Best Technical SEO Tips for Improving Website Search Ranking

Best Technical SEO Tips for Improving Website Search Ranking

Developing quality content and optimizing the same for browser searches constitute SEO basics. Here are some vital technical SEO tips on how to optimize your website to remain top in the rankings.

The main purpose for search engine optimization is to enhance user experience onsite. You can enhance your websites performance by making use of search engine analytics tool. All the major search engines have their analytics tools. Anyhow, this article is about some technical SEO issues to avoid in order to give your site the best survival chance.

SEO Cloaking

Cloaking involves webpages showing differently for different users. This is one concern you should look out for because search engines don’t like SEO cloaked websites. So, just for the sake of your website, avoid cloaking and hidden links because they attract dire penalties.

There are plenty tools online that will help you check for cloaking on site. Use them to tweak your web pages appropriately.

Webpage redirects

When it comes to webpage redirects, it is only fitting that you do them appropriately. If not done well, this might compromise a website’s overall performance. For temporary change in URLs, it is advisable to use 302 redirects while 301 redirects are best for permanent URL and domain changes.

It is crucial to remember that sneaky page redirects may attract ranking penalties. Bad redirects may also mean issues with link equity and filtering of duplicate pages. All these might impact your search engine rankings. If you can, just avoid page redirects altogether.

Content duplication

Google’s panda algorithm penalizes for any content duplication. This is because it confuses search engines on the pages to index and rank if similar content appears on multiple pages. This implies that only one URL is allowed per content. Any content duplication would mean the search engine has to pick on what is most appropriate and filter out the rest.

For internal content duplication, like is the case when many URLs lead to the same content, you just need to delete and make use of 301 redirects to the original page. Alternatively, you can use canonical tags.

Custom 404 error page

This is the page the will help your visitors at their point of need; when the page they are seeking doesn’t seem to exist. You will need to create your own custom 404 error page and use the same to steer visitors to other relevant pages. That is to say you include relevant links and other options in the page. While creating a custom 404 error page, it is critical that you own the page. Make it resemble your other webpages in terms of color, font and general layout.

Once created, you will need to set up that new page as your 404 error page. This will depend on the website server you are using; Apache, Microsoft, WordPress etc. Note however, that some website hosts strictly do not allow set up of custom 404 error pages.

Plagiarism

This is an online visibility killer. Avoid copying other people’s content and using on site without their permission. Plagiarism might even cause your webpages to be filtered out of search engine results pages. It is in fact a capital online offence, if there is such a thing.

The good news however, is that there are online tools that can help you with this problem. There are more than enough online plagiarism checking tools. Use these to ensure that your content is unique, lest you be penalized for plagiarism. Copyscape and Google’s Exact-Match Search are but a few of the commonly used tools.

These technical SEO tips will help your webpages rank well in the search results. Take advantage of these tips to ensure your website attracts huge traffic.

Read More

Access Remote Desktops "Jump Clients" Overview

Jump Clients

Access remote desktops, laptops, POS systems, kiosks and servers, even if no one is present to give you control. Jump Clients work regardless of network location.

Secure Remote Access, Regardless of Network Location

Jump Clients let you control remote computers even when you don’t control the remote network.

Just install a Jump Client on each system you need to access. You’ll be able to control it wherever it goes.

With Jump Clients support reps can access the remote systems without requiring the person on the other end of the session to be technical.

Secure Remote Access, Regardless of Network Location

(Jump Clients are a component of Bomgar’s patent-pending Jump Technology.)

Wistia video thumbnail - Feature: Jump Client Management

Jump Clients let you control remote computers even when you don’t control the remote network.

Just install a Jump Client on each system you need to access. You’ll be able to control it wherever it goes.

With Jump Clients support reps can access the remote systems without requiring the person on the other end of the session to be technical.

Multi-Platform Remote Access, Even from Android and iOS Devices

Control Remote Desktops and Servers from an iPad Securely control remote desktops and servers from an iPad

Jump Clients can be installed on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, as well as Android phones and tablets. You can access them from any platform Bomgar supports.

So not only can the remote systems you're supporting be located anywhere, the support technicians can be, too.

Whether you’re offering support from a laptop, or from an Android or iOS device, you can stay productive while mobile.

Manage and Mass Deploy Jump Clients

Jump Clients can be mass deployed to Windows, Mac and Linux desktops or servers. To help with finding and identifying computers later, you can add a group name and comments when you deploy them.

You can create a default installer. Or you can use mass deployment scripts to pull in variables from other sources to modify the Jump Client parameters during installation.

Integrated Remote Access for Your Systems Management Platform

Jump Clients Enable Remote Access Jump Clients enable remote access regardless of network location

Support organizations can improve service levels, centralize support processes and strengthen compliance by integrating Bomgar with their systems management platform.

Once integrated, Bomgar enables technicians to offer proactive system support to all your Jump Clients directly from your systems management tool.

