TechRadar
iOS eight features and updates
iOS 8.Four is the last major iPhone and iPad update planned before iOS 9’s public debut next month, and it’s more than just a lame duck software revision.
The fresh operating system version premiers fresh features like Apple Music, Hammers one radio and stability improvements, all detailed by the Cupertino company at WWDC 2015.
Registered Apple developers were ahead of everyone else, and have been poking fuckholes in the iOS 8.Four beta and, now, iOS 8.Four.1. Here are all of the features within this big update.
iOS 8.Four release date and features
iOS 8.Four, launched in June, hardly met its own "this month" release date window, which Apple promised during its WWDC keynote on June 8. But it ended up delivering on the downbeat with a Strikes infusion.
As well as stability improvements, iOS 8.Four orchestrated the all-new song streaming service, officially called Apple Music. It ultimately incorporated the company’s Hammers Music acquisition.
The accompany artist-helmed Hits one radio station began broadcasting on June 30, too. Apple Music subscription prices commence at $9.99 (around £6.15, AU$12.97) a month.
If you have a family that doesn’t like sharing its music, then you can get a subscription for $14.99 (around £9.77, AU$Nineteen.46) a month. This permits six family members to have access to the service, along with their own music, recommendations and playlists.
Want Apple Music for free? The good news is that there will be a three month free trial and, yes, Taylor Swift and other artists will be paid for this period. What’s that mean for you? Maybe better off the hook albums. Here’s how to cancel Apple Music before paying for it.
Included are albums special to Apple Music, from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic to Taylor Swift’s 1989. Expectations are running high that Apple Music will host Dr. Dre’s "grand finale" album, Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre (2015), when it drops on August 7.
Apple Music also curates music for you, but unlike other streaming services which use software algorithms to guess what sort of music you’ll like (with varying degrees of success), this service will also use humans to suggest up suggestions.
This human touch could mean the end of jarring playlists that lurch from one mood to the next.
Apple is also rolling out an artist-driven social network as part of Apple Music, known as Connect. Musicians can interact with followers and post track samples, photos, movies and concert updates.
iOS 8.Four is expected to be the last big iOS eight update now that Apple Pay has launched in UK. The mobile payments platform has been rumored for Canada and China, too, but that may be a future update.
That update is more likely to happen in iOS 9. For now, we know that it adds public transit directions, a tweaked keyboard and legacy support older hardware and more, as explained in our iOS nine review.
You can download the iOS nine beta and install it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch today, however the final leap inbetween iOS 8.Four and iOS nine isn’t happening for another month.
iOS 8.Three
The most significant switches in iOS 8.Trio included fixes to aggravating Wi-Fi and battery drain problems, which reared their ugly head when the initial upgrade happened in September of last year.
Smaller tweaks can be spotted in the iPhone keyboard, which got a larger space bar, squeezing in on the "." button’s prime real estate. It also adds more diversity to its emoji with three hundred fresh characters.
You very likely wouldn’t know it, but CarPlay was given a boost thanks to the addition of wireless iPhone support and, ultimately, Siri learned more languages, as did the dictation implement.
iOS 8.Two and earlier
iOS eight through iOS 8.Two brought a fresh look and features, rounding out the plane iOS seven design, even if you didn’t upgrade to iPhone six and iPhone six Plus, and an Apple See container app.
As we mentioned in our utter iOS eight review, instead of a dramatic redesign, this year’s mobile operating system update ties everything together with the overarching theme of "convergence."
In October, iOS 8.1 released with features like tighter Mac OS X Yosemite integration while further loosening the confinements on Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor for the same-day Apple Pay launch.
Fresh software kits also bring once fragmented health gadgets together, which has been ideal for bridging the gap inbetween the phone and fresh Apple Observe for fitness trackers.
Cut to the pursue
The next iteration of Apple’s mobile platform
Download iOS 8.Three today
What does it cost?
iOS eight is free download
Compatibility
When it comes to iOS 8.Trio and iOS eight compatibility in general, Apple requires an iPhone 4S or newer and iPad two or newer to update to the latest software. Only the iPhone four is cut from the list.
Both the iPads mini and iPad mini two tablets and the forever alone iPod touch 5th generation also work with the fresh iOS, just like they did with iOS 7. No one besides 2010’s iPhone four gets left behind.
That’s not to say that every device worked flawlessly from the beginning. iOS eight had been running leisurely on the iPhone 4S and iPad two given the older hardware specs.
