New Apps Debut for Apple's iOS 7

Many major apps have been refreshed for Apple's latest operating system.

ByABC News
September 19, 2013, 11:25 AM

— -- Apple's core operating system for the iPad and iPhone got a major refresh Wednesday with the release of iOS 7 and now the apps that you use the most on those devices are also being freshened up to match.

Hundreds of new apps for iOS 7 were released the same day and amongst them were updates to the two most popular social media apps, Twitter and Facebook.

Facebook's new app has been overhauled with a new way to navigate around your feed. No longer do you swipe from the left to get menus, the navigation bar is on the bottom now with quick access to your friend requests, notifications and messages. Facebook said it has been testing the new design over the last six months with a limited number of users.

The changes in Twitter's new app, however, are mostly aesthetic, though there are some significant Twitter changes within the operating system. For instance, Siri can now search Twitter and in Safari you can see a list of links that have been shared on Twitter by people you follow. In both the social media apps, the platform extends to the top of the screen, a new immersive feature you will see in a number of new apps.

Hundreds of other apps were updated on Wednesday for the new software, including ones like Mailbox, Yahoo, Evernote, Pocket, Shazam, Pandora and Vine. But notably absent with a refresh? Instagram. When reached by ABC News, an Instagram spokesperson said that the company has nothing to announce at this time.

If you are running older hardware that does not support iOS 7, like the iPhone 3G or an original iPad, Apple will continue offering the last compatible version of those apps for those devices.

For more on iOS 7, read our full review or check out our guide to seven of the new features.