Bomgar can be launched from the ticket or system record. At the end of the session, Bomgar updates the ticket with details from each Bomgar remote support session, including links to session recordings, file transfer details, work notes, system information and post-session survey results.

Use Schedules to Limit Jump Client Access to Specific Times

There are two options to restrict access to Jump Clients. First, administrators can use time schedules to control periodic access to Jump Clients. Access schedules dictate the windows of time representatives are allowed to access certain Jump Clients.

You can also allow reps to deploy Jump Clients that automatically uninstall after a defined period of time.

Using Jump Client access schedules can protect your client from interruption and help your support organization conform to customers’ support needs . Both schedules and automatic expiration can help satisfy PCI compliance or prevent business users from being interrupted during peak hours.

Wake-On-LAN Support for Jump Clients in a Network

Wake-on-LAN (WOL) Support Wake-on-LAN (WOL) support lets you turn on remote computers

Support organizations can save on power costs by turning computers off after hours. With Bomgar, powering systems on/off can be handled remotely with Wake-on-LAN (WOL) support.

With wake-on-LAN support, you can broadcast Wake-on-LAN (WOL) packets through another Jump Client on the same network. Use of wake-on-LAN depends on user permissions and may not be supported in all environments.

Share Jump Clients Across Support Teams

For scenarios in which multiple groups need to access the same group of desktops, you can share a team’s Jump Clients across support teams and Embassies.

Your group policies determine how members of each team can interact with the remote computer.

Sharing Jump Clients allows you to give both internal reps and vendors access to the same system without complicating team structures.

Use Endpoints to Define How Sessions Begin

When you use Jump Clients to access servers and back end systems, you want to launch right into remote control. No one is present on the other end of a server for you to interrupt. But when you access remote desktops, you may want to display a prompt in case an end-user is present.

Support Session Policies let you define how a session begins based on the endpoint being supported.

With policies at the Jump Client level, you can choose to display a prompt if the remote desktop is one at which an end-user may be present. If the endpoint is a server, you can set the session policy up with no prompt.

Once Connected, Powerful Tools Are at Your Fingertips

When you connect to a remote desktop or server, Bomgar puts powerful tools at your disposal. Tools include:

    Command shell

    File Transfer

    Multi-monitor support

    Privacy screen

    Reboot

    Registry editor

    Scripts

    Special actions

    System information

    UAC elevation

Plus, you can control multiple systems simultaneously for maximum efficiency.

Report on Remote Access Sessions

Bomgar's logging and recording capabilities capture extensive detail about sessions performed through Jump Clients. These reports give administrators critical visibility into support activity.

Reports include IP information, system information, files transferred, chat transcripts, and many other details about the support session. Bomgar can even create video recordings of support sessions.

With Bomgar, you'll replace legacy remote access tools with a complete solution designed for the needs of security-conscious support organizations. Bomgar enables support representatives to access, diagnose, control and fix remote computers and mobile devices. Highlighted features are below.

Remote Control & Screen Sharing - the Core of Support

The core of remote support is seeing and controlling the remote computer. With Bomgar Remote Support, you can see your customer's screen and fully interact with the remote desktop.

Request remote control of multiple computers, view attached monitors, and use advanced screen sharing tools.

Remote Control and Screen Sharing

Customer Tech Support

Use chat support, screen sharing, CRM integration, and skills-based routing to increase support staff productivity. Bomgar Remote Support includes customizable surveys and support portals.

Use Bomgar for Customer Tech Support

Internal IT Support

Access Remote Desktops "Jump Clients" Overview

Perform desktop support and server maintenance securely. Replace RDP, VNC, and other hard-to-audit remote control tools with a cross-platform support tool.

Use Bomgar for Internal IT Support

Help Desk Administration

Help Desk Integrations

Create queues, portals, teams, and policies to standardize technical support services. Manage technicians with integrated identity management and group policies.

Help Desk Administration

Monitor and Audit

Wistia video thumbnail - Demo: Monitor and Audit Remote Support Sessions

Monitor support activity in real time. Track customer satisfaction. Record every remote support session. And collect a detailed audit trail of each interaction.

Auditing Remote Support

Collaboration

Wistia video thumbnail - Demo: Collaborate during Remote Support Sessions

Share sessions between technicians, developers, or even outside vendors so that they can see the issue and troubleshoot together, helping support incidents get resolved faster.

Collaborative Remote Support

Embeddables

Wistia video thumbnail - Bomgar Button Demo

Embedding chat and remote support in your website, desktops, Windows programs, and mobile apps makes it easy for customers and employees to get help.

Embeddables for Remote Support

Read More

Affiliate Marketing Summit West 2017

During January 15-17, more than 6,000 digital marketers from over 70 countries will gather at the Paris Las Vegas hotel for the performance marketing industry's premier global event, Affiliate Summit West 2017.

These high-level decision makers will come looking for online publishers, traffic sources, retailers, networks, technology firms, digital agencies and other solution providers. And if you're an Affiliate Summit attendee, it could be you that they find.

