Let’s be honest: Most of the leaks we’ve seen about iOS 9 have been on the dull side. Apple is placing a lot of emphasis on stability with its latest software, which means it’s not adding as many new features as it has in the past. However, 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman brings us word of a new feature that really sounds like something to get excited about.
FROM EARLIER: Watch a crazy iOS bug cause iPhones to crash just by receiving a text message
According to Gurman, the new feature will be called Proactive and it will be Apple’s first attempt to build a proper Google Now rival. Proactive will combine information gleaned from multiple sources — including Siri, Contacts, Calendar, Passbook, Apple Maps and third-party apps — to help give you important information when you need it.
“As an evolution of iOS’s Spotlight search feature, Proactive is the fruit of a long-term initiative that involved the acquisition of small app developers, and integration of core iOS apps,” Gurman explains. “It will also work with Apple’s Maps application to display personally relevant points of interest using an augmented reality interface, and integrate with a third-party Siri API codenamed ‘Breadcrumbs.'”
Apple has apparently been working on this feature for several years now and it will pitch it as a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Now.
To read more about this exciting new feature, check out Gurman’s full report by clicking here.
