iOS 14 is complete of concealed gems; you simply need to know where to look..
Óscar Gutiérrez/ CNET.
Apples new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for the iPhone ($ 699 at Amazon) and iPad ($ 284 at Back Market) includes some fancy new features like widgets on the homescreen, an app drawer of sorts and privacy enhancements. (Heres how to set up iOS 14 and iPad 14 right now, after prepping your phone or tablet, of course.).
All of those features are welcomed enhancements, however my favorite techniques in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are the ones you have to work to discover. For example, you can now totally ditch Apple Mail and Safari with a brand-new default apps setting.
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iOS 14 hands-on sneak peek.
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Below, Ill stroll you through how to use 9 of the very best hidden features I discovered in iOS 14. This list will surely continue to grow, so check back for more gems..
Set your default email or web internet browser.
Its real, Apple is lastly providing up some control over your default apps. Right now the function is restricted to email apps and web browsers. For example, you can designate Chrome to be your go-to web browser or Outlook as your e-mail app of choice..
App developers will require to update their apps for iOS 14 in order for the new default assignment choice to appear, so you may need to be patient if your preferred app isnt all set..
To begin, open your iPhone or iPads Settings app and then scroll down to the bottom where it notes all of your set up apps. Find the mail or browser app youre looking for and tap on it. If its been upgraded for iOS 14, youll see either Default Browser App or Default Email App; tap it and then choose your favored app..
Now, I know Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Outlook and Hey e-mail have actually updated to include this new “default” toggle..
Its true, you can set some default apps on iOS 14..
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Quickly eliminate app home screens.
iOS 14s brand-new App Library imitates an app drawer, permitting you to ditch many home screens filled with apps you rarely, if ever, usage. Instead of going through each app one by one and sending them to the App Library, you can conceal whole home screen panels with simply a couple of taps..
Long-press on an empty area of your homescreen to activate modify mode. Next, tap on the page indicator, then tap the check mark below each panel you want to eliminate. This will not delete those apps, however it will instead move them entirely to the App Library, where theyre more or less hidden in an app drawer that you can access at any time.
The homescreen on your iPhone is now a lot more customizable..
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Eliminate newly downloaded apps from your homescreen.
You just took all that time to curate your home screens, including widgets and keeping only your crucial apps, only to have all of your tough work messed up by a new app you simply downloaded. Rather of letting your iPhone put apps on your homescreen after you install them, send them straight to the App Library up until they show theyre worthy..
Open Settings > > Home Screen and choose App Library Only in the leading area. You can quickly discover just recently downloaded apps in the App Librarys Recently Added category, which should be the top-right folder when you view it..
Cant find that emoji you need? Look for it..
Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Browse the emoji keyboard.
Yes, this one deserves a really loud–!– you can browse the emoji picker for precisely what you desire.
Your hidden photo album can actually be concealed now. Cool, ideal?.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Concealed pictures are now actually hidden.
The capability to hide particular pictures or videos has remained in iOS and iPadOS for some time now, but there was a huge problem– these images you didnt want to see any longer were stored in a Hidden Album in the Photos app that was far too easy to find. With iOS 14, Apple has actually included the option to hide the surprise album, letting you truly cloak those videos and pictures you wish to keep, but dont want anybody else to see..
Turn it on by going to Settings > > Photos and making certain the Hidden Album switch is shut off. Anything you hide in your electronic camera roll will still be conserved on your gadget and in your iCloud Photos library, however you wont have a way to get to it unless you return to this setting and turn the concealed album function on..
Picture-in-picture is among our preferred iOS 14 features..
Óscar Gutiérrez/ CNET.
Watch YouTube videos in Picture-in-Picture mode.
The iPhone now has one of my favorite iPad functions: Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode for using or viewing videos during FaceTime calls. Instead of having to remain in an app, for example, Twitch, while seeing your favorite game streamer, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to leave the app, and the video will immediately shrink down to a drifting window.
The YouTube app does not support PiP right now, but you can get around that by starting to enjoy a YouTube video in Safari in full-screen mode, then swiping up to return to your homescreen. The key is you have to put the video in full-screen mode before leaving the app..
If you d rather not set off PiP when you leave an app, switch off automated activation by going to Settings > > General > > Picture in Picture and turn it off. Afterwhich, the only time PiP will be used is when you tap on the icon in a playing video..
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Now the feature is limited to email apps and web internet browsers. To get begun, open your iPhone or iPads Settings app and then scroll down to the bottom where it lists all of your installed apps. Find the mail or web browser app youre looking for and tap on it. This will not erase those apps, but it will rather move them entirely to the App Library, where theyre more or less hidden in an app drawer that you can access at any time.
Rather of having to remain in an app, for example, Twitch, while viewing your preferred video game banner, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to leave the app, and the video will immediately diminish down to a floating window.
Fake eye contact in FaceTime.
We first saw FaceTimes eye contact feature appear in the iOS 13 beta last year, but eventually it was never released. Well, its back in iOS 14. Essentially your iPhone or iPad will make it appear your eyes are looking straight into the electronic camera, even if youre staring at the screen..
Its a subtle function, but one that is sure to make the individual on the other end of the call feel as if youre completely paying attention instead..
Turn it on by going to Settings > > General > > FaceTime > > Eye Contact..
Tap on the back of your phone to do all sort of elegant techniques..
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Double- or triple-tap on the back of the phone to set off actions.
A brand-new ease of access function recalled Tap makes it possible to activate system functions, like multitasking or Control Center, or release a Shortcut simply by tapping on the back of your iPhone 2 or three times..
Find the function in Settings > > Accessibility > > Touch > > Back Tap. Pick the number of taps you desire to use, and after that youll see a list of actions you can initiate..
For instance, you can triple-tap on the back of your phone to take a screenshot or launch Siri..
When I first checked out about this feature, I thought it would be all too simple to trigger it just by putting my iPhone in my pocket or positioning it on my desk. That hasnt been the case at all– its as if the phone is looking for an extremely specific tap pattern before it triggers..
You can use the Apple Pencil to compose in any text field..
Scott Stein/CNET.
Scribble in any text field on your iPad with Apple Pencil.
The iPad has a brand-new feature called Scribble. It generally transforms any text field into a box that you can write in, with your own handwriting using an Apple Pencil, and your iPad will convert it to typed text immediately..
If youre in the middle of jotting notes, and you get a brand-new iMessage, you can take down the alert and use the fast reply field to draw up your reaction and return to writing notes, all without ever putting down the Pencil or activating the keyboard..
For those who are heavy Apple Pencil users, Scribble needs to speed up a great deal of tasks that usually would have been decreased by having to change between stylus and keyboard..
Theres so much more to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. And do not be amazed if there are some concerns with your favorite apps for the first couple of days– Apple shocked everyone, consisting of designers, by launching the upgrade the day after the Sept. 15 “Time Flies” occasion.