There is no substitute for being here, demonstrating your solutions and building face-to-face relationships. The top companies and key decision makers in the space come to Affiliate Summit. Show them what you've got and what they're missing.

January 15, 2017 - January 17, 2017

Las Vegas

Paris Las Vegas Hotel

Affiliate Summit West 2017 (#ASW17) is taking place on January 15-17, 2017 at Paris Las Vegas Hotel.
The conference and tradeshow offers attendees:

• three tradeshow areas packed with affiliates, merchants, vendors, networks, technology providers, digital agencies, traffic sources;
• multiple tracks of relevant educational sessions delivered by industry experts;
• a variety of networking events;
• and online tools to help you connect with other attendees before, during and after the event.

Expected Attendance: 6,000+

• Early check-in: January 14, 12:00 PM
• Conference start: January 15, 10:00 AM
• Conference end: January 17, 4:00 PM

 Agenda

The Affiliate Summit West 2017 Agenda is now live and is packed with sessions that will help better understand the evolving landscape of affiliate marketing.
Don't forget that Affiliate Summit offers two pass types: VIP and Networking.
Review the benefits included with each pass type here to ensure that you have purchased the right pass for the sessions and events that you wish to access.

Register

Two pass types are available for Affiliate Summit West 2017 - VIP and Networking.

To help you choose the pass type that is right for you, refer to the Pass Comparison Chart below and then register here.

Registering 5 or more attendees?  Check out our Group Rates at the bottom of this section.

Call 417-2SUMMIT (278-6648) for instructions on booking at group rates below.

Group Rates	Discount
Group rate for 5-9 Passes	20% off
Group rate for 10 or more Passes	25% off

Read More

Smartphones With 6GB RAM You Can Buy

The smartphone industry has seen a lot of innovation in the last couple of years than what it saw in the last decade. While many brands are focused on solving the real world user experience, there are some companies who think that the problem lies within the specifications. That is why they are coming up with such heavy hardware that you don’t even see on a laptop or desktop these days. Are you confused? Well, don’t be, we are talking about the RAM storage on a smartphone.  

Some brands believe that their smartphone will offer the best experience if they could just ante-up the hardware on them. It might be true but will purely depend upon the software experience as well. Though, today we are not her to review the handsets; instead, we are hunting for the best 6GB RAM smartphone. With a specifications war going on among smartphone brands users are in for a treat. Below are the best smartphones with 6GB RAM that you can buy in the market right now. 

Xiaomi’s new Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX phablets are the latest to tout 6GB of RAM under the hood, joining a small but growing club offering more memory than many laptops you will get on the market. There’s only one smartphone with 6GB RAM in India right now, but if you’re willing to import your phone, then there are now a number of different options.

Here’s a list of ten smartphones with 6GB RAM that have been released so far.

1) Xiaomi Mi Note 2
Xiaomi’s new Mi Note 2, up for pre-orders in China presently at CNY 3,299 (roughly Rs. 34,000), is the latest smartphone with 6GB of RAM onboard, and is the only one on this list with a dual curved screen. The Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based smartphone sports a 5.7-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) Oled display, comes with 128GB storage, and is powered by the 2.35GHz quad-core Snapdragon 821 Performance Edition SoC. It bears a 4,070mAh battery and Quick Charge 3.0 fast-charging technology, along with a fingerprint sensor on the home button.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 sports a 22.5-megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX318 Exmor RS sensor, and an 8-megapixel Sony IMX268 Exmor RS sensor. Connectivity suite of the smartphone includes 4G-LTE (downlink speeds up to 6000Mbps), Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 and USB Type-C. Also on board is the Aqstic audio processor, with 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Fi sound quality.

2) OnePlus 3
Available at Rs. 27,999 in India, the OnePlus 3 (review) has 6GB RAM along with a Snapdragon 820 processor (two cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and two cores clocked at 1.6GHz). The smartphone features a 5.5-inch Amoled display running at full-HD resolution, and Gorilla Glass 4 protection. It runs OxygenOS based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and comes with 64GB internal storage (non-expandable). It has a home button with an integrated fingerprint sensor.

On the imaging front, OnePlus 3 has a 16 megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX298 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, OIS and EIS, and PDAF autofocus, RAW image support, 4K video recording, and Smile Capture mode. The front camera bears a Sony IMX179 sensor, f/2.0 aperture on the fixed focus lens, and EIS. The smartphone has connectivity options like Wi-Fi, 4G LTE (support for all bands in India), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB 2.0 Type-C port, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery with Dash Charge fast-charging technology.

3) Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)
Another smartphone with 6GB RAM that has been launched in India is the Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL), priced at Rs. 62,999. Despite unveiling the device in the country, Asus has not released it in the Indian market yet, though you can get one in the US at $499 (approximately Rs. 34,000). The smartphone has a 5.7-inch full-HD screen and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based ZenUI. Keeping everything running is a Snapdragon 820 processor. There’s 64GB internal storage and users can expand this by another 256GB via microSD card.

