Apple has secretly concealed a treasure trove of interesting features in iOS 11 as most of these will be used by developers and power users. However, an iOS upgrade usually involves investing a lot of time, money, and effort (consider data backup and device upgrade) on the user side and so it becomes imperative to know all the hidden features that could make your investment worthwhile.
As usual, Apple chose not to reveal several of the hidden features for iOS 11 at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) back in June this year. It is quite surprising to note that Apple has protected these features from developers who often love the idea of exploring the hidden potential of the software.
However, the veterans of the iOS community and some developers have unearthed a bountiful of exciting features stashed away under the hood of iOS 11. With due credit to the folks at Redmond Pie, here is the consolidated list of hidden or secret features in iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad users:
1. English input for Japanese Romaji keyboard
2. Kannada, Malayalam and Odia keyboards
3. Flashlight support for iPad Pro 9.7″
4. 3D Touch for Safari tab switching
5. Spoken/Braille captions for video
6. Enterprise network security
7. Flight status in Spotlight and Safari
8. New Arabic system font
9. Spotlight tab in News
10. iCloud file sharing
11. Streamlined family setup
12. Definitions, conversions and math in Safari
13. Maps entrances to landmarks in China
14. Business Chat preview
15. HomeKit tap to set up
16. Password autofill for third-party apps
17. iCloud family storage plans
18. Traffic camera alerts in China
19. Screenshot and markup
20. Markup also supports Apple Pencil
21. Inline drawing in Notes app
22. NFC reader mode
23. SOS on iPhone
24. Top hits in Mail
25. WebRTC support
26. Enhanced Dynamic Type support
27. One-handed keyboard
28. Redesigned Podcasts app
29. Carrier data usage
30. HomeKit occupancy and duration triggers
31. Automatic setup via iCloud
32. Type to Siri accessibility (typing queries to Siri)
33. Safari safe browsing for China
34. Siri can now follows up on questions with context
35. English on 10-key Pinyin keyboard
36. iCloud remote backup
37. News Video in Today View
38. Redesigned invert colors
39. Russian and English bilingual dictionary
40. Unified iCloud Drive trash
41. Screen recording
42. iCloud family Apple Music integration
43. Advanced WiFi analytics
44. VoiceOver descriptions for images
45. Invite family with iMessage
46. One-handed zoom in Maps
47. Tap-to-join meetings
48. Personalized Top Stories in News
49. PDF accessibility
50. 3D Touch for Lookup
51. Enhanced Switch Control typing
52. Phone number as Apple ID in China
53. Storage optimization
54. Camera QR code scanning support
55. Hindi dictation
56. Share URLS with 3D Touch in Messages
57. FaceTime Live Photos
58. Expanded braille editing
59. SMS fraud extension
60. WiFi password sharing
61. PDF annotation in iBooks
62. Portuguese and English bilingual dictionary
63. Files app replaces iCloud Drive app
64. NFC now open to 3rd-party apps
65. Drag and drop on iPhone in Files and some other apps (but not system wide like on iPad)
66. Floating window on iPad
67. Multitasking with four apps at once (two side by side and one floating) in addition to PiP video on iPads with 4GB RAM
68. Redesign for Calculator app
69. New icons for iTunes, App Store, Calculator apps
70. No labels for apps in dock
71. Landscape lock screen on both 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch iPhones (maybe a bug?)
72. On the iPad, number and symbol rows which are accessible via Shift or CAPS key are now shown on the keys themselves and they can now be optionally accessed by pulling down on the key and releasing
73. Customizable toggles in the new Control Center
74. Automatic uninstall of unused apps
75. System-wide bolder text
76. Accounts & Passwords section in Settings
77. New privacy options for Safari in Settings
78. Pause for iCloud Photo Library sync
79. Storage and iCloud Usage tab now called “iPhone Storage” in Settings
80. Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Flickr integration removed
81. New iMessage effects
82. Taking a screenshot displays a preview thumbnail, tapping which opens a Markup editor
83. Support for 32-bit apps removed
84. Support for 32-bit devices removed
85. AirPlay 2 with multiple-room audio
86. One new wallpaper
87. Dotted icons for cellular signals changed back to bars in status bar
88. AirDrop icon for apps in iPad dock like in macOS
89. GIFs animate in Photos app
90. Play FLAC files
91. Move multiple apps at once on Home screen
92. Continuity support in iPad dock
93. iPad Split View now available in 80-20, 50-50 and 20-80 view
94. Persistent app pairing in iPad app switcher
95. Drap and drop also supports multiple drag and drop of items
96. QuickType keyboard flick on iPad
97. New Passcode UI on Lock screen
98. New Lock screen fade animation
99. New app launch animation
100. Redesign Now Playing music widget on Lock screen
101. Redesigned battery status bar icon
102. Siri & Search pane combined in Settings
103. Share WiFi password with friends and guests
104. Disable Press for Siri option
105. Updated UI for Siri
106. Updated Siri voice
107. Siri translation
108. AirPods can now move between next and previous tracks with a tap
109. Smart Invert (dark mode)
110. Apps using location in background highlighted with blue bar in status bar
111. Health data sync via iCloud
112. Hidden volume HUD UI when music is playing
113. Redesigned volume HUD in video
114. Zoom in native system video player
115. Switch keyboard on the fly when dictating text
116. Quickly share screenshots as soon as you take them with Share Sheet
117. Turn webpage into PDF
118. Markup in PDF
119. New purchase overlay in App Store (same as Apple Pay)
120. Timers tab in Clock app adds seconds
121. iMessages sync over iCloud
122. Tweaks to Weather app
123. Revamped UI of system media player
124. Search tabs in Safari
125. Safari scrolling matches iOS scrolling
126. Tables in Notes app
127. Pinned Notes
128. Paper type in Notes app
129. Search handwritten Notes in Spotlight
130. Change key frame for Live Photos
131. Trim Live Photos
132. New Live Photos effects
133. Create watch face for Apple Watch from Photos app
134. Updated phone app dialer
135. Auto-Answer Calls
136. Background App Refresh gets new options: Off, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data
137. Shut Down option in Settings > General
138. Keychain-based password manager of sorts for apps
139. New numeric keypad
140. Offload unused apps
141. Notes app works with Apple Pencil with tap on Lock screen
142. Disable Wi-Fi Auto-Join on Access Point basis
143. New persistent banner type notification
144. Built-in Apple TV remote in Control Center
145. Slidable Control Center
146. Revamped transaction screen for Apple Pay
147. Hidden photos only appear in Hidden album, not Camera Roll
148. Speed limit in Maps app
149. Peer-to-Peer Apple Pay
150. HomeKit enhancements
151. 2-factor authentication now mandatory
152. Taking a photo with your phone flat will now show you a spirit level
[Source: Redmond Pie]
