Due to the current global pandemic, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) was streamed exclusively online for the first time with everyone virtually in attendance. Unlike the Apple Keynote in September where new products are announced, the WWDC is an annual event Apple uses to showcase their new software and technologies.
Here’s a closer look at what you can expect from the four major software updates announced at the Apple WWDC 2020.
iOS 14
Dubbed the biggest update to come for all Apple iPhone users, the iOS 14 is set to update your home screen pages with redesigned widgets and bring you new ways to navigate your device. Here are seven key highlights.
Home Screen Widgets
These new widgets present timely information at a glance and can be pinned in different sizes on any home screen page. This new feature even allows you to create a customisable smart stack of widgets which uses on-device intelligence to surface the right widget based on time, location, and activity.
App Library
The new space automatically organises all of your apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and has the ability to intelligently prompt apps that may be helpful to you at that moment. It’s a great solution for those who are looking to quickly access apps that are beyond the first or second page of the home screen.
Picture-in-Picture
You will no longer have to close your videos or video chat when switching apps as Apple’s new Picture-in-Picture feature has the ability to let you minimise your video window to the side of your screen while you look at a different app.
App Clips
Similar to Android’s version of Instant Apps, Apple’s new App Clips is designed for those who don’t like to download more apps than they really need. The idea is to allow you to gain access to a particular app through the scanning of QR codes or NFC tags without having to download the full app.
Messages & Memoji
With the iOS 14 update, the Apple Messages feature will make it easier for you to access important messages that can be pinned to the top of your messages list, and respond to group messages using updated Memoji options that include new emotions and accessories such as headwear and face masks.
Apple Maps
The updated Apple Maps is looking to make navigating easier for you with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated guides. The cycling directions will take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route while the electric vehicle routing will show you charging stops along a planned route based on the current vehicle charge and charger types.
Guides will come in handy when you’re looking to try a new restaurant or explore new locations with their curated list of recommendations from a selection of trusted resources which include AllTrails, Time Out Group, and The Washington Post.
Digital Car Keys
Apple has introduced a new way for you to unlock and start your car with its new digital car keys feature. By registering a key in your Apple Wallet, you will be able to walk up to a supported car and unlock it via NFC and start the engine when your phone is resting on a pad. The feature is currently only available for vehicles in the BMW 5 series.
The iOS 14 software update will be available as a public beta to iOS users next month here. It will officially launch as a free software update for compatible iPhones later this year. For more information, click here.
iPadOS 14
The iPadOS 14 is packed with new features and designs that will take advantage of the unique capabilities of the iPad and its accompanying accessories. Here are two key highlights.
Universal Search and Redesigned Sidebars
Search on the iPad has been reinvented and is now the easiest way to find practically anything. Similar to the Spotlight on macOS, it is able to help you find contacts, search the internet, or even serve as a form of Launchpad where you can launch apps quickly.
The redesigned sidebars across various apps will let you consolidate navigation into a single place, making it easier to navigate within an app while keeping your content front and centre. Additionally, streamlined toolbars and new pull-down menus will provide access to app controls in one place. If you’re using your iPad as a form of a laptop where you do most of your work, the sidebar would make it easier to navigate without having to touch the screen.
Handwriting with Apple Pencil
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Apple introduces the new Scribble feature which allows you to handwrite in any text field using the Apple Pencil and automatically have them converted to text. The smart feature is able to even detect the context of the information you are writing, giving you the ability to take different actions based on what you’ve written. For example, once you’ve filled in a phone number, you will be able to tap the number to instantly make a call.
Scribble will initially offer support for English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and mixed Chinese and English — meaning you don’t have to worry about switching languages if you wrote in both English and Chinese together.
The iPadOS 14 software update will be available as a public beta to iPadOS users next month here. It will officially launch as a free software update for compatible iPads later this year. For more information, click here.
watchOS 7
Apple Watch wearers are set to get enhanced customisation tools and powerful new health and fitness features to help in their daily routines with the watchOS 7. Here are three key highlights.
Watch Faces
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Discover and share unique combinations to completely configure your watch face to suit any activity or lifestyle. The watchOS 7 brings updates to faces for more personalisation and greater access to your favourite apps. The detailed and ultra-precise Chronograph Pro includes a tachymeter to calculate speed based on time travelled over a distance while the Photos face offers colour filters on your chosen image.
Sleep Tracking
The software update introduces sleep tracking that can help you get the desired amount of sleep and even create a pre-bedtime routine to meet your sleep goals. Through the detection of micro-movements from the watch’s accelerometer, which signals respiration during sleep, your Apple Watch will be able to intelligently capture how much sleep you get each night. You will then be able to see a visualisation of how you slept the previous night, including periods where you wake.
Automatic Handwashing Detection
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Ideal for the current climate, your Apple Watch will be able to ensure you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds to help prevent the spread of illness. The smart wearable will use the motion sensors, microphone, and on-device machine learning to automatically detect hand washing motions and sounds and initiate a 20-second countdown timer.
If you happen to finish earlier, the watch will ensure you stick to the time limit with a prompt to keep washing. This feature also offers a reminder for the user to wash their hands when they return home.
The watchOS 7 software update will be available as a public beta to watchOS users next month here. It will officially launch as a free software update for compatible Apple Watches later this year. For more information, click here.
macOS Big Sur
All Mac users can expect a major upgrade to their desktop operating system with the macOS Big Sur, which includes a big Safari update and enhancements to various applications. Here are two key highlights.
Design Upgrade
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macOS Big Sur promises to deliver a spacious new design that will make navigation easier. The major redesign will see a change to design in almost all aspects which cover the curvature of window corners to the palette of colours. Icons in the Dock will see a redesign to look more consistent with icons across the Apple ecosystem while buttons and controls are set to appear when needed and recede when they’re not.
A customisable menu bar features an all-new Control Centre that delivers quick access to controls from the desktop with an updated notification centre and redesigned widgets to provide more relevant information at a glance.
Faster and Customisable Safari
In the biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003, Mac browser is going to be even faster with the ability to load frequently visited sites at an estimated 50% faster than the Google Chrome. Tabs have also been entirely redesigned to make navigating with Safari faster and more powerful by showing more tabs onscreen and giving users a quick preview of a page through hovering over the tab.
With built-in translation, Safari can detect and translate entire webpages from seven languages including Chinese with just a click. The updated browser will also give you an opportunity to personalise the start page with a background image or sections that include your Reading List and iCloud tabs.
Privacy has always been an essential part of the Safari, and with the update, you can choose when and which websites a safari extension can work with while relying on tools like data breach monitoring that will ensure your password information always remains confidential — even from Apple.
The macOS Big Sur software update will be available as a public beta to Mac users next month here. It will officially launch as a free software update for compatible Macs and MacBooks later this year. For more information, click here.
For more information on all the announcements at Apple WWDC 2020, click here.
Banner image courtesy of Apple.
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