For months we’ve talked up the iPhone 6 and its potential features and we hoped for just as long that the Apple Watch was real and not just a product of a fever dream. But the one thing that was sold and concrete during this time is iOS 8, the next operating system in the works from Apple that’s set to bring flashy features, a new design and better practicality to our iPhones, iPads and iPods.
It’s been in a developer-only beta for some time while Apple have worked out the kinks, bugs and glitches and now that they have it’s finally ready for public consumption.
The key feature of iOS 8 is its Health app as Apple’s focus for this cycle of products is health and fitness. For years people have been downloading workout apps, diet apps, food tracking apps, sleep tracking apps and hi-tech pedometers that track how many steps you walked before sat back down and started playing Angry Birds so it makes perfect sense for Apple to make keeping fit even easier.
In the Health app, all of the data from these third-party applications will be compiled and stored so you’ll now have a hub from which to check up on how you’re doing. No more flicking from app to app as it will now be in one handy place.
Furthermore, you’ll also be able to decide which third-party apps are authorised so if you’d rather not be reminded of how many calories you guzzled in that particularly hefty lunch about a week ago, don’t authorise the app that tracks it and you won’t have to see it. And, as bonus for those who use other devices like Fitbit, Nike+ or (the upcoming wearable) Apple Watch to compile data, those will also work with the Health app too.
The rest of the big tweaks to iOS 8 are most-wanted features and much awaited tweaks and improvements. For example, the Spotlight function no longer searches your phone exclusively, now, its range has been expanded to the vast corners of the worldwide web. You’ll be able to search through news and the App Store too meaning that even if your phone doesn’t have the thing that you’re looking for, Spotlight will still be able to find it.
Siri on the other hand, will become less of a pain to use as rather than holding down the Home button, you’ll just have to say “Hey Siri!” and she’ll drum up a conversation continuing to make it creepy that an understanding, talking bit of software lives in our phones. Alas, in iOS 8 Siri can also understand a whopping 22 languages which is useful if you’re flexing your language knowledge or if you’re about to go abroad.
Finally, one of my personal favourites from iOS 8’s new features mega-load is the third-party keyboard support. The iPhone 6 Plus may be over an inch bigger than the iPhone 5S, but using our thumbs to make precise taps on tiny screens is till a struggle.
SwiftKey for iOS 8 is one of the first keyboards to take advantage of this and it’ll come packed with gesture typing, the ability to type in two languages simultaneously as well as personalised suggestions for words and phrases. Not only that but it will even learn from your writing habits (across tweets, notes etc.) to make those word recommendations even easier. That’s certainly helpful if you use some more ‘colourful’ swears and phrases now and again, eh?
There’s an even bigger range of features to test out, these are just some of the biggest ones being shown off. You can see them in action for yourself when iOS 8 becomes available to download for free on September 17th.
Do you think iOS 8 brings enough changes? Let us know in the comments.