Coming to photography, the Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) packs a 23-megapixel primary camera on the rear and an 8-megapixel front shooter for selfies. The connectivity suite of the dual-SIM smartphone includes Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, USB OTG support, USB Type C and fingerprint sensor. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery.

4) LeEco Le Max 2
LeEco also announced the Le Max 2 (review) with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage in the Indian market, at Rs. 29,999. The phone was announced in June this year, but there has been no further word on when the device will go on sale; on the other hand, it is available in China at present for CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 25,000).

The LeMax 2 smartphone has a 5.7-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixel) screen, Snapdragon 820 chipset, Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based software, dual-SIM support, and fingerprint sensor. On the back, it sports a 21-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture OIS, phase-detection autofocus (PDAF), and two-tone, dual-LED flash, while an 8-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.2 aperture is placed in front.

For connectivity, it supports dual-band Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, Infrared, USB Type C and GPS/ A-GPS/ Glonass/ BDS. Its 3100mAh battery supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 fast-charging technology and can go from 0 to 50 percent in 30 minutes.

5) Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
In China this September, Xiaomi announced the 128GB variant of the Mi 5s Plus, its first smartphone with 6GB RAM; available only in China, the device is priced at CNY 2,599 (close to Rs. 26,000). The smartphone features a 5.7-inch pressure-sensitive display with full-HD resolution capable of 550 nits brightness and NTSC 94 percent colour gamut. It runs the MIUI 7 software based on Android Marshmallow, and is powered by the new 2.3GHz Snapdragon 821 processor.

The Mi 5s Plus bears a dual rear camera setup, with two 13-megapixel sensors – one for colour, and the other for black and white; it supports PDAF and two-tone, dual-LED flash. On the front is a 4-megapixel camera with 2-micron pixels and f/2.0 aperture for selfies. Connectivity options on board include 4G LTE connectivity with 3x carrier aggregation support, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, fingerprint sensor, and GPS/ A-GPS. It has a 3800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology that takes the battery from zero to 83 percent in 30 minutes.

6) LeEco Le Pro 3
Unveiled in the US and China and priced at $399 and CNY 2,999 respectively (around Rs. 30,000), LeEco’s Le Pro 3 (first impressions) is another 2.35GHz Snapdragon 821-powered smartphone with 6GB RAM. It has a 5.5-inch full-HD display with 2.5D curved glass, Android 6.0-based EUI 5.8 custom interface, and comes in 64GB and 128GB storage options. Its battery capacity stands at 4070mAh and it supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging. 

The smartphone also has a fingerprint sensor on the back.

The 16-megapixel rear camera of Le Pro 3 has f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, two-tone, dual-LED flash, and HDR support; its 8-megapixel front camera has a 1.4-micron sensor and f/2.2 aperture. For connectivity, the smartphone has dual-band Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, Infrared, USB Type C and GPS/ A-GPS/ Glonass; however, it misses out on the 3.5mm earphone jack.

7) ZUK Z2 Pro
Lenovo’s Cyanogen-only brand ZUK unveiled the Z2 Pro smartphone with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage in April this year; the smartphone is available at CNY 2,699 (roughly Rs. 27,000). The smartphone has a 5.2-inch display with full HD resolution and Gorilla Glass protection and runs the Android 6.0 Marshmallow based ZUK 2.0 UI. The Snapdragon 820-powered handset has a fingerprint sensor in the hardware Home button.

ZUK Z2 Pro has a 13-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, 1.34-micron sensor, and two-tone, dual-LED flash; its front camera has 8-megapixel resolution, f/2.0 aperture and 1.4-micron sensors. Onboard connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/ A-GPS/ Glonass, and USB Type C. The smartphone has a 3100mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast-charging technology.

8) Oppo R9s Plus
Oppo in October unveiled the R9s Plus phablet with 6GB RAM in the Chinese market at CNY 3,499 (approximately Rs. 35,000). The smartphone, featuring a 6-inch full HD screen, is powered by a 1.9GHz Snapdragon 653 octa-core processor and comes with 64GB built-in storage and microSD support up to 128GB. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Color 3.0 skin on top out-of-the-box and has a fingerprint sensor below the screen in the Home button.

There’s a 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 camera sensor with f/1.7 aperture, dual-core focus, OIS, and LED flash. An additional 16-megapixel sensor is also housed in the front for selfies. It has a hybrid dual-SIM dual-standby card slot and supports connectivity features such as dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, and microUSB 2.0. The Oppo R9s Plus comes with a 4000mAh battery with VOOC fast-charging technology.

9) ZTE Nubia Z11
The ZTE Nubia Z11, unveiled in China and expected to launch in India soon, comes in a 6GB RAM variant priced at CNY 3,499 (around Rs. 35,000). The smartphone has a 5.5-inch full HD screen and is powered by a 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The Android 6.0 smartphone packs 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card.

