If this new look isn't your speed, it's easy enough to avoid it. Tucked away in the brightness options in iOS's Control Center is a quick toggle for Dark Mode, and you can set it to only turn on during certain hours.

Dark Mode is nice and all, but there are a few other visual changes worth noting. As you might have heard, the obtrusive HUD that used to pop up when you changed the volume has been replaced with a slim indicator next to the volume keys. Same goes for Silent Mode: When you flick the toggle switch, you'll see a subtle notification slide down from the top of the screen. I know, I know: These are pretty minor changes, but they're long overdue and give iOS a touch of extra polish.

That said, there's more to this update than just a coat of paint. I've been more pleased with the changes Apple has made with regard to editing and copying text. I spend a lot of time writing scripts and taking notes on my iPhone, and the ability to easily drag the cursor around the screen has made life on my phone a lot less aggravating than it used to be. Selecting text is much simpler, too: All you have to do is press and hold for a moment when you want to start and drag across the screen to highlight the appropriate bits. Need to select a whole sentence? Just triple-tap it.

Since you're probably highlighting text to do something with it, Apple has developed a set of quick gestures to help with copying (pinch three fingers together on the screen) and pasting (the reverse). And if you manage to screw something up in the process, a three-finger swipe to the left or right undoes and redoes your last action, respectively. They're neat flourishes, but they're much better suited to bigger screens like iPads; they can feel awkward on an iPhone. I don't know that I'll be using these gesture frequently, but it's nice to know that they're there.

When it comes to interacting with your iPhone, there's one new addition we really need to talk about: Voice Control. I spent some time digging into the feature's value earlier this month, so I'll be brief here. Once the feature is enabled, you'll see a tiny blue microphone light in the corner of the screen. That's to let you know listening, and by default, it's going to keep listening all the time. For those concerned about privacy (or accuracy, for that matter), you can toggle a setting that keeps the microphone from paying attention to you when your eyes aren't locked on the screen.

Because it uses the same machine learning that underpins Siri, it's quite good at launching apps and transcribing your words. There's much more going on here, though. Did an app just ask you to confirm something in a dialog box? Just respond naturally with a "continue" or "cancel." Do you have to long-press an app icon, but can't use your hands? Simply say those words. Voice Control is clever enough to understand nearly everything on-screen and react to commands quickly and appropriately.