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After 3 months of beta testing, Apple release the iOS 14 stable version today. iOS 14 includes a bunch of new features like widgets on the homepage, new app library, and much more.
Can your phone upgrade iOS14?
Apple announces that iOS 14 can be used in iPhone 6 and later which is the same as iOS 13. This means that your phone can upgrade to iOS 14 if you are using iOS 13 now.
Full Device List here.
Home Screen Widgets
iOS 14 is the first ever iOS version to support adding widgets to your home screen directly.
Built in iOS 14 widgets are _
- Batteries
- Calendar
- Clock
- Files
- Fitness
- Maps
- Music
- News
- Notes
- Photos
- Podcasts
- Reminders
- Screen Time
- Shortcuts
- Siri Suggestions
- Stocks
- TV
- Tips
- Weather
App Library
Together with Home Screen Widget, iOS 14 introduces a new App Library. Apple describes the App Library as a new Home page screen that “organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that are helpful in the moment.”
This means that you no longer need to keep all of your apps in home screen. You can delete unnecessary apps from your home screen but keeps them in App Library where you can access when you need them.
Picture-in-Picture
iOS 14 now supports one of the best iPadOS feature, Picture-in-Picture. Now you can watch video while you are browsing other apps. Picture-in-Picture support also extends to FaceTime calls, so you can stay in a FaceTime call while using other applications. The video simply floats to the corner of your iPhone.
YouTube 4K support
iOS 14 adds enhancements to YouTube videos. YouTube app now supports 4K videos playback for the first time. To access this feature, open the YouTube app on your iPhone, start playing a video, choose the “More” icon in the upper-right corner, tap “Quality,” and choose 2160p.
Compact Siri and Phone interfaces
Siri got complete redesigns in iOS 14. Activating Siri will no longer take your iPhone’s entire screen. Instead, a small Siri interface will appear at the bottom of the phone. Unfortunately, you can’t use other while Siri interface is on screen.
Besides Siri, your incoming calls will also take your iPhone’s entire screen. Instead a small call bar will appear at the top of the screen. You can accept or reject the call without interfering your current work.
Change default browser and email apps
Thanks to iOS 14, you can now set third part applications as your default browser and email apps. You can set third party browser like Google Chrome as your default browser and you can set third part email app like Gmail as your default email app.
App Clips
I think this is one of the biggest features where iOS 14 brings to you. It’s something Apple calls App Clips. With App Clips, you just need to download part of the application when you need it, without downloading full application.
Accessibility Features
iOS 14 also brings a lot of accessibility improvements. Back Tap is one of the accessibility improvements which allows users to trigger gestures, shortcuts, etc by tapping back of the phone.
Emoji search
Another simple but long-awaited feature has made its way to iOS 14 this year: support for searching the incredibly vast collection of emoji. To search for the exact emoji you’re looking for, simply open the emoji picker from the iOS keyboard and you’ll see a brand new search field.
Maps app updates
Maps now makes it easier than ever to “navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides.”
Apple explains:
Cycling directions take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route. Electric vehicle routing adds charging stops along a planned route based on current vehicle charge and charger types. Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources.
New Messages app features
One of the biggest changes in Messages is the ability to pin threads and conversations to the top of the messages list. This includes one-on-one conversations as well as groups for quick access.
Other enhancements to the Messages app in iOS 14: @ mentions in group chats, setting a group photo, new Memoji options, and threading replies.
Privacy
Here are the highlights of iOS 14’s new privacy features:
- Users can choose to share their approximate location with app developers rather than their precise location when granting an app location access
- Developers can now offer users the option to upgrade their existing accounts to Sign in with Apple
- New status bar indicator when app uses the microphone and camera
- Later this year, App Store product pages will feature summaries of developers’ self-reported privacy practices, displayed in a simple, easy-to-read format
- Starting early next year, all apps will be required to obtain user permission before tracking
Translate app
Finally, iOS 14 brings an all-new built-in application called Translate. Apple says that Translate is designed for conversations across 11 different languages with features including conversation mode and offline mode:
Translate is designed to be the best and easiest app for translating conversations, offering quick and natural translation of voice and text among 11 different languages. On-device mode allows users to experience the features of the app offline for private voice and text translation
New AirPods features
iOS 14 also enables two new features for AirPods users: spatial audio and automatic device switching.
