The Apple update to their system with the release of iOS 14 reimagines the iPhone experience. Delivering a major update to the Home Screen with beautifully widgets, new functions with App Clips, and updates to Messages.
New widgets from Apple present information at a glance right on the Home Screen page. Users can choose a Smart Stack of widgets which work based on time, location, and activity. Users might see the News widget in the morning, Calendar events during the day, and their Fitness summary in the evening. Home Screen pages can be customized to show apps and widgets for work, entertainment, sports, and other areas of interest. At the end of the Home Screen pages is the App Library, a new space that automatically organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that are helpful in the moment. Users can also hide Home Screen pages for quicker access to the App Library.
App Clips Bring New Ways to Discover and Use Apps
App Clips are a small part of an app that is designed to be discovered the moment it is needed. Associated with a product or business and load quickly to complete a specific task. They can be easily discovered and accessed by scanning a new Apple-designed App Clip code, or through NFC tags and QR codes, or shared in Messages or from Safari, all with the security and privacy expected from apps.
Powerful Updates to Messages
Messages is central to communicating with friends and family, and now it’s easier to stay connected and quickly access important messages. Users can pin conversations to the top of their messages list, easily keep up with lively group threads through mentions and inline replies, and further customize conversations by setting a group photo using an image or emoji. New Memoji options in Messages are even more inclusive and diverse with additional hairstyles, headwear, face coverings, and more.
All-New Compact Design for Incoming Calls and Siri
FaceTime and phone calls with Siri interactions take on an all-new compact design. With Picture-in-Picture support, iPhone users can now watch a video or take a FaceTime call while using another app
Greener Ways to Explore and New Guides in Maps
Maps makes it easier than ever to navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides. 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.2 Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources. Guides are a great way to find popular attractions, discover restaurants, and explore new recommendations from respected brands.
Developers can now offer users the option to upgrade their existing accounts to Sign in with Apple. 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.3