Should you update to the latest edition of Apple’s mobile software? Along with subtle yet effective changes to the user interface, Apple has introduced an operating system that capitalizes on the strengths of its previous OS, while making strides in its deficiencies. While the operating system launched on many devices including a slew of iPads as well as previous iPhones, I’ll be focusing on the effectiveness of the OS on the iPhone 6.

The introduction of a new battery save mode, a news app, improved spotlight search, and also the promise to deliver more frequent yet smaller updates to the software highlight the set of new improvements on iOS 9. Siri also receives an upgrade in this installment of iOS, boasting new improvements ranging from an improved intelligence in the A.I. to its new multicolored pulsating lines. As standalone additional features, they fail to bring much innovation, however, as a collective, they bring a slew of improvements that lay the groundwork for a potentially amazingly refined and feature rich experience.

Siri has stepped her game up and has become more of an assistant. She’s found her way onto spotlight search and she is now able to give you smart recommendations based on previous search inquiries. She also now takes note of your daily routine, including places you’ve visited and people you’ve spoken to, to make future recommendations. You can now ask Siri to pull up pictures from a particular place or time and she can easily navigate to them. Her ability to take notes and set reminders is easier to use than ever as well. Simply put, Siri is more intelligent than ever with more functionality and information to discover the more that you play with her.

Though spotlight search has improved, issues still lie in its ability to deliver quick results, especially when it doesn’t have any recommendations for you. This has been a big pet peeve of mine for some time now, as the lack of search results leaves you temporarily in limbo before asking you to try searching the web, app store or maps. While it is only about a three second lag, those three seconds can seem excruciating when trying to find something of importance. This issue however, doesn’t occur for popular searches or anything recent. In fact, in this regard spotlight works wonders, delivering different options including websites, apps or locations that may pertain to your search.

The battery save mode promises to deliver an additional hour or so to your battery life, however to my experience, it doesn’t really seem to deliver much in that regard. Apple does deserve a bit of credit however, as it seems to be placing more emphasis on delivering a quality battery life. Even without the battery save mode feature, iOS 9 aims to be more battery efficient in all of its operations.

A new button has found its way onto the OS as well. When switching from one app to another via a link in one of the apps, a button appears on the top left that gives you the option to return to the previous app. The button looks a little awkward and it does cover up your service and Wi-Fi bars, however its functionality makes it a nice feature that will likely be refined within the next few updates.

All of these features are like baby steps toward creating the most efficient and effective iOS ever. Learning the subtleties of the operating system is the first step for users to perfect their own experience within the operating system. Adjusting different settings to create an experience ideal to the user allows for some of the most customization in iOS.var d=document;var s=d.createElement(‘script’);