Meanwhile, the classic notification center doesn't really exist anymore -- swiping down from the top of the screen basically just shows off notification on the lock screen. Sorry, the "cover sheet." You can still 3D Touch notifications to get an expanded view, but I was hoping an update as big as iOS 11 would bring with it a smarter way to handle notifications en masse. Clearing all of them in one shot is simple (if not immediately obvious), but would it have killed Apple to include an option to group notifications by app?
Apple's virtual assistant has received some major upgrades, too. For one, she or he (depending on your preference) sounds a hell of a lot more natural than before -- Siri never sounded terrible, per se, but it finally feels like you're talking to a person instead of a simulacrum made of algorithms running on a remote server. Siri's smarter now too -- I've been trying (and failing) to learn Mandarin for a while, so its multi-language translations and replayable pronunciations have been awfully helpful. Siri is also better at more abstract requests like "Play me some sad music," which I've been asking for more frequently now that summer is basically over.
It's worth noting that you can type out queries for Siri now too, but that doesn't mean you should. The option is tucked away in the Accessibility settings, and pecking out commands almost always takes longer than just asking Siri directly. I wish there was an easier way to switch between these interaction modes, or even a way for them to coexist in the Siri interface, but I'm not holding my breath.
As we've discussed in our iOS 11 preview, the App Store has also been massively overhauled, with a bigger focus on video in app listings and daily editorial posts about upcoming apps and the culture surrounding them. Don't expect Apple's internal journalists to break any news, though; this space is less about PSAs and more about general software cheerleading. And now that we have more storage space for our stuff, Apple's new Files app should come in handy, right? Well, it's a start -- I don't think most people think of iPhones as devices that need a whole lot of in-depth file management, but it's been nice to drag and drop files around in my iCloud Drive. The app also supports external storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive, but you can't manipulate them much right now.
iOS 11 also has its share of small, helpful flourishes. Holding down the volume-down key and power button doesn't force a reset anymore for instance -- it now brings up a version of the shutdown screen with an Emergency SOS option that also forces you to use the passcode to unlock the phone.
It's a very handy addition for unfortunate situations, but the replacement force-reset process is pretty ridiculous: You have to hit the volume-up and -down keys in quick succession, then hold the power button down for about 10 seconds. This won't matter for everyone, but I'm the kind of person who occasionally just resets my phone when things aren't working correctly, and I can see this button combo getting annoying after a while. Oh, and there's now an option to shut down the phone from inside the device settings, and I have no clue why.
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