iOS14: Most happening features from Apple to watch out in 2020

Apple recently released a preview of iOS 14 at the WWDC 2020. With the iOS 14 update coming this fall, iPhone users will have revamped experience. Apple is going to change the user experience with a redesigned home screen. The support for widgets has been made more efficient and there is a smart stack to watch out for in this update.

The worldwide developer’s conference in Cupertino, California saw Apple share a preview of the future. The Siri enhancements is also a promising feature of the iOS14. So, let’s dive into some cool features from iOS 14 that will change the way you use your iPhone!

Home Screen Redesign:

The newly redesigned home screen has a lot to offer. iOS 14 update will help users to customize the home screens through widgets. Some of the changes that going to make home screen customization interesting are as follows:-

• Widgets redesign
• Hiding Home Screen Pages
• All New Application Library

Widgets:

Apple offers accessibility to different widgets by swiping left or right on the iPhone. But, iOS 14 updates have redesigned widgets for default apps like clock, weather, screen-time, and even Apple news.

Once you long-press the home display, you get a library of all the widget options on your iPhone. To access this library, you need to choose the “Edit Home Screen” option and then tap on the “+” sign.

The widget options that you can preview in the gallery are based on the installation pattern of your iPhone. Here, businesses can leverage an app development company to create third-party application widgets.

Users can drag any widget from the “ Today View” to the home screen and position them along with apps they installed. They can add as many widgets they want. These widgets are organized on different home screen pages elegantly.

These widgets come in all sizes. They can be large, small, and medium.Some of the default apps show information and data according to size of the widget. For example, the Apple News app shows minimal information for a smaller size widget.

The Smart Stack

iOS 14 provides a smart stack option. Now, you can stack your widgets and swap between different stacks by swiping. The feature is great for business people as it smartly provides the widget information according to the relevancy.

For example, you have chosen Apple News, Maps, and Calendar in a stack, iOS 14 will provide news from Apple news first up in the morning. Next, you will have all the events on the calendar and then maps for the fastest route to a meeting. How amazing is that! Isn’t it?

The New App Library:

Now finding the apps that you have installed gets easier. iOS 14 brings the all-new designed app library. All the apps are organized for you to see and pick up on your activities with recent apps.

The latest apps can be found on the top-left folder with the name “Recently Added”. There is also an app folder with the name “Suggestions”. It offers app suggestions based on time spent on apps and other factors.

There is a dedicated search bar at the top of the app library that offers a facility for searching apps. If you tap on the search bar, you will also find the alphabetical column. You can choose an alphabet to go for apps pertaining to that character.

Hide Pages Feature:

Now you can hide pages on the home screen. All you need to do is long-press the home screen. So, all your app icons will be repositioned. Next, you need to tap on the bottom dots which represent different home screen pages. Just uncheck the pages that you don’t want and you are good to go.

You can even hide apps rather than pages. Just drag an app icon from the home screen into the app library. The library will remove the icon from the home screen view. You can even stop notifications for new apps downloaded through the settings app.

The New Siri:

Siri has been one of the most amazing voice assistants around. Despite stiff competition from Amazon’s Alexa, it has been the front runner in the smart assistants market. According to a survey, 2018 saw a 44.4% market share for Siri assistants. But, now the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are dominating the market.

With the new Siri suggestion widget, Apple is set to make the voice assistant more user-friendly. It is separate from the smart stack. The widget suggestion stack depends on the intelligence of the device. The algorithm in the device analyzes the usage patterns to suggest widgets. If you love to hear music during the commute towards work then it shows the music widget.

If you regularly order a burger for tea time break at the office, Siri suggests a Mcdonald’s widget for ordering the food at that specific time every day. You just need to tap the widget and it orders your favorite burger without opening the food delivery app.

Apple has also enhanced Siri as a voice assistant. It can answer now a broader range of questions. Earlier, Siri used to redirect users to the web for complex questions. But, now you can get answers directly.

Siri will have the facility to send audio messages on the iPhone and even while used in the CarPlay. It can also share the estimated time of arrival from Apple Maps with your contacts as per request. With iOS14, Apple is adding a Cycling feature in Siri that will enable cycling directions.

Siri will now translate words, phrases, and whole sentences in more than 60 languages. It includes the likes of French, German, Chinese, Spanish, Irish, Japanese, and some of the African languages.

Picture in Picture Feature:

The picture in picture feature is not new to Android lovers. But, Apple has it now for iPhone users too. Whether you are on FaceTime or checking your Whatsapp during a Netflix binge-watch, the feed will be windowed as a small picture inside your present app screen.

Users can pinch the video box to change the screen size of the picture in the picture. You can even reposition it to a convenient spot. Minimizing the window to the smallest size will hide it, allowing the user to still have an audio feed.

Taking the Next Bite:

Apple has been phenomenal with the recent updates. Though many developers were disappointed with the last update. iOS 14 promises to be more interactive and user friendly. It will enhance the iPhone experience and bring the UX right in line with other mobile OS platforms.

This update is more liberal than other updates. Apple has introduced a default feature. Now, users can easily set Google Chrome as the default browser instead of Safari. It is certainly a big step for Apple. There are several other features like new compact calling, pinned chats, inline replies, messaging app changes, and a Siri animation that will appear on the home screen, while you search.

Many businesses are eager to hire iOS developers to get app widgets ready when this update lands in the fall of 2020.

Are you one of them? Then feel free to get in touch with us.