iOS 14 finally brings the ability to change your CarPlay wallpaper so that you don’t have to look at a blank background. Here’s how you can change yours in a few simple steps.
iOS 14 beta 4 adds TV widget, fixes bugs [Updated]
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.
Facebook worries about what iOS 14’s user-tracking alerts will mean for digital ads
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.
How to report bugs you find in iOS and iPadOS 14
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.
Pin conversations to the top of the Messages app in iOS 14 [Pro tip]
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.
Here’s how to use this handy new feature.
iOS 14 beta 3 brings new World Clock widget, other tweaks
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.
Change the size of picture-in-picture windows on iPhone and iPad [Pro tip]
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.
iOS 13 eats away at battery life, but iOS 14 offers hope
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 captions to photos to make them easier to find in iOS 14 [Pro tip]
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.
Here’s how to use them.
We talk 14-inch MacBook Pro and a big Apple Maps update, on 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.
How to watch YouTube in picture-in-picture on iPhone and iPad
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.
Discover two of the best in this how-to guide.
Send new downloads to App Library for a tidy Home screen in iOS 14 [Pro tip]
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.
Start testing exciting new iOS 14 features with first public beta
After giving developers access to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 betas in June, Apple on Thursday let the general public test prerelease versions, too.
The are significant upgrades, packed with features that won‘t be available in non-beta form until autumn.
iOS 14 could allow Apple Pay users to pay up by scanning QR codes or barcodes
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.
iOS 14 beta 2 adds Files widget, other tweaks
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.
Reddit will fix iOS app that copies clipboard contents
Reddit is fixing its iOS app after an iOS 14 beta tester discovered that the app was copying the contents from users’ clipboards.
The clipboard copying appears to have been an accident. In a statement to The Verge, a Reddit spokesperson blamed the problem on a dodgy line of code:
Assign tasks to others with Reminders in iOS 14 [Pro tip]
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.
Find out how in this pro tip.
How to downgrade to iOS 13 after installing the iOS 14 beta
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.
How to enable and customize Sound Recognition in iOS 14
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.
Here’s how iOS 14 could be paving the way for ‘glassOS’
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.”
Hide Home controls for a cleaner Control Center in iOS 14 [Pro tip]
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’s biggest reveals [Cult of Mac Magazine 355]
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.
We rave about iOS 14’s best ‘secret’ features on 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.
The best hidden features in iOS and iPadOS 14
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.
How iOS 14 will make gaming on iPhone and iPad better than ever
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!