Apple says iOS 8, "the biggest release since the launch of the App Store," will be available starting Wednesday, Sept. 17 to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users as a free software update.

Apple says it delivers a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard and Family Sharing. iOS 8 also includes the new Health app, giving you a clear overview of your health and fitness data and iCloud Drive, so you can store files and access them from anywhere. With more than 4,000 new APIs [application programming interfaces], iOS 8 allows developers to further customize the user experience with major extensibility features and robust frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit.

"We’re excited for hundreds of millions of users to begin experiencing iOS 8, with incredible features that offer new ways to use your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch," says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. "iOS 8 also creates an extraordinary environment for developers, providing them the ability to create amazing new apps like never before."