Everything You Need to Know About iOS 6 in Under Three Minutes

iOS 6 is packed with a lot of great new features and it can be a lot to take in. We’ll show you everything you need to know in under three minutes so you can stay up to date and move on with your life.

Watch the video above for the overview. The quick details are below, too.

The top feature for most people is Maps, because it now offers turn-by-turn navigation guided by Siri. As you’d expect from Apple, the maps are attractive and pretty easy to read. Directions are really large so you can see them well if you need to quickly glance in the car. The downside is that Maps only offers driving directions, so public transit and walking directions no longer exist. You also need an iPhone 4S, 3rd generation iPad, or newer device to use it. Older models use the new app but offer no voice-guided directions. One more thing to say about Maps is Flyover, which lets you explore a map in 3D. It’s pretty cool.

Passbook

Passbook is a new app that keeps track of all your passes and tickets, such as movie tickets and flights. It can even store digital gift and discount cards. As with any new release, partners are limited but it seems Apple has started out with a quite a few major ones. Starbucks, Fandango, and several major airlines support the service.

Phone Updates

While not as flashy, updates to the Phone app are pretty great. You can now reply with a text message or immediately set a reminder to call the person back when you’re available next. Those reminders can be based on where you are, too. iOS 6 provides a Do Not Disturb mode, too, so you can set quiet hours when you don’t want to get calls. If you want calls from certain people to go through during these hours, you can set them as emergency contacts and Do Not Disturb will allow them in.

VIP Mail

The Mail app has a nice new feature called VIP, which is similar to Gmail’s Priority Inbox but more specific. Basically, you can choose which contacts are VIPs and their emails will pop up in a special inbox so you don’t have to look at emails from lowly peons.

A Smarter Siri

Siri gets smarter in iOS 6. She now knows about sports, can make OpenTable reservations, pull up a movie trailer, and works in a variety of new languages. Additionally, Siri works on the iPad.

Facetime Over Cellular

Want to make FaceTime calls over cellular? You can in iOS 6—sort of. Apple allows it. Your carrier may charge you or require a certain plan for the privilege.

Photos

Photos also got a small upgrade in iOS 6. You can now upload photos to web sites via mobile Safari, and you can share your photo stream with others.

Facebook Integration

iOS 6 integrates Facebook system-wide. Sign in once on your iDevice, then share whatever you want at will.

Better Privacy Settings

Apple’s beefed up its privacy settings, allowing you to see what apps are using what kinds of data at any time. If an app is accessing something you don’t want it to, you can just revoke those permissions in Settings.

Panorama Photos

If you get your hands on an iPhone 5, the camera app now has a sweeping panorama mode. Basically, you just sweep your phone from left to right and it’ll assemble a giant panorama for you.