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| iOS 14 (Image Credit - Apple) |
Apple previewed iOS 14 today, introducing the most significant update to Home Screen pages in history with beautifully redesigned widgets and the App Library, a new way to access the App Store with App Clips, powerful updates to Messages, and more.
The new widgets provide timely information at a glance and can be pinned in a variety of sizes to any Home Screen page. Users can build a Smart Stack of widgets that use on-device intelligence to surface the most relevant widget based on time, location, and activity.
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Home Screen pages can show widgets tailored to work, travel, sports, entertainment, and other interests. The App Library, located at the bottom of the Home Screen pages, is a new space that automatically organises all of a user's apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view and intelligently surfaces apps that may be useful in the moment. Users can specify the number of Home Screen pages to display and easily hide pages for faster access to the App Library.
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| iOS 14 (Image Credit - Apple) |
Incoming FaceTime and phone calls, as well as Siri interactions, have a new compact design that allows users to stay focused on what they are doing. iPhone users can now watch a video or make a FaceTime call while using another app thanks to Picture-in-Picture support.
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“iOS 14 transforms the most iconic elements of the iPhone experience, beginning with the most significant update to the Home Screen we've ever made,” said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With beautifully redesigned widgets on the Home Screen, an App Library that automatically organises all of your apps, and App Clips that are quick and easy to discover, iPhone becomes even more powerful and user-friendly.”
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A New Way to Discover and Use Apps with App Clips
An App Clip is a small part of an app experience that is intended to be discovered only when it is required. App Clips are associated with a specific product or business and load in seconds to complete a specific task, such as renting a scooter, buying coffee, or filling a parking metre. They can be easily discovered and accessed by scanning a new Apple-designed App Clip code1, or by NFC tags and QR codes, or by sharing in Messages or from Safari, all while maintaining the security and privacy that users expect from apps.
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| iOS 14 iPhone (Image Credit - Apple) |
Powerful Updates to Conversations in Messages
Messages are essential for communicating with friends and family, and it's now easier to stay connected and access important messages. Users can pin conversations to the top of their messages list, easily keep up with lively group threads through mentions and inline replies, and further personalise conversations by adding a group photo (an image or an emoji). Messages' new Memoji options are even more inclusive and diverse, with new hairstyles, headwear, face coverings, and more.
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| iOS 14 iPhone message conversation (image Credit - Apple) |
Greener Ways to Explore and New Guides in Maps
With new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides, Maps makes it easier than ever to navigate and explore. Cycling directions consider elevation, how busy a street is, and whether or not there are any stairs along the route. Based on the current vehicle charge and charger type, electric vehicle routing adds charging stops along a planned route. 2 Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, compiled from a variety of reliable sources. Guides are a great way to find hot new restaurants, popular attractions, and new recommendations from well-known brands such as AllTrails, Complex, The Infatuation, Time Out Group, and The Washington Post, among others.
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| iOS 14 iPhone Experience (Image Credit - Apple) |
Enhanced Privacy Features for More Transparency and Control
Before tracking, all apps will now be needed to get user permission. 3 Later this year, summaries of developers' self-reported privacy policies will be provided in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner on App Store product pages. Users can also upgrade their existing accounts to Sign in with Apple, choose to share their approximate position with app developers rather than their exact location when providing location access to an app, and gain even more transparency into an app's use of the microphone and camera.
