iPhone OS 2 is the

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

major release of the

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

mobile operating system A mobile operating system is an operating system for mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on ...

developed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...

, being the successor to

iPhone OS 1 iPhone OS 1, commonly referred to as iOS 1, is the first major release of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. No official name was given on its initial release; Apple marketing literature simply stated that the iPhone runs a version of Apple' ...

. It was the first release of iOS to support third-party applications via the

App Store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...

. iPhone OS 2.2.1 was the final version of iPhone OS 2. It was succeeded by iPhone OS 3 on June 17, 2009. iPhone OS 2.0 became available on July 11, 2008 with the release of the

iPhone 3G The iPhone 3G (also known as iPhone 2) is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc.; it is the second generation of iPhone, successor to the original iPhone, and was introduced on June 9, 2008, at the WWDC 2008 at the Moscon ...

. Devices running iPhone OS 1 are upgradable to this version. This version of iOS introduces the

, making third-party applications available to the iPhone and

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...

. Prior to the public release of iPhone OS 2.0, Apple held a keynote event to announce the iPhone OS Software Development Kit ("SDK") to developers. Originally it was called 1.2.

Apps

Text Text may refer to: Written word * Text (literary theory), any object that can be read, including: **Religious text, a writing that a religious tradition considers to be sacred **Text, a verse or passage from scripture used in expository preachin ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

Calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physi ...

Stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

Calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...

Photos A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...

Maps A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

Notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * Notes (album), ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) sho ...

Camera A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...

Weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

* Settings * Videos (iPod Touch exclusive)

Dock

Phone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...

Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

iPod The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...

History

iPhone OS 2 was introduced at the

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc. The conference is usually held at Apple Park in California. The event is usually used to showcase new software and technologies in th ...

keynote address on June 9, 2008.
iPhone OS 2.0 was released on July 11, 2008. It was released along with the

, and ran on the first-generation iPhone as well.

Updates

Features

App Store

The most notable feature of iPhone OS 2 was the

. Before this feature was introduced, the only way to install custom applications on the device was via jailbreaking, which is strongly discouraged and unsupported by Apple. There were 500 applications available for download at the launch of the App Store, though this amount has grown dramatically since then. Now, the App Store has more than 4 million apps and games as of 2021.

Mail

The Mail app had a makeover, having push-emails that provide an always-on capability. It also supports

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketin ...

attachments, as well as

iWork iWork is an office suite of applications created by Apple Inc. for its macOS and iOS operating systems, and also available cross-platform through the iCloud website. It includes the presentation application Keynote, the word processing and desk ...

attachments. Other new features including support for BCC, multiple email delete, and the ability to select an outgoing email.

Contacts

The Contacts app now has a new home screen icon that is only available on iPod Touch. Along with the release is the ability to search contacts without being searched one-by-one, as well as SIM contacts import ability.

Maps

New features were added to the

app in the iPhone OS 2.2 software update. Among the features added are the inclusion of

Google Street View Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expa ...

, directions to public transit and while walking, and the ability to display the address of a dropped pin.

Calculator

When the device is in landscape mode, the calculator app displays a scientific calculator. Also, the app icon is updated.

Settings

Settings now has an ability to turn Wi-Fi back on while in Airplane mode, as well as the ability to turn on/off Location Services.

Reception

Rene Ritchie Rene Ritchie (born 1972) is a Canadian independent blogger and YouTube content creator. Ritchie is known for his podcasts including Debug, Iterate, Vector, ZEN & TECH, Review, The TV Show, and as co-host of ''MacBreak Weekly'' on the TWiT Netwo ...

at ''

iMore The Apple community is a group of people interested in Apple Inc. and its products, who report information in various media. Generally this has evolved into a proliferation of websites, but latterly has also expanded into podcasts (both audio and ...

'' said, "Overall, iPhone Firmware 2.0 is a stunning achievement that really puts the iPhone on par with the Apple II and Mac as one of the great revolutions in modern technology. It takes it beyond simple Phone + iPod, or even smartphone, and makes it the leading contender for the next great shift in computing." However, they criticized it for having stability issues and overall sluggishness. ''

Macworld ''Macworld'' is a website dedicated to products and software of Apple Inc., published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG Inc. It started life as a print magazine in 1984 and had the largest audited circulation (both total and newsstand) of Macint ...

'' said, "The iPhone 2.0 software is full of the kind of refinements that you'd expect from a second-generation Apple product. The iPhone OS still isn't perfect, and we wish Apple has addressed some lingering shortcomings, but it's a welcome step-up for what was already arguably the best mobile platform on the market."

iPod Touch price

The update from iPhone OS 1.x to iPhone OS 2.0 cost $9.95 for iPod touch users; it was free for iPhone users. This was mandatory under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which has been since revised. Upgrades to iPhone OS 2.1 or 2.2 from iPhone OS 2.0 were free for iPod touch users.

Supported devices

; iPhone *

iPhone (1st generation) The iPhone (retrospectively referred to unofficially as the iPhone 2G, iPhone 1 or original iPhone) is the first iPhone model and the first smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. After years of rumors and speculation, it was official ...

;

iPod Touch (1st generation) The first-generation iPod Touch, (colloquially known as the iPod Touch 1G, iPod Touch 1, or original iPod Touch) is a multi-touch mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-based user interface. The first device of t ...

iPod Touch (2nd generation) The second-generation iPod Touch (marketed as "the new iPod touch", and colloquially known as the iPod Touch 2G, iPod Touch 2, or iPod 2) is a multi-touch mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-based user interfac ...

References

External links

* {{Apple *2 2008 software Products introduced in 2008 Mobile operating systems Proprietary operating systems