iOS 14 Preview: iOS 14 supported devices
At WWDC 2020, which kicked off on June 22, there was an undisputed protagonist, the formalization of the transition to the ARMS platform of Macs among the many important announcements. But the “second” guest of honor, as always, is iOS 14 status.
Although macOS Big Sur and watchOS 7 are two fundamental pieces of Apple’s market strategy, it is, in fact, indisputable that the mobile operating system, also available in the iPad version, is the foundation of a large part of the Apple system.
The news in the update, of which a first beta was released immediately after the presentation, is different. Some notes and officially presented, others will be revealed gradually. Let’s start with those on the plate since today and that have formed the core of iOS 14 to the public.
The appearance of iOS 14
Apple as often happens when it releases a new operating system, brings some tweaks to the graphics. During the last release, there was the big news of the dark theme; this year Apple’s attention has been very focused on the Home, which changes substantially, enhancing widgets and giving the home screen a revolutionized system of organizing applications.
Widget in iOS 14
According to some information released by the Twitter user DongleBook Pro, Apple was working on a project, codenamed “Avogado” which in iOS 14, would have allowed placing real widgets on the Home. Forecast confirmed since one of the protagonists of the portion of Apple’s keynote dedicated to the operating system focused on presenting this function.
Widgets are small pieces of code that perform “shortened” functions of an application providing, for example, weather forecast, departure gate of a flight, a roadblock on the path we are following. They were already present before, placed by scrolling to the right on the iPhone screen, but now they are used innovatively.
For example, they can be fixed, in different sizes, on any page of the Home Screen, and it is possible to create a Smart Stack of widgets, which exploits the “intelligence” built into the device to make the right widget appear based on the time, place and activity. Each home screen page, along with apps, can show the right gadgets for work, sport, travel, etc.
The page where the Widgets are today was redesigned in parallel. Here we have a gallery of widgets where you can choose which ones the apps provide. It is also possible to customize them.
Clip app
A new feature we will find in iOS 14 is App Clip. It is a system that retrieves a small piece of app code to use when they need it. App Clips are associated with a particular product or business and load in seconds, helping users complete a specific activity, such as renting a scooter, buying a coffee, or paying for parking. To facilitate access to App Clips without requiring a new account, “Sign In With Apple” is supported, and integration with Apple Pay is introduced.
For App, Clip App Apple has developed a new QR format that uses a visual function and NFC. As seen in a video presented by Apple in preview, their operation is simple: you arrive in a place, scan a QR code and a useful function is called up for that moment and this without downloading the application.
iOS 14 and applications
In iOS 14, there are several new features for system applications. Some considered strategic has received new features; others have been completely revamped. Finally, some are entirely new
iOS 14 Features
Some innovations are not so decisive, but that for some could become a substantial “bonus”. Let’s see what they are
The Activity app becomes Fitness and integrates with new exercises (such as Dance) in WatchOS 7
Spatial audio technology is introduced in Air Pods
In Car Play for iOS 14, there are custom wallpapers and support for new applications
Weather app keeps users up to date on violent weather events, offers next hour precipitation graph shows minute-by-minute precipitation when rain is forecast
The camera application is faster, and the NightShot function is supported by the gyroscope to reduce the risk of blurred photos
Sleep Mode reduces screen light intensity and presents date and time, similar to Apple Watch’s bedside mode
Search field for Emoji
The function Find my support devices and accessories from other manufacturers, with the new program for accessories. Find me.
Accessibility includes Headphone Accommodations, which boosts or cuts specific frequencies to ensure more transparent and more precise audio in music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts, and sign language detection in a group Face Time calls.
A new privacy feature makes your location much more approximate. For example, some applications (such as the weather) do not need to know where you are.
Magnifying glass function (accessibility) improved
iOS 14 compatibility
iOS 14 is compatible with all iPhones currently compatible with iOS 13, including older devices such as iPhone SE and iPhone 6s. For the latter, however, it should be the latest possible update. Here are the devices we can use iOS 14 on:
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPod touch (7th generation)
We haven’t included iPad in the list, and that’s because Apple’s tablets will receive the iPadOS 14 updates, which should be compatible with all iPad capable of running iOS 13, except iPad mini 4 released in September 2015 and iPad Air. 2 released in October 2014, this means that the iPads compatible with iPadOS 14 will be the following:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (7th generation)
- iPad (6th generation)
- iPad (5th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation).
