In the planned year, VKontakte seriously upgraded its applications on iOS, especially after the release of iOS 16. I would like to tell you more about this, because this is a real example of how to use the new capabilities of implementing the Apple system.
In general, many people still associate VKontakte only with the social network and highly profitable, and this is partly true. Only this application is not limited to messages, news feed, communities and personal page for several years now.
VKontakte is one of the most successful superapps in Russia. For those not in the know, a superapp is a single app that brings together all the products and features of an ecosystem. That is, when the application is implemented in different directions, and does not concentrate on one.
Now I’ll tell you more about what I mean.
VKontakte is one of the first apps to support new iOS 16 features
VKontakte quickly added support for iOS 16, as well as several useful features. New widgets.
Among them would be excluded:
▪️ Interlocutors – allows you to quickly move into a dialogue with human emotions. It is very convenient when you communicate with people’s profits.
▪️ Steps is an iOS 16 lock screen widget that counts steps taken. VKontakte has a built-in and full-fledged counter that counts steps and compares indicators with other applications.
▪️ playlists – quick access to recently listened to albums and playlists in VK Music.
▪️ Picture of the day – weather, voice assistant Marusya, exchange rates and unread messages in one widget.
VKontakte also has a handy widget that shows the QR code of a person vaccinated against COVID-19. Now irrelevant, but still nice that it can be viewed through a user-friendly interface.
The app itself doesn’t stand still either. For example, the context menu has recently been updated on VKontakte. Exactly the same design is used in Apple applications.
Its advantages are that the buttons are smaller due to the fact that more actions fit on the screen. In addition, they are now visible exactly where you clicked, and not full screen as before.
There is also a handy Drag&Drop feature that allows you to quickly add files to messages. For example, you found a picture on the Internet. You should remember the image, and then add it to the message.
Now you can just hold the clock on the picture and drag it to the application. This is faster, eliminates unnecessary actions and allows you not to get a picture, thereby not clogging the application. Photo.
VKontakte has full support for Apple Watch
This recent news came as a big surprise to me. Unfortunately, it so happened that the manufacturers of instant messengers and social networks are not very fond of the Apple Watch.
You don’t have to look far for examples. WhatsApp has never supported the Apple Watch, and Telegram removed the watch version a few months ago.
And against this background, VKontakte has released an application for the Apple Watch, which has everything you need.
Primarily – messages. You can chat directly from the watch. The app has a list of chats where you can send quick replies and stickers.
Built-in VK Music allows you to launch any albums and playlists directly on your Apple Watch. This feature is appreciated by athletes who play sports with watches and keep an iPhone in their clothes.
Service Steps allows you to add widgets directly to the watch faces and take steps better, because the watch is always on hand, while the iPhone can be somewhere else.
Via QR code you can quickly share your profile. It is enough for the interlocutor to point the smartphone camera at the watch to open the page.
This is a really nice update, especially for those who, like me, lack useful applications on the Apple Watch.
VK Messenger with iPad support
I really like the VK approach when they highlight the message in a separate VK Messenger application. If you do not need all the functions of VKontakte or you communicate only with some friends, then you can use VK Messenger for this.
But despite this, he also has something to surprise.
First of all, iPad support. This is hard to find, but not all popular instant messengers and social networks are chosen for the iPad, and these, by the way, are the most popular tablets in the world.
It’s nice that VK Messenger has a full version for iPad with split screen, iPadOS 16 proprietary context menu.
Secondly, just as a messenger, the application works perfectly. Users can add chats to folders and follow communities directly in the messenger. New entries immediately in the chat list. While the function is in beta, but I’m sure it will be appreciated by those who only need to communicate and follow the class on VKontakte.
The app also supports widget Interlocutorslike VKontakte for iOS 16.
But the coolest feature, perhaps, is the support for functions In the spotlight in VK Calls on iPad. It allows you to stay in the frame as you move around during video calls.
In essence, this is just a smart framing, but in reality it looks like real magic: you can even walk, and the camera will watch you.
This is how you should use the capabilities of Apple
Many are familiar situations where users start enabling new iOS features six months or a year after they are released. Such examples, even from large companies.
With VKontakte and VK Messenger, the situation is absolutely the opposite. Both applications are updated and new system features are used.
I especially liked the app for Apple Watch, because I haven’t seen such well-developed watch apps for a long time.
Source: Iphones RU
