In 2014, Apple has been very quiet, and the WWDC 2014 is the moment when Apple is expected to introduce something new to the masses. But instead, the company didn't introduce any major things, and no shiny objects was introduced. However, the conference highlighted new prospects for Apple developers. And to spice things up, the new iOS 8 beta.
Apple's iOS 8 is the company's eighth major release of its own mobile operating system. As the successor of iOS 7, the new iOS 8 packs several major and minor enhancements to improve user experience. At first sight, iOS 8 is pretty much similar to iOS 7. However, transparency and other effects have been added. The multitasking screen now shows a list of recently called and favorited contacts.
Below is a list of the major changes and updates.
Interactive Notifications
Notification Center is improved. Taking examples from Android, iOS 8 allows users to respond quickly to messages from the Notifications view and lock screen. Users can also add and remove widgets in Notification Center with the "Edit" button. This also allows the rearrangement of notification widgets.
The functionality expands beyond Apple's own apps. With iOS 8, users can "Like" Facebook posts or bid on eBay items directly from Notifications and the lock screen. This functionality enables third-party widgets to be added to the Notification Center, giving the opportunity to interact with apps without launching the full apps.
With the iOS 8, Apple introduces thousands of new APIs for developers, and one of them is the Extensibility. This feature allows apps within iOS 8 to share information with each other and with the Notification Center.
Better Spotlight
Spotlight's search is used more than often. This has made Apple put enhancements to it. The Spotlight is drastically expanded beyond the apps and contacts the user already have on their iOS device. It will now show everything from movies and songs available on iTunes (with corresponding ratings), to movie showtimes at nearby theaters.
Furthermore, in iOS 8, Spotlight is integrated with a number of web services so that users can search using Wikipedia, Bing, or Google. Other services include: news, nearby places, suggested websites, movie showtimes, and content that is not already on the device from the iTunes Store.
Enhanced Keyboards
Apple’s new predictive keyboard provides smarter auto-complete suggestions. This can give a choice of several words and phrases based on the context of the text the contacts just wrote, as well as on the user's full typing history. The new feature, called QuickType, can also display word selections as well as answer questions from its ability to "learn" from the user's typing habits, and at the same time respecting privacy.
The feature can be turned off in Settings, or hidden using a swipe gesture
Apple now lets you install and use third-party keyboards by default across iOS devices.
Updated Messages
Messages is the most-used app on iOS, and with iOS 8, Apple is giving it a huge update. The Messages app allows quick audio and video messages with the record button, self-destructing messages, and temporary location sharing, among other features. It's also getting a much-requested feature: the ability to remove people, including the user, from busy group-message threads.
The Do Not Disturb feature can disable notifications from a specific thread.
Integrated iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is fully integrated into iOS 8, allowing the user to open documents from one app inside another compatible app. With iOS 8, users can also be able to access files from Mac that have been saved and synced through iCloud.
This feature allows users to save photos, videos, documents (Keynote, Pages, and Numbers), and music, and other apps' data to iCloud. Users can start their work on one device and continue on another device. By default, users will get 5 GB of storage for free, but this space can be expandable via subscription.
HealthKit
iOS 8 includes HealthKit, an app for tracking personal health and fitness data. HealthKit provides an easy-to-access hub where iPhone users can monitor their important health metrics such as oxygen, sleep levels, and other health related data, on a daily basis, and also step back to examine their fitness trends over a longer period of time. HealthKit will integrate with third-party apps and institutions.
Its ability to be integrated with other apps enable HealthKit to be further enhanced by apps made by developers. Additionally, users can enter their medical history, so that the application can help serve them better.
Family Sharing
Family Sharing is a new feature that comes with iOS 8. Family Sharing will let users to add up to six members of a family to share iTunes purchases across devices, as long as each account is linked to the same credit card.
Family Sharing also enables the sharing of calendars, reminders, photos, and Find My Friends locations across devices. And it lets parents approve or deny purchases made on their childrens' devices, making it more difficult for children to run up large bills from in-app purchases.
Better Photos App
With iOS 8, Apple introduces more features to Photos. The app contains more options to edit photos. The cropping feature now enables rotating images both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Users can also set the desired brightness and colors for photos. A shot timer is also added.
The new Photos app also lets users to view and edit images across various iPhones and iPads, preserving the latest edits from one device to the other. The photos are stored in the user's iCloud account, and Apple gives you 5 GB free of charge.
Smarter Siri
Siri that comes with iOS 8 has been taught new lessons and tricks. The personal assistant is integrated with Shazam, and its can now hear what users say better with more accuracy.
Purchasing content through Siri is now possible. And Siri in iOS 8 that speaks 22 new languages is better integrated with smart home framework. Backend changes include: streaming voice recognition and improved language support, and the ability to launch Siri without touching the phone by saying "Hi, Siri", just like Google with "Ok, Google".
Access to Touch ID
Touch ID was first introduced in the iPhone 5S as a method for securing the phone from other people that are not recognized, as well as to make purchases in the various Apple digital media stores by the help of fingerprint recognition. With iOS 8, developers ca now have access to Touch ID for the first time to protect sensitive apps.
Fingerprint data will be kept separate, but authentication will automatically unlock passwords stored in keychain to grant user access to apps.
Handoff
Handoff allows users to share documents, emails, and websites over Wi-Fi or personal hotspot between iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite devices. This allows better connectivity between Apple's devices that are connected in a single network.
Uses can work from one device to another after they left off using the app. Handoff also allows all text messages (not just iMessages as before) to be read and replied on their Mac and iPad. This also is extended to the uses of the voice function to make and receive call on their Mac and iPad if their iPhone is connected with iCloud. This feature is supported only by compatible Macs running OS X Yosemite, or by devices running iOS 8.
