iOS 11 Update: 8 Reasons to Get Excited & 4 Reasons Not To

The iOS 11 release date is probably just a few weeks away and there are plenty of reasons to start getting excited about Apple’s next big upgrade.

Apple’s iOS 11 beta is an early version of iOS 11 but it’s still packed with new features, tweaks, and enhancements for select iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models.

Some features, like the changes to Control Center, Siri, and stock apps like Podcasts and Apple Music are plain to see. Others, like an exciting change to the volume HUD and a change to the double tap function on AirPods, aren’t as obvious.

Apple recently released its sixth iOS 11 beta, fifth for public beta testers, a sign that the official release for everyone is getting close. The two betas also arrived on the same day, a sign that Apple’s ramping up its testing as we push into the month of September.

Excitement is certainly in the air but we’d be lying if we told you Apple’s iOS 11 release will please everyone. The iOS 11 update is shaping up to be an exciting release for many iPhone and iPad users but there are also a few things that could disappoint.

With that in mind, we want to take an early look at what has us the most excited, and the most disappointed, about the iOS 11 update and its upcoming release.

Get Excited About the New Volume Slider

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For years we've been begging Apple to make a simple change to iOS' volume slider. The current version, which you can see in the screenshot here, pops up in the middle of videos playing in the native video player. It's intrusive and it's extremely annoying.  Well, someone at Apple finally listened to us (and many others) because the iOS 11 update has done away with the horrible design. In iOS 11, the volume slider is now absent across most of the operating system. For example, if you're viewing a video from a trip you recently took, you won't see a slider anywhere on the screen.  In some apps you'll now get a simplified video slider that appears in the top right corner of the screen. It's far from perfect but it's a whole lot better than the experience in iOS 10.  This is a small change but it's one that's got us extremely excited for September.

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