iOS 14: The long-awaited new features!

The annual update iPhone of Apple, iOS 14, is here, and in addition to the new features confidentiality and security there are many more.

Widgets in the home screen

For the first time in the history of iPhones, the home screen changes and allows you to place built-in widgets along with application icons. Alternatively, you can completely remove the application icons and just have a widget wall.

Adding a widget to the Home screen is easy. Just press and hold one. Then tap the plus sign (+) in the upper left to open the widget browser.

Touch a widget to see the different styles and sizes, then tap “Add Widget”To place it on the Home screen of iOS 14.

You can move widgets similar to icons - just drag them wherever you want. Some widgets are interactive, which means you can drag or drop them. Others will show you only automatically updated information, such as date, time or news.

Scroll to the bottom of the widget browser to see the different categories of available widgets. The "Smart Stack" of iOS 14, automatically rotates the widgets, to show you relevant information throughout the day.

An organized library of applications

You can also see all your applications in the new application library at the end of your home screens. Your iPhone now automatically organizes applications based on the categorization made by developers, although you are still free to create your own folders if you wish.

This means you no longer have to keep every app on the iOS 14 Home screen. If you want to hide it completely, just tap and hold, then tap “Abolition implementation ”.

You can also hide an entire home screen by simply tapping and holding until all the icons move, and then tap the dots at the bottom.

Change the default mail and browser applications

Apple will finally let you change the default Mail and Browser applications on your iPhone. This means, that the web links and e-mail will now open in applications such as Chrome or Outlook by default.

Unfortunately, an error in the startup version of iOS 14 causes this setting to be reset each time your iPhone restarts, but we hope Apple fixes it.

Developers will need to update their applications to run under the new configuration, in which case program your preferred browser or your mail client may not be running iOS 14 yet.

To change your default browser, open "Settings" and then tap the application you want to use (such as Chrome). Click on "Default Browser" to set the application as your permanent default.

App clips

With a new feature called App Clips, you can use versions of applications without having to download the full version. These can be used to scan App Clips or QR codes, NFC tags or through applications such as Messages and Safari iOS 14.

Since App Clips are new, there are not many examples of them in everyday life. Therefore, it is very likely that it will take a few years for it to really take off as a feature.

Game Center is back

Apple removed the Game Center app on iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, but it was always installed on your software. Now, it has a special area again in Settings> Game Center.

Less annoying Siri and receiving calls

The conversation with Siri and receiving incoming calls is now less annoying, thanks to notifications, which no longer occupy the entire screen. Calls come from the top, as a regular notification, while iOS 14 Siri appears at the bottom of the screen and delivers information in boxes at the top.

This is not really a feature, but rather an improved quality of life, which facilitates the acceptance or rejection of calls.