There has been a lot of buzz in the tech world about Apple’s latest iPhone update, iOS14, which released mid-September. DOIT is your source for all things technology and innovation, and we know there are many Bobcat Apple fans at Texas State University — so we wanted to share our favorite highlights with you! Check out the exciting changes coming to iPhones with Apple’s latest update.
Redesigned home screen
For the first time, Apple is including the usage of widgets to the home screen to live right alongside your apps. To add them, there’s a new “widget gallery” where users can easily add and customize widgets. There’s also a new “Smart Stack” widget that automatically shows relevant apps based on the time of day.
New space-saving measures
New space-saving measures mean incoming phone calls and Siri requests no longer take over the entire screen. Instead, phone calls and FaceTime calls now show up in a small banner on the iPhone’s display, while activating Siri shows a small animated Siri icon at the bottom of the screen.
There is also a Picture in Picture mode, it allows you to watch videos or talk on FaceTime while also using other apps at the same time. It will have FaceTime or a video playing in a small window that can be resized and relocated to any corner of the iPhone’s screen.
New messaging features
Apple now lets you pin an important conversation so that it stays at the top of the app. Messages can be pinned with a simple swipe to the right on any chat. For group conversations, Apple added an @mention feature, which means a group chat can be muted but sends a notification when a user’s name is mentioned. Group chat photos can be customized with an image or an emoji, and the icons for each person at the top of a conversation make it clear who was the last speaking.
Watch the recap video below from Apple’s presentation on iOS 14 during this past summer’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to see all of the new features in action.
Chantal Lesley is a marketing and communications specialist student employee in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
