iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 have been released to everyone

iOSiPhone

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are publicly available today. Apple launched the new iPhone software at the World Wide Developers Conference in June 2020 and since then it was improved in every developers’ update. Now, the users with compatible iPhone models can update their smartphones to the latest version via Settings app > General > Software Update.

Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi said,

“Together with iPhone, iOS is central to how we navigate our lives and stay connected, and we are making it even more powerful and easier to use in iOS 14, with the biggest update ever to the Home Screen. We are thrilled to see the incredible ways developers are taking advantage of widgets and App Clips to create new experiences that we think customers are going to love.”

iOS 14

New Features in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

The new iPhone software offers many new features and redesigns the existing ones to improve user experience. Here is the list of everything new in iOS 14.

New Widgets

iOS 14 allows users can add more animated and personalized widgets on their Home Screen pages. Placed among the apps’, the new widgets provide users with information upon unlocking the iPhone.

The smart stack of widgets features automatically updates user’s widgets based on time, location, and activity.

“For example, users might see the News widget in the morning, Calendar events during the day, and their Fitness summary in the evening. Home Screen pages can be customized to show apps and widgets for work, entertainment, sports, and other areas of interest.”
iOS 14

App Library

Located at the end of the Home Screen pages, the App Library automatically organizes all the app on the iPhone in a simple and easy to view. This smart feature also displays apps that are more pertinent at the moment depending on the time, location, and activity. To access the App Library quickly, users can also hide their Home Screen pages.
iOS 14

Picture-in-Picture Support

The latest software version supports the Picture-in-Picture feature so users do not have to pause a video or answer a FaceTime call while using another app. For example, users can watch a YouTube video while writing an email or sending a text message.

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Redesigned Siri

iOS 14 has made the Siri interface compact and more easily accessible. Like before, the Siri interface does not take up the whole screen, and now it is an aesthetically appealing circular icon that appears on the bottom of the screen when commanded. Users can interact with Siri while using other apps.

In addition, the new smarter Siri uses information across the internet to answer complex queries. Keyboard dictation is used when dictating messages, notes, email, and more to the voice assistant.

iOS 14

App Clips

This feature is a new and innovative tool to allow users to easily and quickly access the apps they need for need at the moment. Users can discover and access the apps in a number of ways: scan an App Clip code or NFC tags, QR codes, and share in Messages or from Safari.

“An App Clip is a small part of an app that is designed to be discovered the moment it is needed. App Clips are associated with a particular product or business, and load within seconds to complete a specific task, such as ordering takeout or filling up the car with gas.”

iOS 14

New Messages Features

Now users can do the following in the Messages app:

  • Pin conversations on top of the Messages interface
  • New mentions and inline replies features allow users to start individual threads in a group conversation on iMessage
  • Set an image or emoji as a display picture for group chats
  • New hairstyles, headwear, face-covering, and other inclusive customization options are added for Memoji in Messages

Updated Maps app

New cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides are added to the Maps app for easier navigation.

  • Cycling directions show elevation, the traffic condition of the street, and if there are stairs on a route.
  • Electric vehicle routing displays charging stops on the route according to the vehicle’s charge and charger type
  • Guides offer a curated list of places to visit for more personalized dining, entertainment, and exploration experiences

iOS 14

New Privacy Features

iOS 14 offers new features to protect users data and online activities:

  • Share approximate location instead of precise location
  • Notified when an app is using the microphone and camera of the smartphone
  • Upgrade to accounts to ‘Sign in with Apple’.
  • Developers will self-report privacy practices on their apps’ product pages on the App Store.
  • In 2021, all apps will have to get users’ permission to track their online activity

iOS 14

Improvements in AirPods Listening Experience

Both AirPods and AirPods Pro offer new capabilities in iOS 14:

  • AirPods Pro offers a theater-like experience with spatial audio and dynamic head tracking for an immersive experience
  • Automatic and seamless device switching for AirPods and Airpods
  • The new ‘Headphones accommodations’ accessibility feature amplifies soft sounds and automatically tunes the audio to play clearer and crisper sound for music, movies, podcasts, and more.

AirPods Pro

The Translate app

This app allows users to translate conversation or content into 11 different languages. The app’s on-device mode enables users to use this feature offline in private voice and text translations.

Car Keys App

Car Keys is the digital tool to unlock and start compatible vehicles via an iPhone. “Car keys can be easily shared using Messages or disabled through iCloud if a device is lost, and are available today for compatible cars using NFC technology.”

carkey-leaked

Apple One

Coming this fall, iOS 14 users will be able to sign up for the new services bundle, Apple One. This will allow users to subscribe to different Apple services for an attractive price.

Updated Apps

iOS 14 has redesigned the following existing frequently used apps:

  • The Home app offers new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center, Adaptive Lighting, and Face Recognition for an easier and smarter home control experience. All information is end-to-end encrypted.

iOS 14

  • The new Privacy Report feature on the Safari browser will help users by showing which cross-site trackers are blocked, the secure password monitoring allows users to detect breached passwords and offer built-in translation across the web.
  • The Health app has a new sleep tracker, Noise app, a new health checklist, and support for new data types.
  • The Weather app offers a new next-hour precipitation chart to show minute-by-minute precipitation during a rain forecast.
  • The new Accessibility features are:
    • Back tap is which allows special needs users to quickly gestures, tasks, and accessibility shortcuts, sign language detection in Group FaceTime”.
    • Sound Recognition notifies users of the surrounding sounds like when a fire alarm goes off or a doorbell rings.
    • Now VoiceOver automatically “recognizes what is displayed visually onscreen so more apps and web experiences are accessible to more people.”

Click here to read the complete press release on iOS 14.

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About the Author

Addicted to social media and in love with iPhone, started blogging as a hobby. And now it's my passion for every day is a new learning experience. Hopefully, manufacturers will continue to use innovative solutions and we will keep on letting you know about them.

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