You probably already knew widgets on your home screen, an app library, and other major changes. But Apple will add a lot more this fall. These are our favorite iOS 14 features.
iOS 14 features you didn’t know yet
In recent days, you have been able to read everything about iOS 14. The major update that will be released for the iPhone this fall contains a number of significant changes for the software of your iPhone. We will discuss these with you in the article below. Because of those big changes, you would almost forget the small iOS 14 functions, while they are just as interesting.
Tap the back for features
In the accessibility settings of iOS, an interesting option has been added: from iOS 14, you can tap on the back of your iPhone to activate certain functions. For example, you can activate Siri by tapping the back twice or taking a screenshot.
Since this option also supports Siri Shortcuts, you can practically set this new option for everything. Consider, for example, switching your lights on and off or opening a specific app.
iOS recognizes the sound of alarms and sirens and alerts
Another feature hidden deep in the settings is this. Your iPhone can now listen to the sound of alarms or sirens. A solution for people with a hearing impairment or who for some other reason would not hear an alarm. As soon as your iPhone hears something, you will see a notification on your screen.
You May Like: Apple AirPods with iOS 14 comes smart charging that extends battery life
Create your own widget stack
Widgets are the most visible iOS 14 adjustments. Now that people are working with the first developer beta, more and more is becoming known. It turns out that you can make a smart ‘stack’ of widgets yourself. You do this by simply overlapping them on your home screen. Then you can swipe it to switch the widget. Handy if you want to use multiple widgets but do not want to fill your entire home screen with them.
Quick check whether apps use a camera or microphone
The age-old question of whether Instagram and Facebook are eavesdropping will be answered this fall. From now on, a colored ball will appear in the top right corner of your screen when an app records something. A green ball when an app uses your camera, an orange ball when sound is being recorded. That should make it a lot more visible if an app records something of you.
Notification when an app views your clipboard
Another nice privacy improvement in iOS 14 is a new notification. This appears when an app requests access or checks what you have copied on your clipboard. Many people copy their passwords and other sensitive data to their clipboard to paste them elsewhere. So it is good to know which apps like to take a peek and thus gain insight into this data.
You May Like: Apple Watch gets Sleep tracking and more in watchOS 7
Apple Maps warns of maximum speed and speed cameras
Apple really wants you to take Apple Maps as seriously as Google Maps, so this year we will be adding some features we already know. For example, Apple will warn about the maximum speed and for flashes, although this function seems to be only available in the United States for the time being.
QuickTake video is coming to older iPhones
iOS 14 isn’t just good news for the latest iPhones. Also for the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, a feature is added that is now only available on newer devices. With QuickTake video, you can quickly record a movie by pressing and holding the photo button. A small, but a nice update.
Finally an emoji search function
Every year new emoji are added so that the amount is getting out of hand. To keep it clear, iOS 14 adds a special search function, with which you can quickly find the right figure. This is separate from the current suggestion function, which represents an emoji when you type a word.
Choose which photos apps can access
To protect your privacy, you must allow an app to access it and access your photos, but after that, the app has free rein to search through your library. With iOS 14, Apple puts a stop to this by adding a new option. Now you can give apps access to specific photos instead of your entire collection. That way, you restrict apps much more than is currently the case.
FaceTime eye contact function returns
A last-minute feature dropped from iOS 13 returns in iOS 14: with machine learning, your iPhone makes it look like you’re looking into the camera during a FaceTime call when you’re actually looking at the other person on the screen.
As a result, conversations are a lot of natural, because it seems as if you really look at each other and do not squint. Also nice: if FaceTime sees someone using sign language, his or her video will be shown larger in a group conversation.
Renewed podcast app with listening tips
The Podcast app is getting a little makeover and will help you discover more shows. This is done based on your listening behavior, so that (in theory) you actually get to see the podcasts that you are interested in. In addition, you can now create a playlist in which you manually compile which episodes are played consecutively.
Faster and smarter search in the Notes app
The Notes app gets a lot faster because all calculations and tasks are now performed locally on your iPhone. Among other things, this provides a faster search function and improves the quality of document scans that you make. On the iPad, the app now recognizes when you draw a shape and you can turn a drawn circle into a perfect circle.
AirPods and Apple Watch charging notifications
Another small iOS 14 feature that is useful for many people: your iPhone can now notify you when your AirPods or Apple Watch are fully charged. Because these are charged by many people elsewhere in the house, it is nice to be able to see directly on your iPhone when it is time to unplug them.
New design for the Music app
The complete interface of the Music app is overhauled and has been given a different layout. For example, the ‘Listen Now’ part of the peat is more central and the button bar at the bottom of the screen has been adjusted. Like Spotify, you can also choose to keep the music playing when an album or playlist is finished. Then Apple Music chooses music based on your listening behavior.
