Just tap on the Apple TV widget to jump to your favorite shows in iPadOS 14. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A highlight of iOS 14 beta 4 is a TV widget on the Home screen, giving users easy access to shows in the Apple TV app. And the Weather widget returns for iPad users, among a handful of other tweaks.
Apple released the public beta Thursday after seeding it to developers earlier this week.
iOS 14 could be bad news for companies that rely on digital ads. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Facebook is concerned that one of the big new features in iOS 14 will hurt the social networking giant’s ad-targeting business model.
As reported by CNBC, Facebook CFO David Wehner said Thursday that Apple’s new feature for the upcoming operating system, which allows users to see how activity is being tracked across apps and websites, will make things tough on Facebook ads.
Help make iOS and iPadOS 14 more stable. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you’ve already updated to the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 public betas, you have an opportunity to help ensure they are as stable as can be by the time they roll out to everyone this fall.
Found a bug? Report it to Apple to increase the chances of it being fixed in a future beta release. It’s quick and simple, and it will make using iPhone and iPad better for everyone.
Here’s how to file effective bug reports for iOS and iPadOS 14.
Make contacts and conversations easier to find. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 14 gives us the ability to “pin” important contacts and group chats inside the Messages app for the first time. Pinned conversations stay at the top of the list so they’re always easy to find.
A new World Clock Widget made its debut in iPadOS 14 Developer Beta 3, and the iPhone version too. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple continues to add new features to iOS 14 and the iPad equivalent in the third beta, which the company seeded to developers Wednesday. However, the latest betas brought no major changes.
There’s a new World Clock widget. And the Apple Music app returned to the same icon design it had years ago. Other than that, Apple seems to be concentrating on bug fixes.
Switch window sizes in an instant. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 don’t just bring picture-in-picture (PiP) to iPhone for the first time; they also make it possible to change the size of PiP windows on iPhone and iPad in an instant.
There are three PiP window sizes to choose from, and in this pro tip, we’ll show you how to switch between them.
Reversing a trend, iOS 14 battery life could be noticeably longer than iOS 13. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tests done on a range of iPhone models running the just-released iOS 13.6 reveal that it slightly reduces the battery life of all these handsets when compared to the previous version. And, generally speaking, that has held true for the last six iOS 13 updates.
But there’s good news. Tests with an early iOS 14 beta showed this upcoming version brings a significant increase to battery life.
Add important details to your snaps. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS and iPadOS 14 let you add captions to your photos for the first time. You can use them to add detail to your most precious memories, and to make images easier to discover through search.
Can you handle some hot, hot beta action? Image: The CultCast
This week on The CultCast: We’ve got more details on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple Maps gets a new feature that blows us away! Plus: We talk our two-week impressions of iOS 14, and a major Hollywood film is coming to Apple TV+.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
There are a couple of quick and easy workarounds. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
It’s been almost five years since Apple brought picture-in-picture to iPad, and yet the feature still isn’t supported by the official YouTube app. But there are other ways to enjoy PiP with YouTube videos.
Don't organize all your iPhone apps manually. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 14 makes it easier than ever to keep a tidy Home screen, thanks to the ability to hide Home screen pages and its brilliant new App Library. Here’s how to send new downloads to the App Library automatically so that you don’t have to worry about cleaning up yourself later on.
That's a whole lot of QR codes. Photo: Thomas Leuthard/Flickr
iOS 14 will allow users to make payments using QR codes with Apple Pay, a hidden feature in the Wallet app discovered by 9to5Mac suggests.
While the feature isn’t functional yet, it will allow users to point their iPhone camera at a QR code or barcode in order to pay bills. Apple didn’t make any mention of it at WWDC 2020, but that could potentially be transformative for scan-as-you-go shopping and other scenarios.
The new Files widget is the biggest change in iPadOS 14 and iOS 14 beta 2. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple seeded the second beta versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 exclusively to developers Tuesday. The most notable new feature appears to be a widget for the Files app, giving users access to recently used files directly from the Home screen.
