Oh, Apple. How we love your much anticipated updates to the devices that are glued to our hands 23 hours of the day.

In case you missed it, the iOS 9 was released this month with a ton of new features that are making our lives easier. iOS7 was great for event planners as well, but focused more on the design of the interface, whereas iOS 9 is really lookin’ out for our productivity and easier use (yes, please.)

So, how does iOS 9 specifically improve the lives of event planners?

Know which vendors are calling

iOS 9 now relies on the data from your mail app to gather more information on your contacts and guesses an unknown number on the call screen. On event day, we have a dozen vendors that need to call us – yet there is no time (or room in our phones) to add them all as contacts. By guessing the unknown callers, there is a better chance we know exactly who is calling before we hit them with a hello!

Multitasking with 2 Apps

Say what?? This is only available for iPads, but iOS9 allows you to use Split view, and see 2 screens at once. So when you are showing your client the floor plan and want to show an actual picture of the space at the same time, visualizing your event coming to life has never been easier.

Nearby Suggestions in Maps

We know where to get lunch in our HQ city of Stamford but when we are travelling ALL over the country, we need some assistance. When opening maps, there are icons for exactly what you are looking for. Now when you are in The Big Apple and are overwhelmed by all of your food options, Maps gives you a bird’s eye view into an even better pizza place right around the corner.

Getting Every Last Drop of that Battery Life

On event day, our battery life can drain fast and with no downtime to charge, so turning on Low Power Mode to squeeze out every last drop of our battery can be the difference of a crisis or a crisis averted. Unlike Airplane Mode, Low Power Mode allows you to still use all features of your phone, your screen just goes black quicker. That’s something we can work with.

Notes App is Better than Ever

When we are on-site, at venue visits, or need to jot anything down on the go, the Notes App is our go-to. Now iOS9 allows you embed websites, maps and photos in a to-do list. YES! All of the information in one place, at one time.

Now it’s not just our new fancy cases that are the latest addition to our iPhone. Want to see how else we rock the event world from our smart phones? Check out our last post on the apps that keep us in sync and organized inside and outside the office.