Apple has announced iOS 14 at its online edition of developer conference Worldwide Developer Conference. The new version of the operating system gets widgets on home screens and an app drawer with automatic folders.
Widgets can be placed on the home screen in various sizes, with icons of apps moving automatically. Widgets can be viewed in their own interface, from which they can be placed directly on home screens. Apple has also created a dynamic widget, SmartStack. It changes content based on the time of day. The widgets are also in iPadOS 14.
In addition, it is possible to hide pages with apps in iOS 14. That’s possible, because there’s now an app drawer that automatically puts apps into folders. Apple calls that page App Library, and it’s always to the right of the last home screen.
Furthermore, users can choose a different browser and mail app as default instead of Safari and Mail. Developers can also replace their apps with ‘app clips’, which are small parts of apps that perform specific functions. Those app clips can be opened with urls, nfc tags and qr codes. There will also be an ‘AppClip code’ with its own pattern and NFC. AppClips are smaller than 10MB.
A phone call is now no longer full screen, but is a small notification at the top of the screen that does not interrupt the app. It is now also possible to play videos picture-in-picture. It continues to play after closing, just as has been possible on iPads for some time. Siri also has a new interface that is no longer fullscreen, making it possible to refer to things on the screen. Apple has also created a Translate app to let Siri translate conversations.
Apple Maps will also have an option to choose navigation by bicycle, but that is limited to some American and Chinese cities. In addition, there will be an option to navigate to charging stations. Car manufacturers also support it, allowing iOS to read out the car’s battery status.
For iPadOS 14, Apple created sidebars and drop-down menus in its own apps to make better use of space. Elements such as Siri and the search function are now no longer full-screen functions, but only take up a small part of the display. In addition, it is possible to scribble in text fields with a Pencil, after which the iPad immediately converts that into text. Apple says iOS 14 will work on iPhone 6s from 2015 and newer. The new version runs on the iPad Air 2, all iPad Pro models, the 2017 iPad, and the 2015 and newer iPad mini. The new versions of iOS and iPadOS will be released this fall, while developers can install a beta starting Monday evening.