iOS 14: These everyday tips will take your iPhone to the next level

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iOS 14 changes the iPhone’s home screen. 


James Martin/CNET

Shortly before the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro were officially available, Apple released iOS 14.1, the same version of its mobile software that ships on the latest crop of iPhones. The bug-fixing update enhances all the new features and capabilities iOS 14 brings to its iPhone and iPad lineup. (Here’s the full device compatibility list.)

We’ve been using iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and have found plenty of tweaks, settings and tools that are sure to change how you use your current iPhone and iPad. For example, you can completely personalize your iPhone’s home screen by creating custom app icons and placing new widgets wherever you want. For its part, a new Scribble feature in the iPad update now lets you use the Apple Pencil ($125 at Amazon) to write in any text field, and the tablet will convert it to text, instead of always pulling up the keyboard. And that’s just the beginning. 

Here are the best tips and tricks we’ve discovered for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. We’ll frequently update this post, so check back for more fantastic tips. 

Read more: How to install iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

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App Library is the iPhone’s new app drawer. 


Jason Cipriani/CNET

1. Check out the new home screen features

The iPhone gained an app drawer-like feature called App Library, which acts as a warehouse to store all of the apps you don’t regularly use. You can access the App Library by swiping from right to left on your screen past all of your current home screens. Another first for the iPhone is the ability to place widgets on the home screen. Apple provided developers with the tools to create a new style of widget that’s sure to make your Android friends jealous. We go into more detail about the home screen changes here

2. Create a custom Smart Stack widget

Speaking of widgets, you’re not locked into using Apple’s curated Smart Stack widget. You can create your own stack of widgets using the same technique you’d use to create an app folder. Seriously, it takes longer to decide which widgets you can include than it does to create it. 

Just keep stacking widgets until you’re happy. 


Animated image by Jason Cipriani/CNET

3. Make your own app icons

Apple also added new features to its Shortcuts app, with the most popular addition being the ability to create your own app icons and fully customize the look of your phone. So instead of the Apple Mail app icon, you can download an icon that replaces it with a picture of a cute cat or the Gmail icon and use that to launch the app. The process is somewhat tedious, but if you want a home screen that’s unlike any other, it’s well worth your time. 

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Custom icons are all the rage right now. 


CNET

4. Use apps without installing them, thanks to App Clips

Think of App Clips as miniature apps that only show you a portion of what the full app can do. For example, a Yelp App Clip could show you business hours and the menu for a specific restaurant and nothing more. Want to try one? Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone, search for Panera Bread, tap on a location and then select Order Food. Pretty cool, right? After using an App Clip, you can access it again in the App Library in the recently added folder. 

5. Picture-in-Picture comes to the iPhone

You’re no longer forced to decide whether you want to watch a Twitch stream or browse Reddit on your iPhone. With iOS 14, you can do both at the same time now that Apple has added picture-in-picture mode to the iPhone. The iPad has had this feature for a couple of years now, so it’s nice to see the iPhone get it as well. When you start watching a video you only need to leave the app and go back to the home screen to trigger PiP. There are some apps, like YouTube, that don’t support the feature. You can view a list of all the apps installed on your phone that support it by going to Settings > General > Picture in Picture. Read more about picture-in-picture to get a better idea of when and where it works. 

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Picture-in-picture is incredibly useful. 


Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET

6. Deleting apps can be confusing now

With the addition of the App Library, there’s now an extra step when it comes to deleting an app from your phone and for long-time iPhone users, it’s not at all straightforward. But it doesn’t have to be too confusing; we walk you through the new steps

7. Ditch Apple Mail and Safari

Apple added the ability to delete its own apps from your iPhone a few years ago, but you still couldn’t set apps like Gmail or Outlook as your default email app. Now you can, but Apple has limited this new feature to only the email and web browsers. It only takes a few taps to make the change, after which you won’t have to deal with Apple’s apps ever again. 

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It’s true, you can set some default apps on iOS 14. 


Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

8. AirPods Pro has a new audio feature

The iPhone and iPad aren’t the only devices that received a big update. Apple’s AirPods Pro also got a small firmware update that added a new feature called Spatial Audio. You’ll, of course, need to use an iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 to use the feature. With both devices updated, whenever you’re watching a video the sound will follow the movements of your head, adjusting with each twist and turn. CNET’s David Carnoy described it as an “out-of-bud experience.” And he’s not wrong. 

9. The iPad looks more like a Mac than ever

iPadOS 14 includes several new features and enhancements that bring its interface closer to looking and working like a Mac. Or is it the Mac that’s starting to look like an iPad with MacOS Big Sur? Either way, you’ll want to learn all you can about the new iPad features in iPadOS 14

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Can’t find that emoji you need? Search for it. 


Jason Cipriani/CNET

10. Hidden features are the best features

Not to be left out, there are several hidden features in iOS 14 that do some truly amazing things. For instance, a new back tap feature lets you tap on the back of your phone two or three times, triggering a task like taking a screenshot or launching an app. We’ve found a total of nine hidden features worth sharing with you so far and plan to keep adding to the list. 

11. New privacy features 

Keeping your information private is one of Apple’s main marketing points, and iOS 14 is going even further to help keep your information private. There are new location sharing settings that will limit whether an app sees your exact location or a more general area. There’s also a new notification dot that will tell you when an app is using your phone’s camera or mic, and finer controls over which photos an app has access to. Check out all of the new privacy features and how to use them.

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You don’t have to tell apps exactly where you are if you don’t want to. 


Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

12. New camera tricks 

There are several subtle but important new features in the Camera app. For example, when taking a photo at night, there’s a new guide to remind you to keep still. You’ll see crosshairs that show you where to keep the camera. There’s also a new exposure adjustment dial, and you can snap multiple photos much quicker. Learn how to use and where to find the new features, complete with animated images. 

iOS 14 makes is so you can take consecutive photos faster. There’s less time from one photo to another.


Patrick Holland/CNET

13. Up your selfie game

Another new feature in the Camera app is a new setting for the front-facing camera that is sure to help your selfies shine. The new mirror mode forces the camera to act more like a, well, mirror, which can make it easier to make sure your shot is framed and lined up the way you want. We show you where to find the new setting

14. Still want more? We gotcha

As a bonus round, we’ve compiled a few more tips to do even more, like tag someone in a group conversation in the Messages app and use Apple’s new Translate app to carry a conversation in two completely different languages. We walk you through those two tips, plus a few more of our favorite features

There’s still plenty more to learn and figure out in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, so we’re just getting started. Presumably, iOS 14 will be installed on the iPhone 12 when it arrives later this month.


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source: cnet.com