Apple iOS 14 review

Introduction

Apple iOS 14 was unveiled at WWDC20 in June, and was made available on September 17, 2020.  Its launch is strange because it is not shown with new iPhones as usual.  The premiere of the new 2020 iPhone models is likely to be postponed until October.

The list of new features in iOS 14 is long - much longer than the latest version of Android 11, which we also reviewed recently.

Most importantly, the new version 14 expands the operating system with two options that are able to fundamentally change the way you interact with the operating system.  We're talking about home screen widgets and app drawers - two basic elements of Android.

Gadgets have been around for a while now on iOS, but they were only available for today's page.  Today's page is a place to look for system widgets in iOS 14, but there are also new home screen widgets, which can be one of three different sizes, and you can stack several on top of each other.

The app library is exactly what you think it is - it's a traditional app drawer, and it has automatic app sorting.  And we all know that apps die from here.

Other key additions include an integrated translation app compatible with Siri, pinned messages, enhanced maps, image mode in the image, new privacy and accessibility features, and some minor but significant changes to the user interface that come too late.  But well appreciated.

The new iOS 14 app also brings clips - this allows you to use the functionality of an app you haven't installed inside a small popup.  The phone quickly downloads the app from the store for the said function, you use that function, and then ignore it.

Apple has added over 250 new features to iOS 14 - you can see the full list on their website.  As part of this review, we'll explore the maturity of the new iOS that comes with new and old features, and how it can change your iPhone experience.  This article may be useful for both iPhone users and Android smartphone owners who are considering jumping into the platform.

New feature highlights:

• Homescreen (stackable) widgets
• App Library
• App clips
• Picture-in-Picture support
• Compact Phone and Siri UI
• Change the default browser and email app
• Tap on the back shortcuts
• Pinned messages and emoji search
• New Translate app
• New privacy options, mic/cam indicators, approximate/precise location
• YouTube 4K support
• Sleep mode

Room for improvement

• Ability to change some of the other defaut apps like Maps or even Camera
• File management
• Media upload

File management is intuitive and easy for some, a nightmare for others.  We can understand why Apple does what it does with files, but we still feel it could be done better for a wider audience.