iOS 5

<style>
.ios-ib th.ios-lab { background-color: #333; color: #fff; text-align: center; width: 28%; padding: 6px; }
.ios-ib td.ios-val { text-align: left; padding: 6px 10px; }
</style>
{| class="ios-ib" style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #333; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;"
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding: 28px 20px 42px;" |
<div style="font: bold 2em/1.2 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'SF Pro Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: var(--wiki-color);">iOS 5</div>
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Developer
| class="ios-val" | [[Apple]]
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Announced
| class="ios-val" | June 6, 2011 (WWDC)
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Initial release
| class="ios-val" | October 12, 2011
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Final release
| class="ios-val" | 5.1.1 (May 7, 2012)
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Launch device
| class="ios-val" | [[iPhone 4s]]
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Preceded by
| class="ios-val" | [[iOS 4]]
|-
! class="ios-lab" | Succeeded by
| class="ios-val" | [[iOS 6]]
|}

{{iOS Version Navbox}}

iOS 5 is the fifth major release of [[iOS]], released on October 12, 2011, alongside the [[iPhone 4s]] — announced at the last WWDC keynote [[Steve Jobs]] attended, and shipped a week after his death. It cut the platform's final cord: "PC Free" setup, over-the-air updates, and iCloud sync and backup ended the requirement that every iPhone belong to a computer running [[iTunes]], redefining the device as fully self-sufficient.

Its user-facing additions were among the era's stickiest: Notification Center replaced the interrupting blue alert boxes with a pull-down shade, iMessage folded a free Apple-to-Apple messaging network into the SMS app, and Siri — exclusive to the 4s — introduced the voice-assistant category to the mainstream.

= Features =

Notification Center with lock-screen notifications, iMessage across iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, iCloud (mail, contacts, calendars, device backup, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud), Reminders with geofencing, Newsstand, Twitter system integration, lock-screen camera access with volume-button shutter, AirPlay Mirroring, and the split/thumb keyboard on iPad. Point releases delivered iTunes Match (5.0.1) and Japanese Siri (5.1).

The launch itself strained Apple's servers for days, and early 4s battery-drain bugs drew enough coverage that Apple issued a rare public acknowledgment before patching.

= Supported devices =

[[iPhone 4s]], [[iPhone 4]], [[iPhone 3GS]], both iPads, and iPod touch 3rd/4th generations — dropping the [[iPhone 3G]]. The 3GS's inclusion continued its improbable software longevity.

= Legacy =

iOS 5 is the hinge between the accessory era and the independent device: iCloud's activation-to-backup autonomy became the baseline expectation for every phone platform. iMessage grew into one of Apple's strongest lock-in assets (and antitrust exhibits), Notification Center's pull-down shade became a universal smartphone idiom, and Siri opened the assistant race that still runs — through [[iOS 27]]'s Siri AI rebuild.