2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:17
There were a lot of rumors about the new operating system iOS 14, and there were also numerous and very plausible leaks from trusted sources. What Apple actually presented is discussed in the material below.
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Back in November 2019, it became known about a change in Apple's approach to the development of its mobile operating systems. iOS 13 has generated numerous complaints from users. The firmware did not fail, but the negative has accumulated enough to draw certain conclusions. The management discussed the situation with leading developers, outlining the development paths for iOS and its development patterns.
In particular, a special engineering menu has appeared, with the help of which you can mark and remove unstable innovations of the operating system. Functions that are not ready at the time of release can be easily removed from the final build. And the management itself can better track the development of the operating system. This step is intended to eliminate major bugs, improve stability, and optimize iOS.
Which devices can install iOS 14 and iPadOS 14
The list of devices that will receive support for iOS 14 is as follows:
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPod touch (7th generation)
iPadOS 14
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (all generations)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (all generations)
- 10.5-inch "iPad Pro"
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad 2020 (8th generation)
- IPad (7th generation)
- iPad (6th generation)
- IPad (5th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad mini (4th generation)
- iPad Air 2020 (4th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad Air (2nd generation)
How to install iOS 14 and iPadOS 14
The official versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 became available on September 16, 2020. How to install iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 "over the air" and using a computer, we talked about in this article. Direct links to download the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 IPSW files are available here.
If your device has a beta version of iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, then in order to update to the official version, you need to delete the beta version profile and wait for the software update to appear. To delete a beta profile, go to the following path: Settings application → General → Profiles and device management. Select the iOS 14 beta profile and click Remove Profile. Reboot your device.
After rebooting the device, the official iOS 14 (iPadOS 14) update will appear along the path Settings → General → Software Update.
Note: If after deleting the beta profile, the official iOS 14 (iPadOS 14) update did not appear along the Settings → General → Software update path, then it is possible that you have iOS 14 (iPadOS 14) Golden Master installed on your device, which often does not differ from the official firmware version … In this case, wait until the next update is released, for example, iOS 14.0.1. In this case, if the beta profile was previously deleted according to the instructions above, the new update will "arrive" automatically.
What's new in iOS 14?
New home screen change mode
Previously, in order for the application icons on the iOS home screen to begin to wiggle, it was necessary to hold your finger on any of the icons. Starting with iOS 14, to activate the change home screen mode, simply touch and hold your finger on any free area of the display.
Home screen widgets
Interactive widgets can now not only be customized in a special gallery, but also placed on the home screen, arbitrarily placing them in any part of the display. In addition, the new Smart Stack feature will change the widgets in the window according to the user's preference.
For example, a weather widget will be displayed on the home screen in the morning, and an activity analysis exported from Apple Watch will take its place in the evening. Naturally, users will be able to create their own Smart Stacks, for this it is enough to arrange the necessary widgets one above the other, switching is done with swipes.
A separate button has appeared in the upper left corner of the display for searching and adding new widgets to the home screen.
iOS allows you to create a widget in any of three sizes to choose from.
We talk about widgets in more detail in this article.
Application Library
With the growing amount of internal memory and the number of applications installed by the average user, iPhone home screens are increasingly turning into a dump, from which it is sometimes difficult to get the desired program. iOS 14 automatically categorizes apps and provides better search and navigation tools in a separate library.
To go to the Application Library, flick all the pages of the home screen to the right to the very bottom.
In addition, the Application Library allows you to display absolutely all programs installed on the device in an alphabetical list that you can scroll or use the search form at the top. Earlier, we recall that a search on the home screen returned all matches in the results, while in the application library the search will be carried out exclusively by installed programs.
To display all available applications in alphabetical order, go to the Application Library and swipe down.
App Library lets you hide individual apps and entire pages from the home screen
Using the Application Library, the user can hide both individual applications (details) and entire home screen pages (details).
Thus, only one page with applications may remain on the iOS home screen (without deleting them), behind which the Application Library will be immediately placed.
In addition, you can configure new applications to be installed directly into the Application Library without placing a shortcut on the home screen. To do this, you need to open the Settings application, go to the "Home Screen" section and select Only the Application Library as an option to save new applications.
Picture in picture
IOS videos on iPhone can now be viewed in picture-in-picture mode, pulling the video out of the parent application and placing it on top of all screens with resizable and draggable window options (detail).
To activate the picture-in-picture mode, press the corresponding button in the player mode.
