Table of contents:
- The iOS 14 widgets
- Use an app without installing it
- Siri is now less annoying
- New app to translate
- Picture in Picture
- Set default apps
- The App Store now shows what permissions the app we want to install uses
- Application library
- Something that Android still does not have: an extensive list of mobiles that will receive iOS 14
When a new version of an operating system is announced, some of the “new features” that a firm announces are already present in another operating system. In this case, in iOS 14, the new version for iPhone, we see some functions already seen on Android announced . Apple's operating system wants to look a little more like Android, and these are its inspirations.
The iOS 14 widgets
The truth is that we already had widgets on iOS, but they were located on a side screen, where on Android we see the Google feed. In iOS 14 these widgets go to the home screen and coexist with the applications. Something that Android has been doing for many years. As in the Google operating system, in iOS 14 we can change the size and adapt it to the screen. Of course, something that is not in Android is that we can group several widgets in the same area and slide between them to see the information.
The widgets have a new design, with some pastel tones and with the possibility of customizing them.
Use an app without installing it
Android announced a while ago Instant App, a function that allows us to test applications without having to download them. Apple has announced App Clip, which works in a very similar way: we can use an app temporarily without having to install it. For this, in some areas (restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops…) we can bring our iPhone to an NFC tag so that it shows the app and we can quickly use or install it.
Siri is now less annoying
in iOS 13 Siri occupies the entire screen when we call it . Now, the interface adapts and will only show at the bottom, showing details only when we need it. When we want more information, on Android this is already allowed by the Google Assistant in a similar way. Of course, with iOS 14 Siri never shows a full screen, but the information is placed on cards that are located in the upper area. While the Google Assistant does show everything in full screen.
New app to translate
In Android there is the Google translator. At Apple we can also download this translator, but until now we didn't have a specific app. Now, iOS 14 includes its own application that will allow us to translate texts into different languages and in a more secure way. In addition, it also integrates with Siri, so we can ask you to translate through voice.
Picture in Picture
This feature came with Android 10 . In iOS there are also some apps that support the Picture in Picture function, but the system did not include it by default. The Picture in Picture function allows us to add a floating window with the video, so that we can navigate through the interface and use other applications, but always with the possibility of viewing the content. In iOS 14 Picture in Picture is incorporated into the Apple player. Most applications and websites use this player when we see the video in full screen, so we can use it in almost any app.
Set default apps
Something that was already rumored with the announcement of the arrival of iOS 14. In the new version we can establish which apps we want to use by default. It affects, above all, in Mail and Safari. If you are more comfortable with Chrome, you can ask it to use the default Google browser so that the links or searches are made directly there. The same happens with the Mail app or another browser by default. In Android we have been with this for a long time. Google's operating system asks every time we want to open a link.
The App Store now shows what permissions the app we want to install uses
And again, a function that we already saw on Android, and that I am very happy to see on iOS. The App Store now allows you to see what permissions an application wants to use. Therefore, we can know what it is going to access (location, microphone, camera…) before installing the app. Of course, later we can choose which permissions we want to give it.
Application library
I have to admit that in iOS 14 I like this function much more than in Android. Apple launched the 'Application Library' tab, a kind of drawer that groups all apps by categories automatically. They are arranged in folders that change depending on our use. For example, there is a 'Productivity' folder, where all the apps related to work, bank etc. are housed. The same for social media or entertainment apps. The user can order this drawer in their own way or choose which apps they want to see on the home screen.
This is a kind of app drawer, just like the Android one. Although, as I said, I like it much more on iOS: neater and quite useful to find an app quickly.
Something that Android still does not have: an extensive list of mobiles that will receive iOS 14
Android, like iOS, remains a great operating system. However, there is something that Android still does not have and iOS does, an extensive list of iPhones that will receive this new version. By having a smaller catalog and depending only on one manufacturer (Apple itself), there are many devices that can receive this update, since Apple can optimize it for several devices. In this case, all those iPhones that have iOS 13 will have iOS 14 later, when the version is available.
