iOS 9.1 hidden features revealed

[photo: Snooky Grawls]

Although Apple has already released a beta version for the next update to its iOS 9 platform, some users are wary of the build since it is still in its testing phases. Apple device owners are currently sticking to the more stable iOS 9.1 version.

Indeed, more users are picking the iOS 9.1 version that adoption of iOS 9 has spiked since the iOS 9.1 release, reports Mac Rumors. According to the website, more than half of the current iOS 9 users to date switched from the previous platform versions when iOS 9.1 rolled out.

However, although iOS 9.1 is the most used version for Apple owners as of the moment, there are still a few surprises left for users to discover about the platform version.

According to Gordon Kelly of Forbes, tech-savvy mobile device users have found at least three new features of the iOS 9.1 that were not included in the official release notes of the version.

First of the three unannounced new features in iOS 9.1 is the international rollout for the News app. When iOS 9 was introduced last September, one of the new features that Apple highlighted was the News app. However, the app is restricted only to the U.S. news sites. Now, users may have not noticed it, but with the 9.1 version, the News app now covers Australia and the U.K., with at least 14 publications now unlocked to present their views of the world.

Another surprise for users is that they can now have some control over their message threads. The stable iOS 9.1 platform allows owners to turn off contacts thumbnails in the Messages app. Although it is on by default, users can turn off the contacts photos in the conversation thread by toggling off the Show Contact Photos settings in the Settings > Messages tab.