

iOS 6.1.2 release: Feb. 19, 2013

iOS 6.1.3 release: March 19, 2013

iOS 6.1.4 release: May 2, 2013

iOS 6.1.5 release: Nov. 14, 2013

iOS 6.1.6 release: Feb. 21, 2014

iOS 7 was released on September 16, 2013.