iOS 9, codenamed Monarch, is the ninth release of the iOS mobile operating system designed by Apple and is the successor to iOS 8. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference 2015 at Moscone Center in San Francisco on June 8, 2015.

On Sept. 21, 2015, Apple announced that iOS 9 had been installed on more than 50 percent of active iOS devices, making it the fastest adoption rate for a new operating system and significantly faster than that of its predecessor. As of Jan. 11, iOS 9 has been installed on 75 percent of compatible Apple devices, iMore reported. Apple did not drop support for any iOS devices; with all devices supporting iOS 8 were also able to run on iOS 9.

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It features the new keyboard shortcuts, a more intelligent Spotlight, a new News app, an updated Notes app, transit directions in Maps, a renamed Wallet app with store and loyalty cards, tether-less CarPlay, and slide-over and split-screen modes for iPad. It also includes the battery, performance and security improvements, according to IT Pro.

A more proactive Siri is also the center of these changes, a far lower word error rate, with anonymous search, and the universal search screen; Siri is now a context sensitive, much like Android Marshmallow's Now on Tap.

The iOS 9.3 update boasts of a Night Shift mode that will adjust colors based on the time of day or the location of the device, producing colors warmer in the evening to combat the issue of blue light affecting the circadian rhythms, making it more difficult to sleep at night. The warmer colors make it easier on the eyes in the evening for its users.

Another update is the password protection, along with Touch ID support, to the Notes app, allowing the users to enjoy private notes with supreme security. Furthermore, here are some of the smaller improvements in the iOS update: The ability to switch to corresponding apps via the Wallet app, Landscape support for more iPhones, Siri support for new languages, including Hebrew, Finish and Malay.

Other features are the ability to duplicate a Live Photo, Taptic feedback, 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the Option to display Activity app data in the Health app. Meanwhile, February or early March is the expected date of release, but confirmations from Apple itself remains unclear.