iOS 11 has a number of new features that Apple simply did not have the time to announce at Worldwide Developers Conference 2017. Some of these features are still being discovered as we go through iOS 11 Developer Preview on our iPhone and iPad but so far we have found FLAC playback in Files app and built-in screen recording and Apple TV remote in Control Center, among other features. QR code scanning via camera app is something that was announced at WWDC 2017 but we tested it out and have added it to this piece as well.
FLAC playback in iOS 11
FLAC, short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, is used for high quality music transcoding. It is a royalty free codec therefore widely preferred by audiophiles around the world. It provides much better quality than other formats like MP3 and is comparable to AAC Lossless however, FLAC is more efficient at compression while maintaining quality.
As discovered on Reddit, FLAC files work on iOS 11 through the Files app. The files need to be in Files app, whether via Cloud storage like iCloud or Google Drive, and it will work fine. Since iTunes does not support FLAC files, it is not possible to sync them to Apple Music app in iOS 11. Apple might release an updated version of iTunes before or with the release of iOS 11 with FLAC support.
Screen Recording in iOS 11
Apple had added a ReplayKit API in iOS 10 which supported screen recording but only inside the app which took advantage of it. With iOS 11, Apple has gone ahead and built in screen recording functionality in Control Center. By enabling the Screen Recording control, you can now start and stop recording your screen and save it as a video. This is extremely convenient as everything happens on the device. Gone are the days of hooking up your iOS device to your Mac to use QuickTime Player to record the screen.
Here’s the new iOS 11 screenshot features on iPhone 7 Plus. pic.twitter.com/npli6CTvKZ
— Imran Hussain (@imhassan) June 5, 2017
How to use Screen Recording in iOS 11
- Go to Settings and navigate to Control Center
- Find Screen Recording under more controls and drag it up under the include heading.
- When you want to start screen recording, swipe up the Control Center, and press the record button. It is the red button in the screenshot below.
- When you are done recording, either tap the green bar at the top of the screen or press the red button again in Control Center to stop it. The video will be saved in Photos app. From here, you can edit it to remove the parts where you started and ended the video using Control Center.
Apple TV Remote in iOS 11 Control Center
With iOS 11, you do not need to install Apple TV Remote app anymore from the App Store. Control Center has a new control for it. Once enabled, 3D Touch on its button to launch the remote app. One first launch, you would need to connect it to your Apple TV. After that, you can easily launch it and use it to navigate your Apple TV. It even supports typing from your iOS device on Apple TV as well as Siri Remote voice capability.
QR Code scanning in iOS 11 Camera App
Apple had announced this on stage at WWDC 2017. You can now open up the camera app in iOS 11, point it to a QR code and it will show a push notification which will take you to the link embedded in that QR code.
Better late than never.
Other iOS 11 features
- You can select the type of paper background in Notes app. Can’t innovate, my ass.
- New Storage user interface.
- GIFs automatically playback in Photos app. No play button shows so they work as expected. Finally.
- Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and Flickr integration has been removed.
- HomeKit now supports zones and automation based on people arriving/leaving home.
- HomeKit devices can now be paired via NFC. Apple has also opened up the NFC API to developers.
- New screen effects in Messages: echo and spotlight
New Message screen effects in iOS 11 pic.twitter.com/zNdhFBwNiZ
— Imran Hussain (@imhassan) June 6, 2017
- Animations are tweaked everywhere: app opening/closing, app switcher and on lock screen. They are also faster than iOS 10.
- New Shutdown option in Settings > General
There is a lot more to cover in iOS 11 and we will keep surfacing important updates in our ongoing coverage.
When you say “Gone are the days of hooking up your iOS device to your Mac to use QuickTime Player to record the screen.” you’re right. At least with my setup, with iOS 11, I can no longer find the iPhone as a “camera” in Quicktime Player.
I was able to use iOS 11 with macOS High Sierra to do a screen recording. The results were not perfect as both are in beta, but the iPhone did show up in QuickTime.
Did you try with macOS Sierra?