As far as the cameras are concerned, the ZTE Nubia Z11 comes with a 16-megapixel primary camera with PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, OIS, two-tone, dual-LED flash, and a 1.28-inch sensor with 1.12-micron pixels on the rear. Its 8-megapixel front shooter has aperture of f/2.4, while the pixel size is 1.4-micron. The dual-SIM smartphone has connectivity options for dual-band Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, Infrared and USB Type C. It has a fingerprint sensor as well as a 3000mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

10) Vivo XPlay5 Elite
The world’s first smartphone with 6GB RAM, the Vivo XPlay5 Elite, was launched in China at CNY 4,288 (approximately Rs. 43,000) has a 5.43-inch dual-curved Super Amoled screen with QHD resolution, and a metal body with Gorilla Glass coating. It is powered by a 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820 chip and runs the Android Marshmallow-based Funtouch OS 2.6 software. It has 128GB internal storage, but does not support microSD cards for storage expansion; on the back is a fingerprint sensor.

In the optics department, Vivo Xplay5 Elite sports a 16-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX298 sensor, PDAF, 6P Lens, f/2.0 aperture, and dual-tone LED flash. An 8-megapixel front-facing camera is also present. The smartphone supports 4G LTE networks (Indian bands included), Hi-Fi 3.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, micro-USB 2.0 (with OTG), and comes with a 3600mAh battery.

Read More

Best new features of iOS 10

iOS 10 is one of the biggest upgrades Apple has made to their mobile operating system. If you’re overwhelmed by all the new and upgraded features in iOS 10 you’re certainly not alone–but have no fear, we’ve been playing with it for months, and we’re happy to highlight all the really great features you should be using right now.

SMARTER LOCK SCREEN
Apple has improved the lock screen experience with iOS 10. You'll now be able view your lock screen just by picking up your phone, as well as action notifications using 3D Touch. These features aren't quite as revolutionary as Apple is making out, but it's good they're finally landing on iDevices.

3D TOUCH & WIDGETS
Talking of 3D Touch, Apple is filling out the usage of its big hardware addition of last year's iPhone 6S. You'll be able to press and hold firmly on app icons to bring up widgets - essentially providing you with key information without actually entering the apps.

SIRI
Apple and open source software aren't normally found in the same sentence, but the Cupertino-based firm's hand has been forced to a certain extent and it's releasing the Siri API to the developer community. Some of the third-party integrations coming include Uber, WhatsApp, Skype and Slack. If you enjoy talking to your phone, this is actually kind of exciting.

PHOTOS
There's a bunch of new AI functionality coming to Apple's native Photos app, including new facial and location detection capabilities, more powerful search, and a new tab called Memories that will turn your photos into highlight-style reels based around things like location and people. We'll have to see how this one pans out in the flesh – it sounds like a nicety rather a game-changer (and is more than a bit reminiscent of HTC's Zoe), but let's not poo-poo it before we've tried it.

MAPS
Maps, like Siri and Photos, is getting smarter and more open. Developers will be able to access the Maps API in iOS 10 and beyond, so we can look forward to things like native restaurant booking and ride hailing.



There's some aesthetic tweaks, too, but more meaningfully there's loads more predictive functionality – things like nearby dining suggestions. There's also improved navigation, including traffic report integration, so Maps will now be able to offer you alternative routes when there's loads of congestion – all of which is coming to CarPlay too.

As with many other areas of iOS 10, Apple is integrating third party services into Maps. You'll be able to make dinner reservations with restaurants from directly within the Maps app, for example.

HOME
iOS will feature an all new native app called Home. Expanding on the HomeKit framework, it'll be one-stop shop for all your connected and smart home gear. It'll also feature in the Control Center, so you can access it from the lock screen.

MESSAGES
In iOS 10, Messages is getting a pretty substantial overhaul. You'll be able to write messages in your own hand-writing, alter the way message bubbles look, send quick 'Tapback' responses, and even add animations.

Emoji are getting bigger (three times bigger) and easier to insert, with iOS recommending potential word replacements for you. Meanwhile, you'll be able to slap virtual stickers all over your message threads.

But potentially the biggest addition of all will be iMessage apps. Apple is essentially turning the app into its own platform, with third party developers able to make their content accessible directly through the Messages app.

APPLE MUSIC
We knew this one was coming, but it was good to see confirmation that Apple is going back to the drawing board with Apple Music nonetheless.

Apple Music's new approach looks a lot cleaner and simpler than before. Upon entering the app, for example, you'll be taken straight to the Library section.

You'll also be able to view lyrics while you're listening to your music. Well, someone must have asked for it...

PHONE APP
Apple has made a couple of alterations to the iOS 10 Phone app. Chief among them is the way it transcribes your voicemail messages. It'll also be able to detect when an incoming unknown caller is likely to be spam.

APPLE NEWS
There's a chance you're one of the ten people who actually use Apple News. If so, you'll be interested in this one. It's receiving an Apple Music-like design overhaul, with similar chunky titles. Subscriptions and breaking news notifications are also incoming.

