Apple Outs iOS 7.1, adds CarPlay Support, UI Tweaks & More

This past Monday, Apple has released iOS 7.1, the company’s first major update to its iOS 7 software since its release this past fall. The update is a free 280MB download and is hitting all iOS 7 devices right now.

iOS 7.1 adds support for Apple CarPlay, which was released by the company at the Geneva Auto Show last week. CarPlay allows an individual to interact with their iPhone, using apps like Maps, Music, and Siri,, behind the wheel in select cars and will be ready for prime time late this year.

Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, has also seen improvements.  Users now have the option to hold down the hold button while speaking a command rather than waiting for Siri to pause. Alongside this, Siri has a more natural voice and can better speak Mandarin Chinese and British and American English.

7.1 also sees the UI refinements. Stock iOS apps have more user-friendly designs with less confusion as to where certain options are. For example, in the Calendar app some words looked like they were just floating in iOS 7 and 7.1 aims to eliminate this perplexity.

More minor changes include the ability to view appointments up to a month away in the Calendar app and automatically enabling HDR mode on the iPhone 5s’s already stellar camera. Apple also says, the older iPhone 4 will also see some performance boosts. The aging A4-powered device struggled a bit with the new software but hopefully 7.1will successfully speed things up.

The iOS 7.1 software update option will automatically start showing up as a notification in the Settings app over the next week. But if you want it now, you can hop into the Settings application right now and grab it. Are you planning to upgrade to iOS 7.1 on your iDevice? Have you seen any improvements in performance, specifically on older iOS-touting devices? Let us know below!

Source: 9to5Mac