iOS 7.1 update released with performance and UI improvements

Apple has released the iOS 7.1 update for iPhones, iPods and iPads, giving older models a bit of a speed boost.

Other new additions include the CarPlay UI, making it easier to use Siri voice commands when driving (if you have a car that supports it) and changes to the Notifications Centre UI, ensuring new notifications are easier to find.

There are a couple of further visual UI tweaks including rounded icons in the phone dialler and power off features.

iOS 7 was particularly laggy on the iPhone 4 because of its CPU-intensive animations. Side-by-side tests by Ars Technica showed the new update cuts down on the animations, making the experience smoother on older Apple devices.

You'll also notice new icons within the music app (shuffle and repeat) and clearer shift and delete keys on the standard keyboard. Apple has also introduced separate decline and accept buttons alongside floating Remind Me and Message options when a call comes in.

As with most iOS updates, iOS 7.1 also fixes a number of bugs including the random rebooting some iPhone 5s, iPad mini with Retina display, and iPad Air users were experiencing. Apple originally said it would release an update in January to rectify this but instead decided to bundle it in with this bigger update.

Speed and accuracy issues with TouchID have been fixed, making the fingerprint identity sensor easier to use.

Although not a major update, iOS 7.1 will hopefully keep iDevice users happy until iOS 8 is announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June, where it's expected the tech giant will open up more features to third-party developers.

iOS 7.1 is available to download by going to Settings > General Settings > Software Updates on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and is 218MB, so you'll need to make sure you have enough space on your iDevice before attempting to download the update.