APPLE PAY
Apple Pay is making its way to web purchases with iOS 10. There'll be a new 'Buy with Apple Pay' button appearing on website checkout screens, which will mean you can authorize payments using the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple Maps
Find My Car: Siri automatically detects when you’re driving and drops a pin at the location you stop, so you can easily find it later.

Avoid Tolls: when setting a route, you can now choose to specifically avoid toll roads. A nice Google Maps catch up feature.

Apple Maps gets a major upgrade in iOS 10, but you could remove it completely if you want. Image credit: Apple

Location Suggestions: In iOS 10 when you enter a Calendar event you will find locations are suggested automatically using Apple Maps. This is a catch up to Google Calendar in Android which taps into Google Maps for the same functionality.

Apple Mail
Fast Unsubscribe: emails with unsubscribe links will now automatically have them displayed at the top of each message with an easy to hit button.

Unread Only: when viewing your mailbox, look for the filter icon (bottom left corner) and change the default setting to ‘Filtered by: Unread’

Quick Actions: Swipe left on a message in the new threaded view and it will reveal quick actions such as flag, reply and trash.

Apps (In General)
App Widgets: Shortcut: 3D Touch on an app that supports widgets and you will get a preview of the widget and the option to quickly add it, along with the usual 3D Touch shortcuts.

Prioritize App Installs: when restoring a device or installing multiple new apps you can use 3D Touch to long press on any app waiting to be downloaded on the homescreen and you will get a ‘Prioritize Download’ option, to save you waiting around.

Hide Unwanted Apps: iOS 10 now lets users remove any stock app they don’t want (Stocks, Compass, I’m looking at you). This works the same way as removing third party apps: just long press on any app and hit ‘x’, they can be brought back in Settings

Apple Music
Optimized Storage: Apple Music settings now allow you to automatically free up space by removing downloaded tracks you haven’t listened to after a predefined period. Go to: Settings > Music > Downloads. They can always be re-downloaded later.

Smart Downloads: go to Settings > Music > Downloads and switch ‘Automatic Downloads’ to on and you will find any album can be quickly downloaded by tapping the ‘+Add’ button. Useful for those who do a lot of offline listening (such as frequent flyers).

Camera
Don’t Stop The Music: Apple has stopped the camera mode automatically killing any music recording from the device the moment it is opened. Great if your phone is also the source of music for a party. Music still stops if you want to record a video or Live Photo.

Clock
Bedtime Reminders: open the Clock app and you’ll find a new tab: ‘Bedtime’. This can be used to define the typical times you go to bed, wake up and the length of sleep you prefer. You then get reminders and along with tracking of your sleeping habits which can be viewed in the Health app.

‘Close All’ Shortcuts
Safari – Close All Tabs: Quickly ditch your browser tabs on iPads with a long press on the Tab View button, which brings up the close all tabs options. iPhones require an extra step: open Tab View then long press on ‘Done’, to generate the option.

Notifications – Close All: Sick of the tiny ‘x’ on each notification? In iOS 10 you can remove them all at once with a 3D Touch iPhone. Just use a harder press on the X at the top of the list and you will get a ‘Clear All’ option. A really useful feature hidden behind the glamour or ‘Rich Notifications’.

Control Center
Quick Timer Options: bring up the Control Center and owners of 3D Touch enabled iPhones can use a harder press to bring up 1, 5, 20 and one hour instant timer options.

Calculator Memory: 3D touch the calculator icon in the Control Center and you can copy in the answer to your last calculation, saving precious time.

Camera shortcuts: just like the Camera icon on the homescreen, 3D Touch options have been extended to bring up specific shooting modes for the camera icon in the Control Center.

Music & Home Hidden: strangely, Control Center in iOS no longer shows music controls on its mainscreen. To access this you have to swipe left and if you swipe left once more you get shortcuts for the Home app.

Flashlight Tweaks: For 3D Touch enabled iPhones (6S and above) open up the Control Center and use a harder pressure touch on the flashlight icon to get low, medium and high brightness options.

iMessage
Read Receipts: users can now request notifications for when their messages to other iMessage users have been read.

iMessage in iOS 10 gains lots of new functionality, including gif libraries.

Image Search: When writing a message, tap the App Store icon and you can swipe to an images page and search for anything you want.

Save Data: Go to Settings > Messages > Enable Low Quality Image Mode.

Lookup
Hello Third Party Apps: highlight a word in iOS 10 and you will find ‘Define’ has been replaced by ‘Look Up’ and includes the option to search for the term in the App Store, Apple Music, online search or Wikipedia. There’s third party app support for this as well.

Unlock – Old School
Restore Touch to Unlock: iOS 10 requires users to physically press the home button to unlock their devices, rather than just make contact for the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. If you don’t like this go to: Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button and enable: ‘Rest Finger to Open’ to get the old method back.

iOS 10 has a multitude of new features, but many rely on 3D Touch which is restriction to the iPhone 6S range and newer.

iOS10 has been really looked forward to. Here one of our writer, gives you a first hand experience at how iOS 10 works:

Within just days of release of iPhone 7, Apple has released the newest upgrade to their OS i.e., the iOS 10. The upgrade is made available for iPhone 5 or newer and iPad 4 or newer, which means we finally bid goodbye to our beloved iPhone 4s.

