Apple has announced iOS 14 for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, which is now available as a developer beta, with public beta due in July, contains major new features and changes.
App Library, on the home screen, lets you organise all of your apps. It does this automatically so means that you can also remove individual pages from the home screen to keep it cleaner. When searching App Library, all apps are displayed in a list.
The Widgets pane has been completely reimagined and widgets can now be resized for the home screen. Apps move out of the way and a variety of Apple and third-party widgets can be added through the Widgets Gallery.
Within FaceTime or any video app or website (with the developer required to add support for it) is Picture in Picture. If you leave an app, the video can continue playing and the playback window resized and moved around the screen, similar to iPadOS.
The latest new built in app is Translate and this works completely offline too. You can simply speak into the microphone and translate to one of 11 languages. It’s built for conversations between different people.
iMessage gains some major new features, including the ability to pin chats to the top of your list. You can mention people in group chats and reply to any mention with in-line replies. Memoji updates include Face Coverings, more age ranges and more hairstyles.
App Clips provide part of an app at a glance, so you don’t need to download an application to use it. They can be accessed through NFC, Safari, QR codes and other methods and Apple says this is “a small part of an app that is quick and easy to access”.
Apple also announced macOS Big Sur and watchOS 7 alongside updates to tvOS, Xcode and the announcement of Apple silicone-based Macs.
