9 hidden iOS 14 features youll love discovering on your iPhone – CNET

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Listed below, Ill stroll you through how to utilize 9 of the best concealed functions Ive discovered in iOS 14. This list will definitely continue to grow, so check back for more gems..
Set your default email or web internet browser.
Its real, Apple is lastly offering up some control over your default apps. Today the function is limited to email apps and web internet browsers. So, for instance, you can assign Chrome to be your go-to internet browser or Outlook as your e-mail app of option..
App developers will require to update their apps for iOS 14 in order for the brand-new default project choice to appear, so you may require to be patient if your preferred app isnt all set..
To start, open your iPhone or iPads Settings app and then scroll down to the bottom where it notes all of your installed apps. Find the mail or web browser app youre searching for and tap on it. If its been updated for iOS 14, youll see either Default Browser App or Default Email App; tap it and then select your favored app..
Theres currently a bug in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 that resets your default app selection when you reboot your gadget. Apple understands and promises a future upgrade will fix it..
Now, I understand Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Outlook and Hey email have actually updated to include this brand-new “default” toggle..
Its real, you can set some default apps on iOS 14..
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Rapidly get rid of app home screens.
iOS 14s brand-new App Library acts like an app drawer, enabling you to ditch countless home screens complete of apps you rarely, if ever, use. Rather of going through each app one by one and sending them to the App Library, you can conceal whole home screen panels with just a few taps..
Long-press on an empty location of your home screen to activate edit mode. Next, tap on the page indicator, then tap the check mark below each panel you want to remove. This will not delete those apps, however will instead move them solely to the App Library, where theyre basically hidden in an app drawer that you can access at any time.
The home screen on your iPhone is now a lot more customizable..
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Eliminate recently downloaded apps from your home screen.
You simply took all that time to curate your home screens, including widgets and keeping just your crucial apps, just to have all of your difficult work destroyed by a brand-new app you just downloaded. Rather of letting your iPhone put apps on your home screen when you install them, send them directly to the App Library up until they prove theyre worthy..
Open Settings > > Home Screen and select App Library Only in the leading section. You can quickly discover recently downloaded apps in the App Librarys Recently Added category, which must be the top-right folder when you view it..
Cant find that emoji you need? Look for it..
Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Search the emoji keyboard.
Lastly– yes, this one is worthy of a very loud “FINALLY! “– you can browse the emoji picker for precisely what you want. Release the emoji keyboard just like you constantly do and now youll find a search bar at the top of the keyboard..
Your concealed image album can actually be hidden now. Cool, right?.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Surprise photos are now really concealed.
The ability to conceal specific pictures or videos has been in iOS and iPadOS for awhile now, but there was a big problem– these photos you didnt wish to see anymore were stored in a Hidden Album in the Photos app that was far too easy to find. With iOS 14, Apple has included the alternative to hide the covert album, letting you genuinely mask those videos and photos you desire to keep, however do not want anybody else to see..
Turn it on by going to Settings > > Photos and making sure the Hidden Album switch is shut off. (Yes, off: Enabling the setting suggests the Hidden Album will show in the Albums tab.) Anything you hide in your cam roll will still be conserved on your device and in your iCloud Photos library, however you wont have a way to get to it unless you go back to this setting and turn the Hidden Album function on..
Picture-in-picture is among our favorite iOS 14 functions..
Óscar Gutiérrez/ CNET.
Watch YouTube videos in Picture in Picture mode.
Instead of having to remain in an app, for example if youre seeing your preferred video game banner in Twitch, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to leave the app and the video will instantly shrink down to a floating window. You can move this thumbnail video around, or even hide it off the edge of the screen if you just desire to listen to the audio.
The YouTube app doesnt support PiP today, however you can navigate that by beginning to watch a YouTube video in Safari in full-screen mode, then swiping as much as go back to your home screen. The secret is you have to put the video in full-screen mode before leaving the app..
If you d rather not activate PiP when you leave an app, switch off automated activation by going to Settings > > General > > Picture in Picture and turn it off. After which, the only time PiP will be used is when you tap on the icon in a playing video..

iOS 14 is complete of surprise gems; you simply need to know where to look..
Óscar Gutiérrez/ CNET.
The brand-new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 upgrade for your iPhone ($ 699 at Apple) and iPad ($ 270 at Back Market) include a truckload of features were thrilled about, like widgets on the homescreen, an app drawer of sorts and privacy enhancements. (Heres how to install iOS 14 and iPad 14 today, after prepping your phone or tablet, obviously.).
These welcome improvements will certainly enhance your experience, however my favorite tricks in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are the ones you need to work to discover. You can now completely ditch Apple Mail and Safari with a new default apps setting.

For more like this.

iOS 14 hands-on sneak peek.

12:06.

Fake eye contact in FaceTime.
We initially saw FaceTimes eye contact feature appear in the iOS 13 beta last year, but ultimately it was never released. Well, its back in iOS 14. Basically your iPhone or iPad will make it look as if your eyes are looking straight into the video camera, even if youre staring at the screen..
Its a subtle feature, however one that must 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 kinds of elegant techniques..
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET.
Double- or triple-tap on the back of the phone to trigger actions.
A new accessibility function called Back Tap makes it possible to trigger system features, like multitasking or Control Center, or introduce a Shortcut just by tapping on the back of your iPhone 2 or three times..
Find the feature in Settings > > Accessibility > > Touch > > Back Tap. Pick the number of taps you wish to use, and after that youll see a list of actions you can initiate..
You can triple-tap on the back of your phone to take a screenshot or launch Siri..
When I initially checked out this function, I thought it would be all too easy to prompt it just by putting my iPhone in my pocket or placing it on my desk. That hasnt been the case at all– the phone seems good at recognizing the tap pattern before it triggers..
You can utilize 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 new feature called Scribble. It essentially transforms any text field into a box that you can write in using an Apple Pencil, and your iPad will transform your handwriting to typed text automatically..
If youre in the middle of jotting notes and you get a brand-new iMessage, you can take down the alert and use the quick-reply field to draw up your response and go back to writing notes, all without ever putting down the Pencil or activating the keyboard..
For heavy Apple Pencil users, Scribble ought to speed up a great deal of jobs that normally would have been decreased by having to switch between stylus and keyboard..
Just make sure to do some housekeeping on your device before setting up to make sure the procedure goes smoothly. And dont be surprised if there are some issues with your favorite apps for the very first few days– Apple shocked everybody, consisting of developers, by releasing the upgrade the day after the Sept. 15 “Time Flies” occasion.
Update, Sept. 18., 11:50 a.m.: Adds information about default apps resetting.

Now the function is limited to email apps and web browsers. To get begun, open your iPhone or iPads Settings app and then scroll down to the bottom where it lists all of your set up apps. Find the mail or web browser app youre looking for and tap on it. This will not delete those apps, but will instead move them exclusively to the App Library, where theyre more or less concealed in an app drawer that you can access at any time.
Instead of having to stay in an app, for example if youre watching your preferred video game streamer in Twitch, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to leave the app and the video will automatically shrink down to a floating window.