These older devices should be running more slickly as of December’s iOS 8.1.1. Release notes detail a minor update, but one that give these two older devices a much-needed spectacle bump.
iOS eight updates fix problems
iOS 8.Trio, especially iOS 8.1.Trio, immovable some of those nasty Wi-Fi and battery drain problems that resulted in a lot of negative "feedback" for Apple.
It also introduces Apple Pay to iPhone six and iPhone six Plus owners in the US. Now you can link up for credit or debit card to Apple’s digital wallet if your bank is one of the five hundred that support the NFC-like feature.
There are still slew of iPhone users complaining about connectivity issues on Apple’s support forum, but a more WiFi and Bluetooth-focused patch come with iOS 8.Four eventually.
OS X Yosemite gets the most out of iOS 8.1 and above thanks to the fresh Continuity feature. Mac computers can now send and receive phone calls, texts and AirDrops from Apple mobile devices.
This is a major upgrade over iOS 8.0.Two and iOS 8.0.1. Yes, they populated the App Store with fitness and nutrition apps that tie into Apple’s Health app, but it was of no use if they broke your phone.
Touch ID for all
Apple’s fingerprint scanner has been limited to bypassing the lockscreen and buying iTunes Store content, but iOS eight switches all of that as app developers get access to the five-digit login instrument.
All sorts of apps can use the biometric scanning home button instead of pesky passwords. It only applies to the Touch ID-enabled iPhone 5S, iPhone six and iPhone six Plus. But the iPad Air two and iPad mini three are rumored to include the sensor.
At WWDC, private financial management Mint.com illustrated how third-party Touch ID use will expand beyond its iOS seven lockscreen and iTunes restrains. 1Password uses the same home button authentication the lighter password management.
PayPal sent its developers to Apple’s Touch ID session at the conference, meaning all of your eBay and e-commerce transactions may be accomplish with the touch of the home button when upgrading to iOS 8.
While PayPal doesn’t think very of Apple Pay, the iPhone six and iPhone six Plus digital wallet idea is likely to be ready for iOS 8.1 in October in the US and in two thousand fifteen in the UK.
In due time, "Leave behind password" will become a thing of the past, substituted by the pores in your fingertips. It should act as a much more unique method of protecting your valuable data.
This Touch ID convenience is on top of the fact that iOS eight Apple Pay system of scanning credit cards via an iPhone or iPad camera and automatically packing in the details to make shopping lighter.
Of course, Apple went out of its way to say that even tho’ you trust many app developers with your bank account data, they won’t have access to your biometric information. It’s locked away in the A7 and fresh A8 processor.
iOS eight camera time-lapse mode
Believe it or not, the iPhone is consistently the most used camera in the world. It’s in so many palms and so effortless to use. In iOS 8, the camera app is going to get even better.
Apple added a time-lapse camera mode to iOS eight beta one in order to help users capture extended moments and automatically speed up the movie with a higher framework rate. It’s a stripped-down rival to Hyperlapse.
Condensing everything road trips to candles searing down to their wick to just a few seconds in demoed in the YouTube movie above.
iOS 8’s time-lapse mode is basically the opposite of the slow motility movie recording option at one hundred twenty frames per 2nd that Apple added to iOS seven last year and Slow Mo 240fps in iPhone six and six Plus.
SMS and phone calls on Mac
iMessages has been a wonderful cross-compatible contraption for talking on iOS devices and Macs – at least until you attempt to leave your iPhone behind for an Android.
Apple deserters, however, may be lured back to iOS eight with SMS and voice calls being folded into iPads and Macs, just like blue iMessages presently pop up on Apple tablets and computers.
It’s a anguish to have to fetch your phone for a single SMS from an Android user, especially when you’re sitting in front of a 13-inch MacBook Air screen and utter keyboard capable of treating elementary texts and phone calls.
Of course, enabling text messages and phone calls to a Mac requires upgrading OS X Yosemite, but that’s a chunk of cake since it’ll be free today and iOS 8.1 come out on Monday.
Handoff and WiFi hotspot
iOS eight and OS X Yosemite are going to be joined at the hip with the Handoff feature that lets you pick up where you left off inbetween devices.
Commencing a project or email on an iPad or iPhone will let you finish the task on a Mac with no annoying overlap. There’s no need to reopen windows or rewrite text on the computer. And it goes the other way, too, from a Mac to a an iOS eight device.
What if you don’t have access to the internet on your computer or iPad to get the job done? That’s where the Instant HotSpot feature will come into play, easing the messy individual hotspot setup of iOS 7.
The one problem with this joint iOS 8-Yosemite feature is that it may require you to own a fairly fresh Mac. Handoff has been tipped to be not be compatible with Apple computers that pre-date Bluetooth Four.0.
