At the this year’s WWDC, Apple has revealed the new version of iOS and iPadOS. The latest versions of the operating system for the iPhone and iPad are iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.
In the next major update, users can expect to see some REAL CHANGE, a change (though welcome) that moves iOS enthusiasts more towards the Android way of life. There are nice and quite important improvement too.
Let’s take a look at some of the noticeable changes.
Widgets
Apple fans may not openly admit, but they quite envy the widgets on Android. Widgets are not only beautiful, they convey important information at a glance. For instance, you can check your schedules on Google calendar without opening the app itself. Many users of widgets find them useful indeed.
A lot of Android apps take advantage of the use of widgets. For instance WhatsApp’s widget allows you to see the messages you have received without opening the app itself.
We will have to wait to see how it actually compares to Android’s version. It is likely a host of native Apple applications will be able to do this. It is worth noting that these iOS and iPadOS 14 widget can be customized by changing its size and location. Cool!
Picture-In-Picture mode
This is another Android first. In fact, Picture-In-Picture has been around since Android Oreo (8.0). Translating that into years is 3 long years. For those who don’t know what this feature is, it’s that cool feature that allows you to watch your favorite YouTube or VLC video while you’re still on WhatsApp or using another app at the same time. The video hovers over other apps.
Apple has already incorporated this in macOS. The sweet thing here is that the hovering video can be folded to the side of the screen to continue playing in the background.
Siri’s new looks
Unlike Google Assistant, you must have been frustrated enough by Siri occupying the entire screen when activated. Now that is soon to be history. In iOS and iPadOS 14, Siri sees a new design. It displays an animated Siri icon at the bottom, with only a small coverage area. What’s more, Siri can now not only send command messages but also send AUDIO MESSAGES.
App Library
Now that’s essentially an app drawer. In Android, you don’t have all your apps sitting there right in your face whenever you unlock your phone. Apps are organized. Better still, you may choose to reorganize them according to your preferences. That was lacking in iOS.
In iOS 14, Apple is introducing their version of app organization called App Library. There’s a difference between Apple’s version and what we have come to know in Android though. Apple’s App Library automatically organizes your apps into categories such as “social apps”, etc. What is more similar here is the “Suggested Apps” categorization. That is very very Android. But this change was long over-due and welcome.
Apple Translate
Apple calls its own “Translate,” but its functionality looks like were almost taken directly from Google’s Translate app. It doesn’t sound like it will be real-time, like Google’s, but it will have a conversation mode that appears similar to Google’s, and it will support on-device translation like Google’s. Of course, Apple’s version is limited to just 11 languages at launch. Google beats that figure by far.
New Caller App
One really annoying thing about the current call screen in iOS is the fact that it takes up the whole screen. A single call on your iPhone will stop you from whatever else you were doing. That made an iPhone a call phone. In a modern iOS 14, this is minimized and your workflow will no longer be interrupted.
Click here for the full list of iPhones to get upgraded to iOS 14.