For now, picture-in-picture videos can only be retrieved from Safari and Apple TV + for now. The video window can be resized with a simple pinch of your finger.
In addition, in the Settings - General → Picture in Picture menu, you can enable automatic opening of the video in the window when the application is minimized.
Siri
The virtual assistant no longer takes up all the usable screen space, but appears as a small pulsing sphere at the bottom of the display, and the results of many queries appear in small windows of widgets or notifications on top of other applications.
In addition, the updated Siri in iOS 14 knows 20 times more facts than previous versions, answers user questions faster, and can record and send audio messages.
Siri can now translate text from and to over 65 languages.
Siri has an updated voice for languages other than American English.
Messages (iMessage)
The stock Messages app in iOS 14 now allows you to pin the desired conversations (up to nine) at the top of the window for quick access,
and also mention individual users in iMessage chats (detail),
respond to specific messages and quote in group chats (in detail).
In addition, memoji have been updated, for which you can now set age and gender, added the ability to set custom photos for contact groups.
Active camera and microphone indicator
Now you always know when a camera or microphone is active on your iPhone. In the upper right corner of the screen, a special indicator lights up: green for the camera or orange for the microphone.
Interpreter
The new standard application Translator is designed to break language barriers between people, can quickly recognize and reproduce phrases in 11 languages, including Russian (detailed overview of the application).
The main feature of the service is completely autonomous offline work, which guarantees data security, as well as adding some phrases to Favorites.
Reduced incoming call widget
From now on, the incoming call will not forcibly terminate the user's work with any application; it will appear on the screen as a small widget - a really useful innovation.
When minimizing the widget with an incoming call, a corresponding indication appears in the upper left corner.
We talked in more detail about working with a compact dialer in iOS 14 on iPhone in this article.
App Clips
In iOS 14, a new type of programs will appear, a kind of demo versions of applications that take up a minimum of space and contain, often, only one function (for example, paying for goods via Apple Pay). Access to applications will be available in one click from the home screen or by scanning a special graphic code with the iPhone camera.
New wallpaper
Added three new images that can be set as wallpaper for normal and dark themes.
Cards
The native iOS 14 mapping service has become more detailed and accurate, among the most notable new features are the creation of detailed routes for bicycles (which even indicate the places where the bike will have to be carried over an obstacle) and electric vehicles with appropriate charging stations. For residents of Russia and neighboring countries, it is irrelevant.
In addition, information about road radars and cameras has been added to the Maps application.
Maps with new functionality are available in more countries (Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom have been added).
Touch on the back (function that activates touch detection on the back of the iPhone)
In the Accessibility → Touch settings section, a new, very useful function, Touch on the back, has appeared, which allows you to perform various actions by tapping on the back of your smartphone (details).
For example, with two taps you can take a screenshot of the screen, and with three taps you can launch Siri. Works even with a protective case.
Music
Apple Music has a new home screen called Play Now. It contains tiles with the names of songs or albums.
The album cards themselves have also been transformed. The Shuffle and Play buttons are now large and appear just below the picture.
In addition, the overall color of the player adjusts to the cover art of the song being played.
Customizing AirPods, EarPods, Beats
When the user is listening to music, watching movies, or talking on the phone, iOS automatically adjusts the headphone settings for better sound. In iOS 14, users can customize the sound they like best by going to Settings> Accessibility → AirPods → Select Your Headphones → Accessibility Audio Settings → Headphone Adaptation → Custom Audio Settings
or
Accessibility → Audiovisual Change → Headphone Adaptation → Custom Audio Tune. This feature is only available to owners of headphones with an H1 chip (AirPods 2, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro) or direct connection via Lightning port (EarPods).
According to users who have tested the new functionality, this setting can significantly improve the sound of the headphones.
Specifying approximate geolocation
Apple has traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on user privacy. Starting with iOS 14, users of Apple mobile devices can not disclose their exact location to applications through the function of sending geolocation, but only indicate the approximate area on the map.
As for the applications in the App Store, the description of each of them will indicate which data can be accessed by the program with the user's permission.
Search by emoji emoticons
It is difficult to imagine modern virtual communication without emoticons, among which it is sometimes difficult to quickly find a suitable one. IOS 14 now includes an Emoji search feature that helps you find the desired emotion by keyword (details).
Ability to set any browser and email client as default applications
Many iOS users over the years have complained about the inability to replace the web browser and email service on their iPhones - all links opened in Safari, and emails were sent through the Mail app. With iOS 14, lovers of Chrome, Opera, Gmail, Outlook and other alternative apps will finally get the long-awaited freedom of choice (in detail).