Making its way in a highly competitive market and already struggling through ‘bricking’ bugs, the latest iOS is actually a breath of fresh air as compared to its previous versions. I quickly upgraded my iOS and got back with the review for you right here. Check it out:

Getting Started:
The size of the upgrade significantly large, somewhere around 850 MB. So makes sure, you got space. After installing, the iPhone restarts, asks a few passwords and welcomes you to the home screen.

What you initially might have missed out, is that Apple finally let go off its very popular ‘swipe to unlock’ feature with this upgrade and replaced it with ‘press to unlock’. The new gesture is hard to get to use to but well, it’s seemingly cool.

After that, what you encounter next is the new ‘Home’ app. As the name suggests, the app is a homekit app and is your go to place to manage all your smart home gadgets in just one place. Kinda cool for Apple to bring in something new and probably employable in daily use, to the smartphone world.

Another new feature with iOS 10 are the new widgets that appear with swiping left onto the home screen. Apple has been continuously remodelling its widgets appearance and hands down, it has never been disappointing. With the new customisable widgets, it gives a lot of power to the user which is mostly the aim of any new upgrade.

Swiping down, we are faced with another new change. The ‘Notifications’ feature has also been stylised with this iOS, quite handy but takes a little time to get used to.

Getting into more details the complete makeover of the ‘Photos’ app is a remarkable change. It’s been long since any of Apple’s previous updates touched that area and as you can see it has quite been changed and for the better good. It’s easier and a bit sassy too.

The other new welcomed changed is that of the ‘Messages’ app. One of the most primer sources of communications between iPhone users, Apple’s ‘Messages’ app has been improved significantly.

Designed to compete strongly with Facebook’s ‘Messenger’ and ‘Whatsapp’ app, ‘Messages’ now allows third party integration alongside exciting additions such asGIF messages, handwritten messages, photo messages with doodles, messages with laser light (digital touch messages) etc.

Welcoming a list of changes, the ‘Music’ app has also been reorganised. Bolder and clearer, using ‘Music’ has actually become a lot easier since the last update, iOS 9. It’s not clumsy and traversing music has gotten a plenty of simplification.

Last but not the least, iOS 10 finally lands its users the authority to remove built-in apps and rid the iPhone of unnecessary factory installed apps. So long, ‘Stocks‘.

The Final Verdict:
iOS 10 offers the users a fresh new experience of Apple’s ever changing technology,without actually having to force them into buying the newest smartphone.

The inclusion of new features that are comparatively old to Google’s newest Android, the efforts are not completely redundant.

They add to the whole Apple experience more than any other upgrade up until now. There’s a lot of scope of developments in Music as well as in the Notifications scenario of iOS but, for now, the changes are welcomed.
 
Apple unveiled iOS 10, the next-generation operating system for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, on June 13, 2016, releasing it to the public exactly three months later on September 13. At the introduction, Apple CEO Tim Cook described iOS 10 as the "biggest release ever" for iOS users, and the operating system includes major updates for a wide variety of apps, services, and features, including Messages, Siri, Photos, Maps, Apple Music, News, Apple Pay, Control Center, and more.

Some iOS 10 tips and tricks

Universal Clipboard
IOS 10 letting you copy and paste content across devices. Stop SMSing yourself that crucial bit of text or photo. It makes sense for content to live on multiple devices via the clipboard, and that's what will happen with iOS 10 and macOS Sierra.

QuickType understands context
Apple's QuickType keyboard now understands context. What that means is that, for example, if a friend asks where you are, the keyboard will realize that and suggest you send location data, which you'll be able to do at the tap of a button.

Siri is basically becoming a part of your keyboard. In fact, the keyboard will learn new works as time goes on, so if you type anything it will realize not to change. It will also know when you might want to schedule something in your calendar. All in all, your keyboard is going to become a whole lot more helpful. QuickType proactively gives you information it thinks you'll need, so you'll no longer have to look for it yourself. Contacts and your location are just one tap away.

Access the camera by swiping left
Until now, to access the camera you've had to slide from the bottom corner up. Now you'll be able to swipe from anywhere on the screen right to the left, which will automatically pull up the camera. It's a much bigger gesture target. Apple understands how important quick access to the camera is -- that's why it included camera access from the lock screen in the first place. This update should make taking a snapshot that much easier. You won't need precision to get to the camera app as soon as possible -- simply take your phone out and swipe to it.

Split View In Safari
When you are browsing a web page in Safari on the iPad you can now open up two pages next to each other. Press and hold on a link and then choose Open in Split view launching two web pages next to each other. You can use each page independently. It’s awesome for comparison shopping.

