( CNN ) -- Apple has called it the biggest change to the iPhone since the very first one launched in 2007 , but does the latest software , iOS 7 , make the iPhone a more compelling buy for travelers than its Android- and Windows-powered competitors ? While iOS 7 sports a significant redesign alongside improved battery life and multitasking ability , it 's the assortment of new photo functions that iPhone-toting tourists will find most useful in the iOS 7 update . The big deal is a faster , easier way to scroll through that endless stream of photos you 've amassed over the years and trips . In previous versions , those photos all existed as part of one , big linear stream . The iOS7 automatically organizes photos into categories called Collections , Moments and Years , what Apple describes as `` smart groupings of your photos and videos based on time and place . '' Collections is a grouping of moments -- say , a trip to Canada . Moments are organized according to date and location . Years are obvious -- groupings of photos by year . The cool part of the Years organization is a collage of thumbnails of every picture from a given year that appears on the user screen . This can look a little overwhelming -- the more photos , the more intricate the collage -- but it 's actually a handy way to find images quickly . A redesigned photo Share panel adds a number of functions that users should welcome . The most useful is a new Shared Photo Stream that not only allows the user to share photos with others , but allows others to add photos to someone else 's photo stream . Just back from a family vacation in Greece ? In the past you might have streamed all of your vacation photos to family members -- with the iOS7 , those same family members can now add their photos to the same stream . Better Maps app . Another key asset is the new built-in Maps app , which will now include spoken turn-by-turn navigation for pedestrians . Instead of bumbling down Las Ramblas or Lan Kwai Fong , eyes glued to an app and smacking into other people , wandering tourists can pocket their iPhones , stick in an earbud and listen out for the next turn , in the same way drivers use sat-nav apps -- and similar to how Google Maps works on Android smartphones . The App Store on iPhones with iOS 7 will also incorporate GPS location to suggest locally popular apps , which is potentially useful for first-time visits to an area -- for example , firing up the App Store in Hong Kong 's Sheung Wan district shows two bus schedule apps and a `` taxi translator '' that gives the names of streets and places in phonetically spelled Chinese . Other minor traveler-friendly refreshes include an enhanced camera with vintage filters and a square viewfinder mode -- all the better to share those holiday snaps on Instagram ; and additional security for a lost iPhone that prevents would-be thieves from erasing it in order to sell it . Passbook now a bigger plus . An app that launched with last year 's iOS 6 software remains one of the iPhone 's biggest travel boons . Passbook is a travel wallet app that holds digital boarding passes , hotel confirmations and other booking tickets , then uses the iPhone 's GPS sensor to pop up the required boarding pass around the location of use . Though it launched with relatively few airlines and hotels on-board , the app now supports boarding passes for dozens of airlines and travel companies , including Airbnb and Booking.com . Of course , boarding pass apps , trip organizers and other travel helpers are readily available on Android ( and to a lesser extent , BlackBerry and Windows Phones ) . For now , Passbook is an advantage only for multi-stop trips where travelers are likely to be carrying more than a couple of boarding passes or hotel bookings at a time . Should existing iPhone users upgrade to iOS 7 ? `` Software updates fix bugs , enhance performance and add new features , '' says Richard Lai , editor in chief of consumer tech blog Engadget China . `` It 's up to developers then to take advantage of the new tools in their apps . '' Users of the iPhone 5 , iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will be prompted by Apple to update sometime this month , while iOS 7 will be available for the second- , third- and fourth-generation iPads plus the iPad Mini later in the year ( rumored to be October ) . As for whether an iPhone packing iOS 7 is a worthy alternative to the slew of other smartphones , it comes back down to those nice new photo/camera features and the apps . Great travel apps for iPhone such as Skyscanner flight booking and TripAdvisor guides are usually also available for Android , while major apps such as TripIt travel organizer and Skype calling will also support Windows Phone and BlackBerry . For current iPhone owners , iOS 7 will make photo organization simpler , but it wo n't revolutionize their next trip away -- the next generation of iOS 7 apps could . CNN 's Brent Deverman contributed to this report .
New iOS7 offers easier way to sort and scroll through photos -- a big plus . App Store suggests locally popular apps . Older iOS 6 Passport app is still the best travel-related resource . Another new feature -- turn-by-turn audio navigation for walkers .