The latest betas bring some small changes as well, of course. Development of these operating systems continues, with full releases expected this autumn.
Don't do everything yourself. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Ready to start delegating some of your responsibilities to someone else? It’s easier than ever with Reminders in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, which gives you the ability to assign tasks to other people.
Not ready for iOS 14? Here's how to go back. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you caved and installed the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 betas on your iPhone and iPad, and now you’re running into problems, you’ll be pleased to know you can downgrade to iOS 13.
It’s a relatively simple process that shouldn’t take you long, and as long as you’ve backed up, you won’t lose too much data data. We’ll walk you through the process in this step-by-step guide.
Let iPhone listen out for important sounds. Photo: Robert Gramner/Cult of Mac
Sound Recognition might be an accessibility feature in iOS 14, but there are times when it might come in handy for any iPhone user. Find out how to enable and customize this brand-new feature in our handy guide.
This is how notifications and widgets could look on glassOS. Photo: Jordan Singer
It’s still not clear exactly when Apple’s AR glasses are going to be available, but 25-year-old product designer Jordan Singer says that Apple has left enough breadcrumbs in its code to offer a compelling glimpse of what a possible glassOS might look like.
“I don’t usually like to speculate on what Apple is going to do next, but this time I found too many coincidental examples of new UI in iOS 14 that seems to be able to translate nicely to a pair of glasses,” Singer told Cult of Mac. “I’d like for this concept to give insight into how Apple is foreshadowing the future.”
Don't need Home controls? Give them the boot! GIF: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 14 ships with brand-new Home controls that make it easy to interact with smart devices from within Control Center. They’re handy, but they take up a lot of space, and not everyone owns HomeKit gadgets.
So, here’s how to remove those new Home controls if you don’t need them.
WWDC 2020 gives us a clear vision of the bright future of macOS and iOS. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
We didn’t get the new Apple hardware we expected during this week’s WWDC keynote, but we did get a whole bunch of hot new software. Get our take on upcoming updates to Apple’s biggest platforms — macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and more — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.
Don’t miss our roundup of all the cool “hidden” iOS 14 features that Apple couldn’t squeeze into its slick virtual keynote. We’ll also toss in the rest of our coverage of this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, plus some handy how-tos and reviews. Read it all in the free mag (which you can download from the App Store) or in the links below.
Get a second shot of WWDC 2020 talk in this week's podcast. Image: The CultCast
This week on The CultCast: We bring you a huge list of great iOS 14 features that Apple did not mention onstage during this week’s WWDC keynote, and there’s a lot here to love.
Plus: Why iOS 14’s new Home screen widgets aren’t as powerful as you might think. And get ready to log into websites with Face ID or Touch ID.
Today’s episode is supported by CleanMyMac X, an all-in-one utility that takes care of your Mac’s health: It’s a macOS cleaner, a performance monitor, a malware remover and, occasionally, a lifesaver. And until July 5th, you can go to macpaw.com/cultofmac to get CleanMyMac X with a 30% discount.
There's a lot more to discover in iOS 14. Photo: Apple
Apple showcased some major changes and improvements for iOS 14 during its big WWDC 2020 keynote on Monday — and it was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more that we didn’t get to see.
We’re now discovering what some of those things are, thanks to the first beta release, which is already available to registered developers. Here are our picks for the best hidden features in iOS 14.
This changes everything. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS and iPadOS 14 will make gaming on iPhone and iPad better than ever, with huge improvements to game controller support. Players can look forward to button remapping, motion controls and more.
And for the first time, you’ll be able to play games on iPad using a keyboard and mouse!
During the WWDC 2020 keynote, Apple doubled down on its commitment to privacy. Photo: Apple
The next iPhone and iPad operating systems warn you when the microphone or camera is on, let you share your approximate location, and block apps from tracking you. And these are just some of the ways iOS 14 and the iPad equivalent protect user privacy. Apple is clearly working hard to live up to its promise that it regards privacy as a fundamental human right.