iOS 14 - FEATURES WE CAN’T IGNORE

Apple has never failed to impress us with its tech facets. Whether its supporting dual SIMs or Face ID detection, it has always introduced the features a level higher than what we expect. 

This time, it has come up with the latest version of its operating system, iOS 14. It is one of the substantial iOS updates till date, with some of the major changes in the version.

As usual, the latest version of iOS is brimful of small and big features. From redesigning its Home Screen to Smart Stack feature, iOS 14 has dozens of changes and tweaks in its features which we cannot ignore. 

The latest version is supported in the iPhone 6s and all the later versions. It means, the devices which were compatible with iOS 13 will support iOS 14 too.

Here’s the list of the unique features which are being introduced in iOS 14.

THE HOME RENOVATION

The iOS 14 has a newly designed Home Screen which offers you immense customization.

Widgets

The Today Center which is accessible when we swipe from left to right on the iPhone's display is completely redesigned now. Widgets ease our task by providing quick functionality. New widgets are also available for Apple News and Screen Time.

Widget Stack

With iOS 14, we can stack up to 10 widgets to utilize space better. You can easily swap between the widgets with just a single swipe.

Widget Smart Stack

There is another feature called Smart Stack created in Widget Gallery. It automatically stacks up the best widgets’ option on the basis of location, activity and time.

Hide Home Screen Apps and Pages

With iOS 14, we can hide the entire Home Screen pages from view keeping your iPhone interface clean. You can view the hidden apps with the help of the App Library. 

To hide apps individually, you just have to drag the app from Home Screen to the App Library. It will remove the apps from Home Screen view.

PICTURE IN PICTURE MODE

This feature is already available in the iPad but now it has been expanded to iPhone also in the new iOS 14 update. Now, you can watch your videos or use the FaceTime simultaneously without disturbing your existing task.

The video or the FaceTime call will be displayed at the corner of the iPhone which can be relocated also according to your place of choice.

We can minimize the picture-in-picture window by dragging it off the iPhone screen while still being able to listen to the audio seamlessly.

NO DISTURBING INCOMING CALLS

The iPhone users well know how irritating it is when we are doing something on our phone and suddenly someone calls us covering the entire screen until we pick it up or decline it.

But now, it’s not going to happen with iOS 14. The incoming phone calls  will be displayed as a small banner on the top of the screen just like Android phones. Just swipe up the banner to decline it or swipe down for more options.

It is also applicable for the FaceTime and other third-party calls without covering or disturbing your current application.

SMARTER SIRI

Siri is redesigned in the fresh iOS 14 version. Mistakenly activating Siri through buttons or voice commands was a common incident which has irritated most of the users.

But modifications in the new version will not allow the Siri interface to come up and envelop the entire iPhone display. Instead of this, when we activate the Siri, a small animated Siri will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Also, the answers that Siri provides will be shown in the banners at the top of the iPhone screen. So, Siri is not going to disturb your existing task anymore.

INTRODUCTION OF APP CLIPS 

New feature to iOS 14, the App Clips will allow you to use a portion of an application in the moment when you need the app for a very small time usage.

For an instance, If you want to order food for your app through any app like Swiggy, you can use the Swiggy App Clip to get the job done without installing the app.  

You can simply install an App Clip in just a few seconds after a QR code or NFC tag is scanned, your one time use App is ready. Since the App Clip is not an actual standard download, the App Clip will disappear once you have used the App Clip.

The app Clips used recently will be saved in the App Library, but they’re not installed on your iPhone. App clips are compatible and secure with Apple Pay too for making any kind of Sign In or purchase with Apple

LANGUAGE IS NO MORE A BARRIER

In Apple’s previous iOS 13 version, the translation feature was embedded with Siri to translate words and phrases into a variety of languages. In iOS 14, the function has been expanded to an entire standalone Translate App.

As of now, the app supports Spanish, English, German, French, Arabic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese and Chinese.

When we turn on the landscape mode of the iPhone amid the usage of the Translate app, the device goes in for a “Conversation Mode”, where the phone will wait for two languages and translates the languages without interrupting your conversation with someone of a different language.

We can also download other languages in order to use them later.

CONCLUSION

The fresh version of iOS was announced recently in June 2020 amid the Pandemic. On the basis of past releases, we can expect the iOS 14 to be released officially in 2020 fall along with new iPhones. The latest version is right now available to some limited developers only.

However, before an official public release, Apple will be providing a public beta in certain countries, and it will be made available publicly later in 2020.