Quick Notification view
When you pick up your iPhone, you can now see all your notifications without pushing a button. Raise to Wake is on by default, but you can turn it on in Settings -> Display& Brightness -> Raise to Wake if it isn’t already working. This allows you to quickly see your new notifications without pushing the home button or power button.

Find Your Parked Car
With iOS 10 your iPhone knows when you get out of a car that has been driving and then marks the spot in Apple Maps. You’ll see a notification on your screen showing where your parked car is at.

Quick Checklists
With iOS 10 there are new 3D Touch features or Notes. One of the best is the 3D Touch Quick Action that allows you to create a new checklist. Whether you use this to make a daily to-do list or use it to make a grocery list every few days — it’s an awesome addition. This is only available on the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Find Who Is Calling
iOS 10 now lets Siri tell you who is calling you. You can set this up to happen all the time or simply to have it tell you when you are using headphones or connected to the Car. Go to Settings > Phone > Announce Calls - Choose when you want to hear a caller identification.

Control Third party apps
Now that Siri connects with third party apps you can use Siri to hire an Uber. You need to install the app, sign in and be completely set up. From there you can say Siri get me an Uber to a location, or get me home in an UberX. Siri will show you the time and other important details and then you can request it. You also need to go to Settings -> Siri -> App Support to turn this on.

Choose Travel Preferences
You can tell Apple Maps your preferred method of travel in iOS 10. This is an awesome addition for anyone who walks or takes public transit instead of drives. Go to Settings -> Maps and then choose the option you use most.

Read All Voicemails
About 10 to 30 seconds after someone leaves you a voicemail in iOS 10 you’ll get a transcription of it in the Phone App. Go to check your voicemail like you normally would, but instead of pressing play, you can read the voicemail. This is in beta, so this isn’t 100% reliable, but it is good enough in many situations. You can rate voicemail transcriptions to improve the service.

Edit Live Photos
You can edit Live Photos in iOS 10. Now you can crop, edit and even add filters to Live Photos without losing the Live part of the photo. Take a Live Photo and tap on edit. That’s all there is to it. You can also turn off the Live part of the photo if you don’t like it.

Search Related Photos
Siri can look up photos for you using a variety of search options. This includes asking to see photos of a specific person, but also on a specific date or at a specific location. Hold the home button to access Siri and say, “Show me photos from Hawaii.”, or a similar command to make this work.

Search for Specific people In photos
The iOS 10 Photos app can now show you photos of people using Facial Recognition. In the Photos app you can to Albums -> People to see people that are identified and to identify more people. You can also ask Siri to show you photos of a specific person and she will show you all the photos of that individual.

Write Your Own
You can send handwritten notes through Messages on iOS 10. These appear as a written message on the other user’s screen. You can choose from pre-written beautiful handwritten messages or you can scribble out your own with your finger. You can turn your phone sideways to landscape to see these options, or you can access it by tapping on the App Store icon in Messages.

Send Quick Reply
Tap and hold on a message inside a conversation in iOS 10 and you will now see Tap back options. These quick reply options let you respond to a message like you would a Facebook status. You can heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, laugh, share which shows up on their screen next to the message.

Speak Messages
You can speak messages in iOS 10, similar to how you could in iOS 9. This isn’t dictation, but actually sending a short voice message inside Messages. Apple changed how this works in iOS 10. Go to Messages, open a message and then hold the microphone icon to start recording. You don’t need to hold it the whole time. When you are done you can tap on Stop and then you can tap the up arrow to send the message. Messages expire soon after you play them.

Read only Unseen Mails
At the bottom of the Mail app screen, tap on the circle with three lines in it. This lets you filter your Inbox. By default, this will show you only unread messages. You can also tap in the center to change the filter if you need to see Flagged or if you want to only see messaged that are to you, cc’d to you, with attachments or only from a VIP.

Use Gesture To Clear Notifications
When you are looking at notifications in iOS 10, 3D Touch the X in the upper right corner to clear all notifications in one go. This only works on the iPhone 6s or newer versions.

Send Photos Fast
The new iOS 10 Messages app makes it super-fast to send photos in a conversation. Tap on the camera icon and you can now quickly take a photo with the front or rear cameras. Slide to the right to access recent photos. Slide to the left to go to your library or launch the full camera app.

Manage Your Smart Home
Gone are the days when you'll have separate apps for each aspect of your smart home -- now you'll be able to control your entire smart home straight from the Home app. Smart light bulbs, locks, thermostats, and so on -- all should show up in Home, as long as their HomeKit-enabled. The Home app is likely to play a bigger role in your life as time goes on and your home gets smarter, and its release makes sense if Apple wants to be competitive in the smart home business.

Better Apple Music
When you open the Music app up now, you'll be taken straight to the "library" tab, which shows what you've been listening to recently and what you might want to listen to at that moment. That should help you avoid having to dig through your music to find something to listen to, and if you're halfway through an album that you want to finish, you'll be able to get straight to it. Other changes include lyrics embedded into the app and larger fonts for easier viewability. It's all about less time navigating inside and outside the app, and more time listening to songs.

Read More