Photo app
The media library received a number of updates, primarily related to navigation:
Now you can scale the display of images on all tabs (grid, one image, 5 in a row), which was previously only available for the Photo tab;
New filters for sorting content in albums (modified, favorites, photos, videos) have been implemented;
Added the ability to display pictures and videos in correct proportions and orientations when browsing by album (previously all content was displayed in square frames);
The function of creating slideshows from photo albums with a choice of playback speed, frames and music has been added;
Improved Live Photos autoplay when viewing Photos tab;
Photos and videos can now be assigned / edited titles and keywords for easy search in the future, which is very important for those who like to shoot a lot on the iPhone (in detail);
Improved the window for selecting images when exporting them by third-party applications. Uploading a snapshot to the browser, adding to a letter or message in the messenger, you can now use the standard tabs of the library and the search function;
Now you can limit the access of third-party applications to the Photos application, providing it only to a limited part of the content, and not to the entire media library.
In photo editing mode (as well as while drawing in Notes or in the screenshot editor), the eyedropper has appeared - a tool that allows you to select the exact color on the iPhone or iPad screen.
In addition, here, using the spectrum or sliders, you can define or specify the digital hexadecimal web code (Hex) of the color shade.
Camera
QuickTake for capturing quick videos is now available on iPhone XR, XS, and XS Plus;
Improved night shooting mode, which now uses the smartphone's gyroscope for more stable aiming;
Now you can quickly switch the frame rate and resolution in a special toolbar when shooting video on any iPhone with iOS 14 on board;
In iOS 13, the user could lock autofocus and exposure with a long press on the screen, in iOS 14, you can additionally get more precise control by locking the exposure separately;
IPhone camera with iOS 14 on board is better at reading QR codes when hovering not at right angles or recognizing the code on uneven surfaces;
The Camera application has become more efficient. Multiple shots are up to 90% faster (up to four per second) in normal mode, 25% faster when the shutter is released and 15% faster for portrait photos (varies by iPhone, lighting conditions, and battery power). In addition, you can now set the appropriate priority in the settings to take photos even faster with a slight loss of quality.
In the Camera settings (Settings → Camera), an option “Front camera is mirrored” has appeared, which allows you to turn off the flip of the image along the vertical axis when creating a selfie - the photo will be exactly the same image that was on the screen when the shutter was released (details).
In addition, for Burst and QuickTake modes, you can now activate quick access using the volume buttons (previously they could be used to quickly capture standard photos and videos). Now the Zoom button switch has been added to the camera settings. loud. for burst, which can be used for Burst shooting by pressing and holding the volume up button.
Accordingly, if the switch Button is increased. loud. is disabled for series, then pressing and holding the button will take video.
In the same menu, there was an item Faster shutter, which allows you to take a photo faster. At the same time, the iPhone will build for this action and the quality of the final image.
CarKey
CarPlay in iOS 14 provides several new options for customizing the interface (in particular, setting arbitrary wallpapers is available), services, as well as the expected by many CarKey function for opening doors and starting the car engine, which can be "shared" for other users, but at the same time the developers promise a very high level of protection against theft. The first supported model is a 2021 BMW i5.
Sleep tracking
Apple has finally implemented its own sleep tracking, which works in conjunction with the Apple Watch (details).
Sleep tracking can be set up and controlled both on the Apple Watch itself in the new Sleep app, and on the iPhone in the Sleep section of the Health app.
The Health app on iPhone provides graphs of sleep duration, sleep heart rate, and weekly, monthly, and yearly key metrics. It also shows the average sleep time over the last week and a graph of sleep stability over time.
Reminders
Working with reminders has become more convenient - there is a possibility of group editing, assigning emoticons, creating reminders based on system suggestions based on user habits, etc. (in detail).
In addition, a button has been added right on the main screen to quickly create new entries.
A new reminder can now also be created from the edit window.
Setting Alarm Sound Notifications for People with Hearing Problems
iPhone with iOS 14 on board may warn of alarm sounds due to any reasons the user ignored. For example, it can be the sound of a fire alarm, a doorbell, a crying baby, etc. (selectable in the settings).
The function is especially relevant for the elderly and users with hearing impairment, you can activate it in the Settings → Universal access → Sound recognition → Hearing menu (in detail);
Ability to turn off recommended contacts in the Share menu on iPhone or iPad
Starting with iOS 14, it became possible to delete annoying contacts that appear in the universal Share menu. This will not only help increase privacy, but it will also make this section less saturated (in detail).
