Release record

iOS 9.0

Full article
Public release
Recorded milestones
7
Beta cycle
100d
Average interval
17d
Public release
Sep 16, 2015

Release notes

Overview

Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.

iOS 9 combined proactive search and Siri behavior with new iPad multitasking, transit-aware Maps, redesigned Notes, the first News app, richer Mail tools, and an optional iCloud Drive app.[1]

The release also introduced Low Power Mode, smaller update downloads, Metal-backed interface performance, stronger account and passcode defaults, and a broad security repair set spanning payments, networking, the kernel, Safari, and WebKit.[2][3][4]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. About iOS 9 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 9 — Intelligence, New iPad Features, and Built-in Apps

    Back to text ↑
  2. About iOS 9 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 9 — Foundation

    Back to text ↑
  3. Apple security updates (2015)

    Apple Support · Apple · 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z · iOS 9 — September 16, 2015

    Back to text ↑
  4. About the Security Content of iOS 9

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 9 security content

    Back to text ↑
  5. About iOS 9 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-30 · iOS 9

Documented & observed

Changes in this version

Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

bugFix · fixed

Notifications from apps using app-specific passwords

documentedconfirmed

Apple’s Beta 4 document places this Apple ID record in its milestone-specific fixed section.

Recorded at Beta 4

  1. [1] iOS SDK Release Notes for iOS 9 Beta 4 (preserved snapshot) · Apple ID — Fixed in Beta 4; app-specific passwords cause multiple notifications

bugFix · fixed

Managing two-factor trusted devices

documentedconfirmed

Apple’s Beta 5 document places this Apple ID record in its milestone-specific fixed section.

Recorded at Beta 5

  1. [1] iOS SDK Release Notes for iOS 9 Beta 5 (preserved snapshot) · Apple ID — Fixed in Beta 5; cannot manage your two-factor authentication trusted devices | Removing a device from your account

bugFix · fixed

Home Sharing controls in Music

documentedconfirmed

Apple’s Beta 5 document places this Home Sharing record in its milestone-specific fixed section.

Recorded at Beta 5

  1. [1] iOS SDK Release Notes for iOS 9 Beta 5 (preserved snapshot) · Home Sharing — Fixed in Beta 5; empty music library | Home Sharing option doesn’t always appear

bugFix · fixed

Launching device-licensed VPP applications

documentedconfirmed

Apple’s Beta 5 document places this Volume Purchase Program record in its milestone-specific fixed section.

Recorded at Beta 5

  1. [1] iOS SDK Release Notes for iOS 9 Beta 5 (preserved snapshot) · Volume Purchase Program — Fixed in Beta 5; licensed to a device won’t launch

feature · introduced

iPad multitasking

documentedconfirmed

The iPad experience added a temporary second-app panel, side-by-side interaction on supported hardware, and a floating video window that remained visible while using other apps.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — New iPad Features

feature · introduced

Proactive intelligence, Siri, and Spotlight

documentedconfirmed

iOS began surfacing context-aware information before typing, expanded Spotlight answers and contact actions, and let Siri search personal media, set reminders from visible content, and request transit directions.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Intelligence

security · introduced

Account and passcode security defaults

documentedconfirmed

iOS 9 strengthened account and device access through two-factor authentication support and a six-digit default passcode on Touch ID hardware.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Foundation security

feature · introduced

Apple News app

documentedconfirmed

News launched with publication and topic discovery, personalized For You recommendations, media-rich article layouts, sharing, and offline reading.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — All-new News app

feature · changed

Redesigned Notes

documentedconfirmed

The redesigned Notes app supported camera and library images, tappable checklists, finger sketches, and saving material shared from other applications.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Redesigned Notes app

enhancement · changed

Expanded iPad QuickType tools

documentedconfirmed

QuickType on iPad introduced multitouch cursor selection, faster access to editing tools, and application shortcuts for connected keyboards.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — QuickType improvements

enhancement · changed

Mail search, Markup, and attachments

documentedconfirmed

Users could narrow Mail searches by message fields, annotate image and PDF attachments without leaving Mail, and attach or save files through iCloud Drive and compatible providers.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Mail improvements

enhancement · introduced

Low Power Mode and platform efficiency

documentedconfirmed

iOS 9 added a power-saving mode, made software updates smaller and schedulable, and moved more app and interface rendering onto Metal for smoother interaction.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Foundation

security · fixed

Safari bookmark data protection

documentedconfirmed

Apple addressed CVE-2015-7118 by changing Safari bookmark encryption so a locked device’s bookmark data was not protected solely by the hardware identifier.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the Security Content of iOS 9 · Safari — CVE-2015-7118

feature · introduced

Maps transit and nearby discovery

documentedconfirmed

Maps could plan public-transport trips in selected cities, expose station entrances and schedules, browse nearby places by category, and show Apple Pay and landmark information on place cards.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 9 Updates · iOS 9 — Map improvements

Milestones

Release history

Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.

  1. Developer beta

    Beta 1

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 9 Beta 1 is represented by 34 source-supported release-note records from a representative first-document baseline of platform behavior, APIs, and known issues; unsupported builds and unbounded carry-forward are excluded.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    41 linked
    Open this appearance
  2. +15 days
  3. +15 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 3

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 9 Beta 3 is represented by 43 source-supported release-note records from the explicit Beta 3 fixes, the self-dated two-factor-authentication addition, and selected current issues that later snapshots resolve; unsupported builds and unbounded carry-forward are excluded.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    51 linked
    Open this appearance
  4. +13 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 4

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 9 Beta 4 is represented by 37 source-supported release-note records from explicit Beta 4 fixes plus conservative additions verified against the retained Beta 3 state; unsupported builds and unbounded carry-forward are excluded.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    55 linked
    Open this appearance
  5. +16 days

    Developer beta

    Beta 5

    Full articleEditorially verified

    iOS 9 Beta 5 is represented by 24 source-supported release-note records from explicit Beta 5 fixes plus three conservative additions verified against the retained Beta 4 state; unsupported builds and unbounded carry-forward are excluded.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    35 linked
    Open this appearance
  6. +34 days
  7. +7 days

    Public release

    Public

    Source-linked recordEditorially verified

    The public iOS 9 release introduced proactive intelligence, iPad multitasking, major built-in app redesigns, power and performance improvements, and a broad security update.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    13 linked
    Open this appearance

Historical context

Cycle comparison

Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.

Historical avg for major releases

102 days, 10.2 milestones

Based on 17 previous iOS .0 releases

Cycle vs. platform average

100d (avg: 57d)

43 days longer than the iOS average

Duration ranking

#11 of 92

Middle of the pack iOS beta cycles

Longest gap in this cycle

34 days

Between Beta 5 and GM

Previous .0 releases (iOS)

Previous comparable iOS releases
VersionYearCycleMilestonesAvg. Interval
iOS 26.0202598d158d
iOS 18.0202498d129d
iOS 17.02023105d139d
iOS 16.0202298d1210d
iOS 15.02021105d1211d
iOS 14.0202086d1010d

Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.

Official release notes