Here are five things to know if you download the software on one of Apple’s older mobile devices starting Wednesday or buy a new iPhone starting Friday. The update is available for free for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 models, the iPad 2 and later, the iPad Mini and the iPod Touch released last year. You’ll need about 3 gigabytes of free storage.
TIP ONE: CONTROL CENTER AND SWIPES
Many of the improvements added to iOS 7 are delivered after swiping from various edges of the screen. This redesign is meant to make it easier to navigate, but there is no guide for knowing when and how to swipe. Fortunately, you can still use an iPhone the traditional way, by tapping on an icon or button, even if you don’t learn all the new ways to swipe.
As a general rule of thumb, keep swiping from various edges to see what happens. If you discover something neat, remember it for next time. Swiping may produce different results if you’re in the lock screen, the home screen or an app.
Here’s a guide to the basic swipes:
- From the lock screen, swipe up from the bottom right corner to access the camera. This is a holdover from iOS 6.
- Whether locked or unlocked, swipe up from anywhere else along the bottom edge to get the Control Center. It gives you easy access to frequently accessed settings such as Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi. It also gets you to key apps such as the flashlight feature and the clock, for timing how long the turkey needs to be in the oven. There’s a volume control, but only for audio and video playback. You need the volume buttons for the ringer and alerts.
