Now that iOS 14 beta has been available for a month, I’ve had enough time to identify my favorite features. As I showed you in our initial hands-on look at the iOS 14 beta, it’s packed with new features, but some elements stand out above the rest. Watch our latest iOS 14 video tutorial as we consider the 10 best features of iOS 14.
Compact call interface
One of the iPhone’s long-standing annoyances has finally been addressed in iOS 14. In the previous version of iOS, every time you received an incoming call, the phone call interface filled the entire screen. An incoming phone call would interrupt what you were doing at the time, be it watching a video, sending a text message, etc.
iOS 14 has fixed this blatant bug by presenting incoming calls as discrete banner notifications. While the incoming call banner is on the screen, users can still interact with the applications, switch between applications, return to the home screen, etc. It is a much better user experience than before.
Video: the 10 best features of iOS 14!
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Picture in picture
As a former jailbreaker, Picture in Picture is a feature that I have enjoyed using in the past to watch videos while working on other tasks. To view Finally Getting there as a native feature of the iPhone is wonderful. Of course, Picture in Picture has been available on iPad for several years, but having it on the small screen for FaceTime video and calls is a huge usability improvement.
Widgets
Widget has been available on iOS for several years, but iOS 14 marks the first time that they can be placed directly on the home screen. Not only does this add much-needed variety to an outdated-looking home screen interface, but it allows you to take advantage of the information widgets present without having to go elsewhere.
Application library
It’s been a long time coming, but iOS 14 finally brings an Android-style app library feature for the iPhone. The app library is essentially five functions in one, including the following:
- Applications automatically organized by category
- Remove apps from home screen without uninstalling apps
- Delete pages from the home screen
- Quickly search for applications on your iPhone
- List all installed apps in alphabetical order
The app library makes it much easier to preserve the look of your iPhone’s home screen. You no longer have to flood your home screen with pages and pages of applications and / or folders that you rarely use.
4K YouTube support
The addition of 4K support for YouTube is not exclusive to iOS 14, as all Apple platforms are finally gaining access. This is thanks to Apple’s decision to finally support the VP9 codec that Google uses for 4K video.
Although there is no iPad or iPhone with a 4K screen yet, being able to watch 4K videos means that users can take advantage of the higher resolution screens that modern iPhones and iPads possess, and perhaps most importantly, benefit from the higher bit rates. associated with 4K content.
Change the default email and browser
Although we have only seen indications of the ability to change the default email and browser in beta versions released so far, we know for sure that this feature is scheduled to land on iOS devices running iOS 14.
As described by 9to5Mac’s Filipe Espósito, when you have a compatible web browser installed on your iPhone or iPad, iOS will show a new option “Default browser application” within the application settings. We will likely see the default email and browser features appear closer to the public release of iOS 14.
Emoji Search
iOS already had the ability to highlight emoji-replaceable words in written text, which helped make emoji recognizable, but iOS 14 makes it possible to directly search for appropriate emoji thanks to a new search option. With the Emoji Search, which appears on the emoji keyboard, you can simply type the words that represent the emoji you are looking for and all matching results will appear.
Support approximate location
iOS 14 brings additional privacy features to the table, including the ability to provide apps with an approximate location instead of an accurate GPS location. This is a great privacy feature that prevents applications from identifying your exact location, when such details are not necessary for the desired functionality of the application. For example, an approximate location could be used for a website to display a nearby store, or for a weather app to display the current weather in your city.
Updated Siri interface
Although not as useful as the compact calling interface, the updated Siri interface is still a welcome addition to iOS 14. Because it doesn’t take up the entire screen as in the previous version of iOS, you can still see the app you’re using deep down while invoking Siri.
Unfortunately, trying to interact with apps in the background while Siri is at work will cause the wizard to be fired. That’s understandable on the iPhone, but it seems odd on the relatively vast iPad canvas.
Music app updates
The third developer beta for iOS 14 revealed many new features of the Music app, including full-color wallpapers in the currently playing interface, subtle tactile feedback when interacting with the playback controls, a new auto-play feature. it keeps the music going when it reaches the end of a queue and the ability to resume playback even after exiting the app.
9to5Mac socket
As we noted in our video that highlights more than 250 new changes and features for iOS 14, there is no shortage of new advancements in Apple’s latest iPhone update. But like all major updates, there are specific enhancements that stand out above the rest, and I think these are the top 10 features of iOS 14.
Do you agree or disagree? Are there any specific items missing from this list that you think should be included? Turn down below in the comments with your thoughts and observations.
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