- iOS features are always one step ahead of other operating systems.
- The installation of the new update is very easy and only takes a few minutes.
- iOS 14 offers some hidden features that no one has explored yet and that are discussed in this article.
- Keep your device up-to-date to enjoy all the new and amazing features like widgets, hidden apps, hidden photos, and much more.
Apple keeps on amazing us with every new update. Its popularity rises every day and according to stats, Apple has sold over 100 million Apple devices since 2007.
iOS is known for its performance and efficiency and this is what makes iOS superior to any other operating system. The efficiency of Apple devices gets better with every update that means iOS 14, the latest iOS update, is the most effective of all.
Its design and the specs differ significantly from other devices as well as their OS. This update has the most perplexing features that give elite support to the users.
Apart from the apparent features that this update gives, some hidden features iOS 14 offers.
Here’s a quick review of both such features:
iOS 14.3
iOS 14 was launched in September 2020 and soon created a buzz online. Apple called this update a fresh look to your device and we can’t agree more with this. The update added many great features that provided more utility and made the device data-rich. Some of the apparent features were.
- Widgets: This update produced a more beautiful widget corner that is available at the home screen so you can have all the utilities at your glance. The widget corner is also accessible if you swipe right on the lock or home screen.
- App Library: App library is a separate feature in this iOS update. The last left page on the home screen is the app library page. This page shows all the apps installed on the device organized according to their categories. Any app is now easier to find as the new organized style makes it less messy. Each category holds four quadrants that hold every app of the same category. The category with more than four apps has a shrunken quadrant that lets the user look for more of them.
- Compact UI: The new UI introduced in the update does not interrupt any activity for the other. The calls, for example, now get a banner instead of taking over the entire screen when someone tries to take to you. It holds for both voice calls, facetime, or any other app calls. This update has also introduced picture-in-picture mode so you can keep on watching videos or movies on apps like Netflix without going through the interruption when you try to use other utility apps.
- Launcher: The search feature of iOS is also updated with this new update. All the related searches will be shown on the top to help you find whatever you need that includes information from apps, contacts, knowledge, Maps, and even websites. Even typing a few characters will take you to the launcher shortcut that will be directed towards the search result.
iOS 14 Hidden Features
The amazing features that iOS 14 introduced have made working with home screens easier. The new utility apps have made working even more efficient.
Yes, the apparent cool features were to die for but have you explored your new update in-depth? We did this for you and have brought you fascinating features that you will be amazed to find. Not only they will make the working easier but are also very non-technical to use.
Let’s find out what they are:
1. Default App
In the previous iOS versions, you had to select the browser and email login every time. It sometimes was even very confusing. Apple didn’t allow any other app to be the default than Apple mail or safari.
This iOS 14 updates solved the problem for us. By giving up some control, iOS 14 allows you to choose other web browsers and mailing apps to be the default ones.
Yeah! There’s one glitch though that Apple is fully aware of. If your iPhone turns off, the default selection is removed.
2. Hide Apps
Every app that you download is used to clutter the home screen. Even the apps that you rarely used, yes once a year that much rare, were also just sitting there.
You had to either bear the mess or uninstall the apps. Well, that problem is sorted out too. You can now hide the apps on the home screen too. To hide the apps, you have to long-press on the home screen.
This will launch the edit mode and will allow you to either uninstall or hide some apps. Not only this, you can hide a whole panel using home screen edit mode. Tap page indicator during edit mode and hide the whole page to the app library. You can unhide the page by using the same method.
3. Newly Downloaded Apps
For one same task, you often download tens of related apps to ease up the whole downloading process. But this can make a mess on the home screen as each downloaded app is used to make its home there.
You end up using the second app and the rest will just sit here from that day onward. iOS 14 allows downloading as many apps without putting the icons on the home screen.
Go to settings of the device and select “App Library only” in the “Home Screen” settings. This will take the newly downloaded apps straight to the app library without making a mess on the home screen.
4. ProRaw Picture
A camera of Apple devices is known for its originality and still resulting in a glowing picture. iPhone 12 pro versions have this new feature in the iOS 14 update.
You can now take pictures in ProRaw format. This feature highlights the tones of the pictures and improves the overall look of the picture. To turn the feature on, you have to go to the Settings of the Camera in your iPhone 12 pro or pro max.
Go to Camera, then Settings, towards Format, and turn on Apple ProRAW feature. Your Camera will show RAW written above while capturing photos. If it shows a line through it then the feature is turned off, click on it again to switch between on and off.
5. Emoji Search
Every Apple user always wanted this. Whenever you write a word on your keyboard, it shows a related emoji if there’s any and even when you don’t know about it.
iOS 14 shows a new update that lets you search for a related emoji by yourself. To enjoy this feature, all you have to do is launch the keyboard. You’ll see a difference there in the keyboard- an additional search bar.
It is to search for the emojis that you think are required.
5. Hidden Photos
Remember how you wanted to hide certain media files and they’d go to the “Hidden” folder of the device? So the pictures weren’t exactly hidden.
Anybody could go to that folder and open up hidden files. The new update solved this problem for you. You can hide the “Hidden” folder so it doesn’t show in the Gallery. Simply go to Settings and open the Pictures settings. Make sure you turn off the hidden photos button as this will turn off the whole folder from the library.
You can now cloak anything in the gallery by simply clicking this tab and can hand your device over to anyone to show them unhidden photos.
6. Eye Contact in FaceTime
This feature freaked us out. We were not expecting this at all. So you know how you’re on facetime and are checking your messages at the same time? Yeah! We do too and we also know that this is very rude.
iOS 14 shocked us with this update that lets you use other screens while the caller can still think you’re looking in the camera and are making eye contact with them.
Go to the “FaceTime” settings of your device and select “Eye Contact” there. This will allow you to not be rude while being rude. (Kidding!)
Final Words:
iOS 14 has amazed us and Apple has promised us to always keep doing this with their upcoming updates. We’d like to have some honorable mentions in our last words. iOS 14 update allows gestures to control and trigger some actions.
You can select any action that you want to trigger from the list provided in the settings using any number of taps. The device only identifies tap patterns from the fingers and not from any other touch while the device is in a pocket.
The new update has also introduced a “Scribble” feature in the keyboard that gives you a text box where you can touch to write letters and words. This is done to speed up the writing tasks and make the Apple pencil users a lot faster. The new update has a lot to offer.
It’s not only all shiny but offers efficiency in work too. Can’t wait for the next update and the next iOS device too.
Guest Author: Zainab is a content creator & a passionate blogger. She is a professional tech blogger & an avid reader by the soul. She loves to explore topics related to news/technology, particularly content transfer. In her free time, she enjoys penning down her thoughts with a cup of coffee.
Discussion about this post