HomeKit
When new gadgets are added to the smart home system, the standard HomeKit application will immediately offer options for ready-made scenarios for their use and integration with already connected devices.
Camera gadgets will be able to recognize faces and match them to photos on a custom iPhone.
A special switch in Control Center allows you to display HomeKit app widgets and control smart home devices directly from the PU.
Other innovations in iOS 14:
The Back button in Settings got new features - if you press and hold it, the full path to the current page will appear. Menu items are active. With their help, you can quickly navigate the iOS settings;
Improved positioning in areas with poor GPS signal;
Renamed the iTunes Store and App Store menus in the Apple ID section of the Settings app to Media & Purchases;
The native search function can now be used to navigate the content of Contacts, Files, Mail, Messages applications;
Added new hairstyles, hats, ages, masks, three stickers and more expressive emotions for animated Memoji emoticons;
In the settings of the Wi-Fi network to which the iPhone or iPad is connected, the Private address switch has appeared. Its activation will make it impossible to determine the location of the device through the base stations of the cellular operator.
Organized storage of voice notes in folders;
The interface of the application pages in the App Store has been changed minimally;
The Game Center menu has been added to the Account section in the App Store;
Improved recognition and removal of noise in voice memos;
In Notes, we removed the background that looked like paper, now it's just a uniform color.
The Notes app now lets you turn your hand-drawn doodles into full-fledged drawings. Draw any freehand geometric shape and hold your finger (or Apple Pencil) at the end for a second - the curved lines will turn into straight lines and shapes.
A regular sound level meter appeared in iOS. which only works when connecting any headset with a microphone. For the sound level meter to work, add the Hearing button to the Control Center (Settings → Control Center → Hearing), and then turn on the Live listening mode.
iOS 14 notifies the user when Apple Watch is charging with a special notification. A similar message comes to the smartwatch itself with watchOS 7 installed;
Along the way: Settings → Privacy, the Local network section appeared, in which you can allow or prevent applications to interact with other devices via Wi-Fi. Thus, it is possible to block unnecessary traffic within the network in order to save battery power;
Safari on iOS 14 runs JavaScript twice as fast as Chrome on Android.
Safari in iOS 14 will warn the user about password cracking attempts;
In the Health application, the Symptoms section has appeared, in which you can record the appearance of various symptoms in the user.
CarPlay can now send audio messages and share location using Siri;
Improved organization, sorting, Game Center support and game descriptions in Apple Arcade;
The Teams app now has conditions tied to the battery level of the iPhone or iPad. Thus, now a command or script can be triggered automatically when the battery level drops or rises to the set value. For example, this can be used to automatically dim the screen or enable battery saving mode. In addition, it became possible to bind commands to the beginning or end of the battery charge;
FaceTime calls support picture-in-picture and 1080p video calls on newer devices;
The animation for starting Spotlight search has become smoother and faster;
Now you can hide any application from the Siri Suggestions widget, which contains icons of frequently used programs. To do this, press and hold your finger on the icon until the pop-up menu appears, and then select the Do not suggest application "application name" menu item.
Contact cards in the Phone application have been slightly modified visually, and the ability to set Animoji as an avatar has been added;
The Podcast interface has been slightly improved, lists of participants have appeared in the description of recordings and broadcasts;
In the Settings → Sounds and tactile signals → Mute loud sounds menu, you can specify the volume level, exceeding which will be limited by the system for extraneous sounds in the headphones;
The Dictaphone application has a function of getting rid of noise on finished recordings;
The new "Filter by Sender" function allows you to restrict the receipt of SMS spam, activated in the Settings → Messages → Unknown and Spam menu.
iPadOS 14
The firmware for iPad tablets has the capabilities of iOS, it also received a number of new useful functions and updates:
The Photo application now has a convenient navigation menu placed on the sidebar;
Incoming call notifications will also now appear in a small widget at the top of the display, instead of full screen as in previous software versions;
iPadOS 14 is able to recognize handwritten text entered using the proprietary Apple Pencil stylus. For example, you can open a handwritten link in your browser instead of typing it in.
See also:
- How to recognize an iPhone "drowned", or where is the moisture (water) sensor on iPhone 11, XS, X, 8, 7, 6s, etc.
- How to properly name your iPhone and iPad in the plural is Apple's answer.
- Contact photo when calling in full iPhone screen - how to?
