New iPhone 6 promises higher functionality for agents who value mobility and efficiency.
Not much is known about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6, but a recent TIME magazine article did reveal a few things about the phone’s new operating system, iOS 8, that we at Chicago Agent think real estate agents will find particularly intriguing.
1. A Brighter Spotlight – Before Apple’s newest operating system, Spotlight was thought of only as an internal application, helping users to navigate the expanse of information housed within. However, with the iPhone6 comes a new and improved version of the stock app. Now, instead of being limited to local info, Spotlight’s inquisitive fingers will be capable of crawling the web, offering agents a quick route to any on-the-job questions.
2. Shazam! – No, Apple isn’t in league with Billy Batson, but it has teamed up with Shazam, the app made famous for its sound recognition capabilities, to help boost the usability of the phone’s built-in sidekick, Siri. With the help of Shazam, communicating with Siri will now be as easy as saying, “Hey, Siri,” which should prove doubly effective for on-the-go agents who depend on hands-free technologies. What’s more, as users speak with Siri, their words will be transcribed onscreen in real-time. And don’t worry if English isn’t your native tongue. Siri is now fluent in 22 languages.
3. Predictive SMS – It’s taken Apple a surprising amount of time to catch up with Android and the Windows phone, but finally the phone will offer QuickType, which predicts what users are going to type and provides shortcuts to those words in real-time. The more you text, the more accurate the predictions become. For the first time, the iPhone 6 will also allow users to download third-party keyboard apps, like Swype, to make things even faster – just another way for agents to save time communicating.
4. Simple Replies – Is there anything more annoying than reading through an important .PDF on DocuSign and all of a sudden you see a notification banner telling you about an incoming text or iMessage? Maybe the notification itself isn’t so obnoxious, but the fact that you have to exit the app you’re currently using to respond, sometimes losing your work, can be as painful as nails on a chalkboard. No more. Expect Apple’s iPhone 6 to include a pull down text box that will allow to respond right then and there using either text or voice note. The feature will also work for several third-party apps, like Facebook and Twitter, as well.
5. Wi-Fi Calls – Though it’s only a available for T-Mobile customers, the iPhone 6 will allow users to make calls using Wi-Fi through a Skype-like feature, which will be doubly effective in areas with bad cell signal but strong Wi-Fi. If the addition proves effective, expect other carriers to follow suit.
6. The New Instagram – With Instagram, everyone feels like a high-end photographer. Well, the same will soon be said of iPhone 6 owners. The newest generation in Apple’s iPhone series will feature a more stylized photo app that will grant users superior lighting and saturation options, which will use sliding scales to show the before and after effects. Additionally, the iPhone 6 is expected to include a “like” option that will seamlessly share photos on all of your Apple devices.