Group messages with voice and movie
Group messages is also enhanced for iOS eight thanks to fresh features. You’re able to add and drop people from conversations and muffle non stop incoming message annoyances via a group-specific Do Not Disturb toggle.
Sharing your current location on a map one time or persistent location for a set period of time is also a part of iMessages, tying in the concept from Apple’s underused Friend My Friends app.
Location sharing, when it was part of the standalone app, was ideal for meeting up in a crowded location like a baseball stadium or concert, and now it’ll get more use within iMessages.
Multimedia within iOS 8’s iMessages app should be more useful too. Inline voice and movie messages with Snapchat-like clips that self-destruct are coming to this mobile OS update.
Interactive notifications
For the times when you do actually react to texts and calendar reminders on your phone instead of a Mac computer, iOS eight adds convenient interactive notifications.
Like OS X Mavericks, these notifications can be dealt with in a few plain taps thanks to inline responses. There’s no need to mess with the lock screen in order to take act right away.
iOS notifications have come a long way from taking up the entire middle of our phone screens, and iOS eight makes them feel like even less of a nuisance.
Quicktype keyboard
Apple claims its iOS eight keyboard is its "smartest keyboard ever," and there’s no reason to doubt that since its Quicktype feature adds highly-requested predictive texting that’s akin to SwiftKey and Swype.
The candidate row shows up above the keyboard with three word-finishing suggestions and then next-word best guesses. It even varies depending on the app that’s open to match your tone for each, from casual iMessages to formal emails.
If someone asks you a question, Quicktype also automatically offers choices like "Yes" and "No" and, optionally, learns your contacts to spell everyone’s name correctly.
Better yet, the more-open-than-ever Apple doesn’t limit users to its pre-installed keyboard via developer "extensions."
iOS eight extensions
Extensions open up iOS eight to Android’s best input methods: Swype is here and SwiftKey violates free of its SwiftKey Note standalone app restricts. Fleksy and Minuum also give you control over keyboard sizes.
Other third-party extensions let users tinker with the default sharing options, photo editing instruments, custom-made deeds and notification center widgets.
The 1Password extension goes as far as opening up the company’s powerful password manager to you without the need to exit the app to open its standalone app. It simply uses Touch ID to get the job done.
Before, you had to close the app that required a password you left behind, open up 1Password’s standalone app, copy the password, go back into the original app and paste in the password.
There’s always a lot of potential when a platform as large as Apple’s opens up its ecosystem to outside developers. Look at what it did to the App Store.
Extensions by forward-thinking developers may be long overdue, but it’ll eventually be here thanks to iOS 8.
iCloud may actually be useful
Prior to today, there was very little reason to use the ridiculously petite 5GB of free space Apple included with iCloud. It was always lighter to use a more capable and less expensive Dropbox account.
That all switches when iOS eight launches alongside iCloud Drive, Apple’s fresh rival to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive and the dozens of other file-sharing services.
It still costs money over the 5GB limit, but at least more file types can be stored and synced. This includes documents, presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs and pictures. Plus it’s the best method of backing up your iPhone and iPad.
What’s truly cool about the forthcoming iCloud-enabled iOS Photos app is that every picture and every edit is saved across all of your Apple devices automatically. Better yet, there are fresh devices and filters in iOS eight and it’ll work on the web.
iOS eight Family Sharing
Maybe you’ll be more willing to buy into iCloud Drive knowing that you’re going to save money thanks to Apple’s fresh Family Sharing feature that’s part of iOS 8.
All iTunes, iBooks and App Store purchases on the same credit card can be collective among a total of six people in your family. That hits having to sneakily exchange passwords.
Fresh parental controls force kids to ask your permission before aimlessly downloading expensive apps. This "Ask to Buy" feature slats a message to your device, so you don’t need to be the fun-depriving "bad fellow" in person.
Other Family Sharing perks include collaborative photo albums, calendars and optional locating sharing. You can find your mom or dad and that iPhone they always misplace with this extension of Find My Friends and Find My iPhone.
‘Send Last Location’ for Find My iPhone
iOS eight expands the geolocation capabilities of Find My iPhone with Family Sharing and Find My Friends by integrating it into iMessages, but in true Apple style, "that’s not all."
A "Send Last Location" feature is being added so that your GPS coordinates are backed up to iCloud whenever your battery life is critical.
Right before your iPhone or iPad battery shuts off, the last thing the device does is pinpoint where you left it, whether it’s inbetween the couch cushions or still in the car.
