Using iOS 14 – A Review
Since the launch of iOS 14 on the 22nd June at WWDC, the world has been getting used to the new changes and features that are set to come in Autumn. From widgets to the new digital car key and much more. This is a review of using iOS 14 day-to-day, and how it feels and what it changes on day-to-day use!
Widgets!
One of the most instant and visual changes when it comes to iOS 14 is the new addition of widgets on the home screen. These have been long-awaited and asked for by many people. I was one of them and was very happy to see them on the stage of WWDC. I hoped to see them on iOS 13 but rumors came that features meant for iOS 13 moved to 14 due to focussing on bug fixes. So, I was very happy to see them! When installing iOS 14 the first thing I went to find was widgets, as I wanted to see how you interact with them. The system overall for a beta is very fluid and stable, still risky on the main device but personally I feel this is the best stability on a first beta ever, of ones I have tried.
The widgets are super easy to use and are found on the Today tab on the left, and you simply hold them down and summon ‘Jiggle Mode’ and then drag it onto the home screen.
As you can see in the image, they are very vibrant and really take on the feel of the apps they are connected too. The only negative I and many others have found is that you cannot really interact with them. As you click onto the button on the widgets, it instantly opens the connected app, so the functionality is not there.
The only widgets are for the stock apps currently as developers are still working on their own widgets ready for the public release later in the year. I am really excited to see some of my favorite apps like CityMapper and more come with their own, as I regularly use their current widgets so can’t wait to move them to my home screen.
The Redesign (Ish) of the Music App
Something that wasn’t announced at the conference was any updates to the Music App. I was a little disappointed as the Music app is one of the main apps I use on a daily basis, but when I downloaded and opened it for the first time, I was blown away! The overall look is still the same, but the app opens in a new dynamic start screen called ‘Listen Now’, which I much prefer. The Library tab is still there and received no new updates, but the Listen Now tab finally puts front and center new refreshing data based on your listening habits. Your Replay playlists have a dedicated area, and the tab refreshes all the time to give you new suggestions which I love. As of Beta 2, the playlists highlighted in new bigger variants now have animated artwork for the first time, which makes the app feel even more refreshing.
The Now Playing screen is all I wanted. As soon as the lyrics features in iOS 13 were announced, I wanted the background to be there all the time, as the moving colour gradients were visually nicer than solid white or black, but iOS 14 adds that. The artwork is also much more prominent, on that screen, and the album screens throughout the app.
The new infinite playing option has also come in handy a lot as I listen whilst working. Something Spotify always won me over with was the ability to keep playing similar music once an album or song was over. Now, Apple Music has this and I could not be happier. The selection it gives is always spot on, and for a first beta, it is surprisingly fluid and runs really smoothly. I look forward to seeing how Apple refines the music app further on in the beta process.
The new Fitness App (Formerly Activity) and overall use of iOS 14
The last feature I am going to single out for me personally is the new Fitness app. This makes more sense than it did before. The app now feels more like it is designed for iOS, as before it sometimes felt pointless without the Apple Watch. When using it, as an Apple Watch user, it is most certainly better in showing the stats for the day, and the activity I have been doing during the day. I like having the trends front and centre, as it gives a quick visual look at how I am doing with my fitness and progress. It also feels a lot closer to the Health app, which I feel was slightly disconnected from the Activity App, but now they feel a lot more integrated.
Overall, from using iOS 14 for a small period, day to day you are going to see distinct differences. With these distinct differences, in true Apple form, they will feel familiar and like they have always been there. The widgets work as apps on the home screen have always worked. I find myself automatically using the App Library like I have had it all along. The Music app feels brighter, more fresh and on par with older competitors. There are many features I have not mentioned, but if I mentioned them all this post would be too long! In general, you should be excited with what iOS 14 has to bring to you in September (Autumn time). It is fluid, it is smooth and already functions really well, so with some months ahead of further refinement, 14 should be one of the biggest and most stable OS releases so far!