On Thursday, 9th july, Apple released the first public beta version of iOS 14. Which was announced during Apple’s Worldwide developers conference on June 22, 2020. The first look of iOS 14 update has many noticeable things for iPhone users.
The iOS 14 update changes the look of your iPhone to give you a whole new experience. The interface of the iphone has been pretty much the same since it’s first launch. However, this time the makers tried to give it a change. Following are some new features in the iOS 14 update :
Widgets on the homescreen
Previously, the widgets could be accessed in an iPhone by swiping left to right, in the Today-view. Now, you can have your widgets on your homescreen with other apps. It is a great change to the normal app-icon look. You can have only widgets or widgets + apps on your homescreen. Also, the size of the widgets are customizable. The Widgets come in three sizes: small (the size of four app icons — two icons × two icons), medium (a full row, four icons × two icons), and large (four icons × four icons). You can also stack widgets. Long press on a widget and shift it on an another widget to stack. There are an increased number of widgets than the previous versions. And the new widgets are surely gorgeous.
Hide apps
You can now completely hide apps which you do not need, without completely uninstalling them. The apps will still be present in your phone, just not in your view. You can access them whenever you want by searching for them. (Swipe down on any home page for the search field)
App library
On the last visible home page you’ll get an app library. It has a search bar on the top and siri suggestions for apps below it. The siri suggestions classifies the apps according to the user’s activity. Recently used apps, most used apps are some of the categories. It has almost the same interface as the search field.
Picture in picture
iOS 14 supports the picture-in-picture feature, where a video appears in a small screen, without obstructing the whole screen. And you can access some other work while the video is still running. For example, you can chat while watching a video. It is a similar feature as iPad.
Also, in the new update Siri doesn’t take over the whole screen when accessed. It appears as a small icon below the screen. And the answers too appear in floating windows, which do not block the whole screen. So you can access siri without being disturbed in your first-hand work.
Similarly, the phone app also does not cover the whole screen when incoming a call. When someone calls it appears in a floating window, without disturbing in your current activity.
Translate App
A new translate app is designed for conversations. It is easily accessible in cases of urgent need. You just need to click on the microphone icon and you’ll get a window where you can translate stuff. There will be 11 languages supported at launch. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. It also works completely offline. In case you’re without your data in times of need.
Messaging app updates
The messaging app has an update for multitaskers. You can now pin more than one message. The pinned messages are shown in icons above the general list. Toh can also customize the image for the icons.
You can reply to specific messages. And also mention people in group chats.
Leaked passwords
The icloud keychain has a new feature where it will notify you in case any of your accounts on any websites get hacked, leaking your password. It is a very helpful feature when you use same password for many different websites.
Maps update
The Maps app has an update with cycling directions for bike riders and commuters. It provides you bike paths, lanes, and bike friendly roads, plus info on elevation and incline levels for avoiding stairs. For electric vehicles, there’s now an option to create a route that includes charging stations.
The iOS 14 update has many more features to be explored. Users all around the world are highly anticipating for this new experience.
Also read, iOS 14, iPadOS 14 Public Betas Released; Here’s How to Get Them