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10 best tips and tricks to help you make the most of iOS 9 on your Apple device

If you recently updated your iPad or iPhone to iOS 9 but don't know where to start with all its new features, we've put together a handy list to help you get acquainted. Some of these tips are only available for iPad, but there’s still plenty here for iPhone users can't take advantage of some of these tips that have helped us get more out of our Apple devices with the new system update.

WiFi assist can be found under Settings>Cellular and scrolling to the bottom of your apps.
WiFi assist can be found under Settings>Cellular and scrolling to the bottom of your apps.

Wi-Fi Assist

Ever have trouble connecting to your office or home Wi-Fi network and think you'd be better off simply using your smartphone data plan instead? Rather than manually switching from one connection to the other, Apple has now made that transition seamless with the Wi-Fi Assist fix which will drop your struggling Wi-Fi signal in favour of a more stable cellular connection. Fear not, those of you on slimmer data plans can turn this feature off in the Settings menu.

Low Power Mode

Next to the price of a smartphone, battery life comes in at a close second on the importance scale for many consumers. Think about it: how many of you have disabled Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, dimmed the screen or even turned on Airplane mode to try and keep your phone going for a little longer. Thankfully, with iOS 9's new Low Power Mode, you'll be able to get a bit more out of your battery without making a bunch of manual tweaks. When you enable Low Power Mode, iOS 9 turns off apps that continuously fetch for data, such as Mail and automatic downloads, reduces visual effects and cuts processing power by roughly 40 per cent. You'll be automatically prompted to turn on this setting when your battery hits 20 per cent and 10 per cent but you can also enable it manually. Performance will definitely take a hit but the extended battery life can sure come in handy in a pinch.

iPad Split Screen Multitasking

If you've got an iPad Air 2 or have your eyes set on the new iPad Pro, you'll finally be able to enjoy split screen multitasking. Simply swipe left from the side of the screen to pull up the SlideOver window. Here, you can select an app which will then be displayed as a column on the right hand side which is great for apps like Twitter, Messages and Mail. The real draw here, though, is that you can position the divider in the middle of the screen so you can run the two apps natively side by side. Finally, I no longer have to switch to my Reddit tab while I'm at work!

iCloud Drive App

Simply put, you'll be able to access your iCloud files with this handy app. There really isn't much more to be said except it's about dang time. Download it. Download it now!

App Thinning

Because it can be rather costly to purchase a phone with a ton of internal space, most of us settle for the bare minimum we'll need to get by. For some, that means picking up a 16GB iPhone 6s which really isn't a lot of storage. Factoring in the size of iOS 9, pictures, videos, apps and music, you're probably going to have to cut some corners. With the new App Thinning feature, apps you install will only download the required files as necessary. While this seems like a no-brainer, universal apps in the App Store previously required downloads to install all files regardless if you're on iPad or iPhone. It's a welcomed change for those who need to be conservative with storage.

An Updated (and Smarter) Siri

Siri, our resident iOS assistant, has had a few upgrades as well and now offers even more diversified commands such as "show me photos from (insert month here)" or "show me photos I took while in (insert place here)". If you get interrupted while you're in the middle of reading an article, writing an email or taking some notes, you can tell Siri to "remind me about this later" and she'll make a note of it. Pretty cool, huh?

Swipe right on your home screen to reveal the improved Search functions.
Swipe right on your home screen to reveal the improved Search functions.

Search Updates

In terms of the updated search functionality, you can now swipe right or down from the home screen to find what you need. Enter a contact's name and you'll get a prompt to message, call or FaceTime them along with other personal details you may have added.

Selecting Multiple Photos

Have you ever wanted to delete a bunch of selfies at once but cringed at each one as you selected them one by one? Now, you can drag your finger across the entire row of photos and remove them instantly. A subtle but welcomed change for those who need to free up some space on their device as well.

Updated iPad Keyboard

I think we can all agree that editing text on an iPad is a less than desirable experience. With the updated iPad keyboard, however, selecting and editing sections of text just became much easier. Simply press and hold two fingers on the keyboard to transform it into a virtual trackpad which will allow you to edit to your heart's desire. No more looking for those cumbersome blue bookend indicators!

New Six Digit Passcode

For added security, iOS 9 now offers a six digit passcode instead of the standard four digit code we've all come to know and love. Users who use Touch ID probably won't make use of this feature but those who still use passcodes will certainly want to take advantage of the extra characters. For reference, a four digit passcode offers up to 10,000 unique combinations. A six digit passcode, however, offers up to a million.

If you think we missed anything vital or have some tips and tricks of your own, let us know in the comment section below!