Brand new: iOS 14 features and compatibility
Bringing a new look to your iPhone, iOS 14 has some great features that need to be talked about.
Widgets
The widgets have been redesigned to create a beautiful layout whilst providing data that you’re likely to view throughout your day. You can now place widgets anywhere on your home screen, making it a perfect way to track your commute, fitness activity, news stories or events. There is a widget gallery that is a centralised place where all your widgets are. The top widget displayed will be the app you use the most. A new feature, Smart Stack, allows you to view a set of widgets that you can easily swipe through. It uses on-device intelligence to work out what widget to show you, based on the time of day and which apps you use at what time each day. For example, you could be shown the News widget in the morning, fitness widget during the day and a commute widget in the evening using maps. It’s very intelligent. iOS 14 allows you to choose the size of your widgets. There are three sizes to choose from, depending on how much information you want to see of each.
App Library
The App Library is a fantastic new feature that shows at the end of your Home Screen pages. It organises all your apps into one group, making it super easy for you to navigate. It will show you suggested apps that you might be looking for, which is based on your device usage like time and location. For example, if you use the News app every morning, it will suggest this app to you at that time every day. New apps that you download from the App Store will go straight into the App Library, making it easy for you to manage. It stores your apps in automatically sorted categories such as Social and Productivity. You can use the search bar to find a specific app quickly, and when you tap Search, all the apps will be listed alphabetically.
Compact UI
Changes have been made to improve the user experience. Phone calls now appear as a banner when you are using your phone. This means you won’t lose track of what you were doing. You can swipe up on the banner to dismiss the call, or swipe down to access all the phone features. Tap the green phone to answer the call. FaceTime calls also appear as a banner so it no longer takes over the whole screen. Again, you can swipe up to dismiss the call, or down to access more FaceTime call features. Siri has a new design that allows you to refer to information onscreen. Results for Siri have also been updated to give you the information that you need.
Picture in Picture
You can now continue watching a video or taking a FaceTime call whilst using another app. It means you can catch up with your friends whilst checking an email, for example. You can move the picture to any corner of the screen by dragging it. You can resize the picture window by pinching it to make it bigger or smaller. Completely minimize the video window by moving it offscreen to allow you full access to an app while continuing to listen to the audio.
Memoji
There are more ways in which you can customise your Memoji with new hairstyles and headwear. There are more fun stickers and more age options. You can also apply a face covering now. Change your hairstyle with a faded look.
Compatibility
iOS 14 is compatible with the following iPhone models:
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro / Pro Max
iPhone X / XS / XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone 8 / 7 / 6s
iPhone 8 Plus / 7 Plus / 6s Plus
iPhone SE (1st& 2ndgeneration)
Conclusion
Upgrade to iOS 14 now to make use of all these new features and ensure your life is organised in a way that suits you. All your apps are sorted in a way that makes it easy for you to find them when needed.
