WWDC… how amazing it was. We got the expected ARM transition, macOS Big Sur (not so expected), a full OS redesign that is the biggest change since macOS X and of course there was iOS 14, another gigantic change.
There were not any hardware releases, so no new iMac or AirTags. According to a Jon Prosser and a few others, Apple was planning to announce new hardware but for some reason fairly recently, they decided to push all of that into Q3 or Q4 of 2020. In this video, we’re fully focusing on iOS 14 and covering not 5, not 10 but over 40 big changes!
1) Widgets!
It’s been a long time coming. Credit: Apple
I’ve been wanting for this since I first got my Galaxy S4, in 2013. This has been a feature on Android since Day One, we sort of got it last year in iPad OS but it’s now finally here in iOS 14.
With the Widgets API, Developers can create their own Widgets. They will work in a similar way to how they currently work in the Notifications Panel, but you can have them on the Home-Screen and re-size them. You can even have multiple Widgets behind the same Widgets and then swipe between all the ones stacked there. Overall, this is a gigantic change to iOS, which I cannot wait to use.
2) App Library!
Multiple Home-Screens are still there but you can now compact all of them into something called ‘AppLibrary’, which is sort of like the AppDrawer on Android. Swipe left and you get a list of your Folders with all your Apps. You can search Apps and scroll that list alphabetically, making it much easier to find the Apps that you need.
3) Back Gestures
There’s now Gestures on the back of the iPhone, just double and triple tap and you can customise those for different actions, I would personally recommend Screenshot.
4) Fixed Calls
No more blocking up the UI. Regular Calls & Facetime Calls, or any other sort of Call, now don’t take up your entire screen. Instead, they now pop-up just like a Notification Card does.
5) AirPods Auto-Switch
You can Auto-Switch between your devices. It uses Gyroscope data to tell when you’ve picked up a new device and the Headphones switch to that, which is amazing.
6) AirPods 7.1 Support
This is for AirPods Pro only. It includes Spacial Audio that creates a theatre experience, 7.1 Support and Dolby Atmos.
7) Siri Overlay
Siri no longer takes up the whole Display, but it does disable it for now.
Same as with Calls, this doesn’t take up the entire screen anymore.
It will appear as a Card on the bottom. The only problem is that you cannot interact with the Display at the moment.
8) Smarter Siri
Siri now knows 20 times more facts. The Web Answers are improved and she can send Audio Messages as well now.
9) PiP Video
We had this on the iPad, now we have it on the iPhone as well, this is PiP Video from Safari and supported Apps. I believe my S4 from 2013 had this, but it’s good to finally have it on the iPhone as well.
10) Unlock Your Car
Open your Car Door using the iPhone. This only works with 2021 BMW series 5 at the moment but more cars will be included. You can give people full access and also works in iOS 13. Future versions will take advantage of the U1 Chip so that your car can unlock even when your iPhone is in your pocket or bag.
11) Spotlight Search
This now works just like on the Mac, it no longer blocks the entire Display. Instead, you get this floating Search Bar and you can search anything now, from Apps to Web Searches.
12) AppClips
No App? No problem. Credit: Apple
This is really cool. You go to a Store and if there’s a QR Code or an NFC Tag, you can still use their App to get reward points and so on, without having the App installed. It’s like a small version of that specific App, without having to install the full version. You only use it when you need it. For example, if you’re at a parking space and you need to get this App to pay, there’s no need to install that App anymore, AppClips would solve that issue.
13) Smarter Maps
Rich detail is coming to the UK, Ireland and Canada and overall accuracy has been improved. There’s guides for what to eat and where to watch movies, just like on Google Maps. Congestion and Green Zones are now included.
14) Cycling Support
On the same subject, you will also get messages for when you’re going uphill or for when you’ll have to take the stairs.
15) EV Routing
If you have an EV, it will automatically link to that car and it will plan your route accordingly, if you’ll need a charge part-way through.
16) Translate App
To me it looks like Google Translate but it can also work completely offline as it uses on-device machine learning. It only supports 11 languages so far though.
17) iMessage Improvements
Chats have become far more intuitive. Credit: Apple
Your pinned conversations and most recent Messages will be on top. Group conversations have also been improved, you can just tap on a person and highlight all messages referring to that person alone, with in-line replies in groups as well as mentions.
18) Adaptive Lightning
During working hours, your lights would have a cool temperature and a warm temperature at night. This is thanks to the Home App.
19) Activity Zones & Face Recognition
You can set Activity Zones in Cameras so you get notified when there’s movement in that specific region. Also, Face Recognition works with faces that you’ve tagged in the Photos App.
20) Safari Passwords
There is now an automatic warning if your password isn’t secure.
21) Safari Privacy Report
Just tap the Privacy Report to see how websites track your data.
22) CarPlay Wallpapers
How was this not a thing before. It looks so much nicer now, I don’t have a car, so…moving on.
23) Exposure Control
In the Camera App, you can now control the Exposure separately from the Focus, just like you could in third-party Apps.
24) ARKit 4
Location Anchors are present, which allows for directional icons and art to be placed in specific parts of the world. Everyone looking at those places will get the icons that those Developers placed.
25) Default Apps
You can set a default email and browser App, I would have liked Calendar too though.
26) Weather Forecasts
Dark Sky has long been one of the best weather Apps out there. Credit: Apple
There’s now minute-by-minute forecasts in the US, thanks to Dark Sky. Apple purchased this App this year, I believe. It’s the best weather App in my opinion.
27) Voice Memos
Improve the sound quality of your recordings with a single tap. This utilises AI Processing.
28) QuickTake Video
This is now available on the iPhone XS & XR, not just the iPhone 11’s.
29) Emoji Search
You can finally search for Emoji’s, just like on the Mac. Finally!
30) AirPods API
Developers can take advantage of the Gyroscope Sensors from the AirPods, which will be useful in some audio Apps and Games.
31) AirPods Battery Notifications
You will get a message when your Battery is low and you need to charge them.
32) Selfies Flip
You can choose if you want your Selfies to be mirrored or not.
33) New Fitness App
Unlike the leaked one, there are no actual fitness plans that you can take or workout guides yet. This App is just the renamed Activity App, which now includes more workout data, that’s it.
34) Sleep Tracking
You can do this on the Apple Watch now but if you don’t have one, you can kind of do it on the iPhone. Sleep Mode dims the screen, turns on DND Mode and tells you when to wind down in order to get the desired hours of sleep for the next day.
35) Recording Indicator
There’s now an indicator when your Front Camera or Microphone is being used by a third party App. On the Macs, you have the LED indicator for the Front Camera, but you never had anything like this on iOS, until now.
36) FindMy - 3rd Party Support
Third-party Accessory support in the ‘FindMy’ App. This would help companies such as Tile survive, once Apple releases their own AirTag.
37) YouTube 4K?
AppleTV now supports it. It’s not available on iOS just yet, but it might be coming in future beta versions.
38) APFS in Files
The Files App now supports an external SSD that’s formatted as an APFS Drive.
39) Spotify on the HomePod
Third-party Music Apps will now be supported on the HomePod.
40) Night Mode
You now get a Gyroscope preview to better centre your shots and you can even cancel a Night Mode shot mid-way through.
41) Video Frame-Rate
Toggles to switch in the Camera App are now available on all of the iPhones, not just the 11’s.
42) Supported Devices
All devices that supported iOS 13, are still supported here. This includes the iPhone SE and 6S as well as anything newer. These were only the biggest changes, there’s been hundreds in total. A video on macOS Big Sur and ARM will be coming up next.
What other videos do you want to see?