Apple is pushing the latest version of iOS starting today. The company has announced the release of iOS 14 to the iPhone 6s and later models, as it promised at its virtual event yesterday.
iOS 14 brings a bevy of new features that overhaul the home screen design. These features include the new widgets, which can display different types of information depending on your time, location, and activity, courtesy of Smart Stack that uses on-device intelligence. You can also adjust its size and customize what apps it shows. Here"s what Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, has to say:
“Together with iPhone, iOS is central to how we navigate our lives and stay connected, and we are making it even more powerful and easier to use in iOS 14, with the biggest update ever to the Home Screen. We are thrilled to see the incredible ways developers are taking advantage of widgets and App Clips to create new experiences that we think customers are going to love.”
There"s also a new App Library at the end of the home screen pages, where apps are organized in a single view. App Library also "intelligently surfaces apps that are helpful in the moment." In addition, you can hide home screen pages to quickly go to the App Library. iOS 14 also supports picture-in-picture mode to let you take a call while doing other tasks.
Other features coming with iOS 14 include App Clips for viewing a small portion of an app when needed, new guides in Maps, fresh capabilities in messages including new Memoji options, and more. The Cupertino firm has also expanded its privacy features with iOS 14. It"s available to download today, though some features may not be available in some countries.