Apple showed off the first beta of iOS 8 at its WWDC event this week and as usual the update is packed with new features. Some of the best ones include Extensibility, third-party widgets, Touch ID support for apps, custom keyboards, HealthKit, iCloud Drive, and massive Mail and Messages improvements. But as always, Apple has snuck many little features into the update that didn’t get any stage time during the keynote. Here’s some of the best ones we’ve dug up.
Quick Access To Apps Based On Location
Now when you are at a brick and mortar location like a Starbucks or a movie theater, that establishment’s app icon will appear on your iOS 8 lock screen so you can get quick access to the establishment’s app.
This is a greatly beneficial feature because it allows users to simply swipe up to open the app, saving a lot of time from them having to unlock their iPhones at, for example, the Starbucks counter, and navigate through their home screens to find the right app.
A really cool feature related to this is if you don't have the establishment’s app on your iPhone, its icon will still appear, but swiping it will take you to the App Store where you can quickly download the app.
The Weather Channel Replaces Yahoo For Weather Data
The Weather app in iOS 8 has seen some minor improvements. For starters, it now features a nine day forecast instead of five days and the app also displays a textual summary of the day’s weather conditions. This summery and the extended nine day forecast is thanks to Apple switching from Yahoo to The Weather Channel to get its weather data.
Customisable Share Sheets
The share sheet is the popup list of actions you use to share images, links, or anything else in-app in iOS 7. Typical share sheet functions include copy, paste, AirPlay, Use as Wallpaper, and more. Under iOS 8 users will now be able to rearrange the order these commands are displayed in as well as disable certain ones completely. The increased management of share sheet assets is no doubt due to the fact that third-party apps can now add their own share sheet commands in iOS 8.
Wi-Fi Calling
iOS 8 now includes the option to make calls over a Wi-Fi network instead of using a cellular connection. This will allow users to save valuable data allowances and also their plan’s minutes. In order for this feature to work it will have to be supported by the network you are on. In the US T-Mobile has announced support for Wi-Fi calling. No word on UK carriers yet.
Send Location To Apple When Battery Reaches Low Level
If your phone is lost or stolen you can track it as long as you have Find My iPhone installed. But that tracking only lasts as long as the phone is powered on. Now a new setting in the Find My iPhone panel of the iCloud settings in the Settings app allows you to set your device to send its most recent location to Apple when the battery reaches a critically low level. Apple will store this location for 24 hours and then delete it. During that period you can then log in to your iCloud account and see its last location.
Request Desktop Site In Safari
Now in Safari in iOS 8 there is a new option called "Request Desktop Site.” This allows the user to tell Safari to force the loading of the desktop version of the website instead of the mobile version. It’s useful in cases where you need to access the full site for functionality reasons.
Time-Lapse & Self-Timer Mode For Camera
Under iOS 8 the Camera app has gotten a few new modes. The first is self-timer. This allows users to set a timer in three or ten-second increments. It’s a feature that has been highly requested since iOS 3 and it’s great Apple has finally included it. The new Time-lapse mode captures a series of images over a certain time period and then compiles them into a video.
DuckDuckGo Search
iOS 8 allows users to select DuckDuckGo as their default search engine in Safari. DuckDuckGo is known for its privacy features, electing not to track users or their search habits and history.
Peer-To-Peer AirPlay Streaming
AirPlay is an awesome technology that allows you to mirror your iPhone’s screen onto your Apple TV or stream photos and videos right to your Apple TV. Under iOS 7 AirPlay requires both devices to be on the same wireless network, but under iOS 8 no wireless network is required. Instead the two devices will simply form a peer-to-peer ad hoc network between them to stream content.
Grayscale Mode
Apple has added several new Accessibility features to iOS 8. The most stunning one is the new Grayscale Mode. This makes the display of your iPhone entirely black and white. Using it makes you feel like you’re in the 1940s, but it’s an important accessibility option for those who are visually impaired.
iBooks Is Now Pre-Installed, With Improvements
In iOS 8, iBooks is now a pre-installed app. It also offers some handy improvements. The first is a new auto night mode which activates based on the time of day and/or ambient lighting conditions. The other new feature is the ability to group books into series. For example, all seven Harry Potter books could now be grouped together under one stack of cover icons on your iBooks bookshelf.
Auto-Delete Messages
I was shocked to recently discover my text and iMessage messages on my iPhone were taking up 2GB of space. That’s why I’m so happy about a new Messages setting in iOS 8 that allows messages to be automatically deleted every 30 days or one year.
Photos App Improvements
There’s been a number of minor new features in the Photos app in addition to the bigger ones Apple announced. The minor new features include the addition of two new albums: "Recently Added" and "Recently Deleted.” Recently Added displays the most recent photos you’ve taken or saved and Recently Deleted shows the photos you have recently deleted. The last album is handy in case of accidental deletion. The app now also shows the date and time a photo was taken.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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