Apple’s newest mobile operating system, iOS 9, is scheduled to release on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, and may have a big impact on the use of IPv6.

Each device (mobile phone, laptop, router, etc.) connected to the Internet must have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address.  IPv4, the previous version of the protocol, is running out of unused Internet addresses due to the massive use of the Web that was unexpected when the protocol was developed.  IPv6 is a newer Internet Protocol that was designed to have more than enough Internet addresses, long into the future.  IPv6 was released in 1998 but has been slow to adoption and is still not in widespread use today.

When iOS 9 hits the market, it will treat IPv6 as an equal to IPv4, rather than favoring the old system.  This means that iOS devices will start to use IPv6 much more than they have in the past.  In addition, Apple has noted that they will require all apps submitted to the Apple App Store to support IPv6 starting early next year.

What does this all mean?  An increase in usage of IPv6 would speed up service provider networks for consumers, and possibly allow for more development to happen in the areas of home automation, the Internet of Things (connecting non-computer devices to networks for more/remote control), and self-driving vehicles.  On the flip side, this could mean quite a bit more work for mobile developers, as apps and other software will need to be modified to use IPv6.

If you want to read more about it:
IT News:  IPv6 will get a big boost from iOS 9, Facebook says
TNW News:  OS X 10.11 and iOS 9 now prefer IPv6 for connections
Internet Society: Apple will require IPv6 support for all iOS 9 apps