This handy iOS eight setting joins the real-time tracking, sonar-like ringing, message sending, device locking and, as a last resort, iPhone-wiping features of Find My iPhone.
Health app
Apple didn’t announce an iWatch-tied Healthbook app at WWDC, but it did unveil a more plainly named Health app and the developer-focused HealthKit API.
It’s intended to bring together all of the fragmented health and fitness gadgets into one secure location, whether the fitness device deals with your heart rate, calories burned, blood sugar and cholesterol.
Even without a separate fitness device, Apple’s M8 and M7 co-processor calculates steps and distance traveled. There’s also nutritional tracking and, for extra protection, there’s an emergency Medical ID card accessible from the lock screen.
Jawbone Up, Withings and other fitness firms are on board with iOS Health in order to deposit their stats into the centralized app, tho’ Fitbit has so far refused Apple’s advances.
The more that existing products like the Fitbit Force and Jawbone Up24 join this initiative, the more iOS eight users will find this to be the health equivalent to Apple’s coupon and ticket stub-collecting Passbook.
HomeKit
Apple also plans to tie together brainy home electronics with its HomeKit framework for connected devices so that you control everything without getting up off the couch.
Locking doors, turning off lights, adjusting the thermostat and shutting the garage won’t even require tapping your iPhone touchscreen, it turns out.
Instead, these deeds can be triggered with Siri voice directives as plain as telling "Siri, I’m going to bed" in order for the computerized assistant to put you into something of a human "safe mode." We’re still waiting for Apple to see this feature through post-iOS eight launch.
Siri and Spotlight updates
Siri does more than look after the house and save you on your electro-stimulation bill. Apple’s voice assistant is going to embark responding to "Hey Siri" if your iOS eight device is plugged in.
This safer, hands-free way of activating Siri is joined by the service’s capability to identify songs using Shazam’s recognition software, purchase iTunes content and recognize up to twenty two languages.
Siri is also going to become a better listener with iOS eight thanks to streaming voice recognition. Now the wavy lines and words that show up on screen will match what you’re telling in near-real-time.
When voice search isn’t feasible in a noisy environment, you can turn to the more reliable iOS eight Spotlight. Like its OS X Yosemite counterpart, it searches Wikipedia, the news, nearby places, the App Store and more.
Finding things, whether it’s via Siri or Spotlight, shouldn’t be a problem in iOS 8, as Apple is eventually taking on Google’s handy voice search.
Location-based lock screen apps
If you’re anything like us you have hundreds of apps, but finding the right one at the right time can sometimes mean sifting through folders and that’s if you even recall it exists. But with iOS eight certain apps will emerge in the bottom left corner of the lock screen based on where you are at a particular time.
Early examples people have found include apps for the Apple Store, Starbucks and train stations, when near each of those things. You can then get quick access to those apps by simply swiping them upwards.
It seems that it can also make you aware of fresh apps as sometimes the icon will be for an app that you don’t have and will instead take you to its page on the App Store. It’s a minor feature perhaps, but one which could save time and help users make purchases and access location-specific information.
iOS eight split-screen mode in the code
Apple didn’t announce the rumored split-screen functionality when introducing iOS eight in June, but it may be saving the unveiling as a "One more thing" for iOS 8.1 future firmware updates.
iOS eight beta three code points to true multitasking on an iPad, according to leaks from developers. Apps can run side-by-side in 1/Four, 1/Two and Trio/Four sizes.
There’s no telling whether or not a split-screen mode will end up in iOS eight eventually, but Apple certainly emerges to be toying with the big idea given the fresh iPhone six sizes.
After all, its competitors have had the feature up-and-running for some time. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S has multi-window mode and Microsoft Surface three has snap mode. Like copy-and-paste a few years ago, iOS users are left envying others.
Features being saved for iOS 9?
There’s a lot going on with iOS 8, but chief among the switches Apple failed to implement officially is true split-screen multitasking, which Samsung and LG have suggested on their Android tablets and larger phones.
Public transit directions via Apple Maps is missing in activity as well, and Google Maps is benefiting the most from this. Hopefully its implementation was delayed to iOS 8.1 instead of next year’s iOS 9.
Apps for photo previews and a TextEdit application, also previously rumored for WWDC 2014, didn’t make an appearance either, and the status of Game Center is still unknown. Apple hasn’t killed it off just yet.
That’s every single fresh feature of this year’s iOS update, however some features are waiting for you to download iOS 8.Four after WWDC 2015.
Coupled with iPhone 6, iPhone six Plus and Apple Witness, iOS eight is enough to keep Apple users from defecting to Android, even with those fancy, fresh Android Wear observes.
