Apple iOS 8: Everything you need to know

Naina KhedekarJun 09, 2014 08:11:00 IST

Apple's WWDC conference has begun and the biggest new offering, we saw was the new mobile operating system - iOS 8. In terms of design its looks pretty much like iOS 7, but the starker visual elements have been slightly toned down. Here’s all you need to know about iOS 8.

 

Healthkit

Apple’s iOS 8 has big emphasis on Health and Family. What we thought would be called Healthbook is actually Apple’s new HealthKit, a comprehensive health-tracking app that can pull in data from third-party apps  and accessories. It can be accessed by healthcare professionals as well, in what is most definitely the biggest health bet any technology company has made.

 

Samsung et al may have shown an inclination for it, but no one is doing it all the way like Apple. Apple partnered with the world-renowned Mayo Clinic to make HealthKit happen, and the Clinic was all praise for Apple’s new innovation in the health sphere.

 

With HealthKit, your iPhone can keep a tab on your important health metrics on a daily basis, and over a longer period. Nike is among the first companies to partner with Apple for HealthKit. Apple’s tie-ups with other institutions will allow medical professionals to receive and transmit data from your checkups to the cloud for syncing. Apple claims to have deep privacy protections in place to store these sensitive records safely.

 

Family Sharing

The Family Sharing part of iOS 8 involves greater parental control, stronger privacy, and more fun for big groups. iTunes purchases can now be shared with your family, along with calendars, group messages, and more. If you are a parent worried about your kid overspending through in-app purchases, Apple has you covered. Basically it will let parents know when their kids are about to spend and the credit card will ask for permission from the parent. Parents can even remotely block purchases.

 

Widgets

Finally, iOS has widgets. Users will be able to add widgets in the Notification Center to show information at a glance. Widgets are part of Apple’s new Extensions for apps, which allows iOS apps to interact with one another and share data. This is quite like Android’s Intents System, which lets you share things from one app to another or through other third-party apps without any restrictions.

 

Notifications

Notifications have seen a big change. Like Android, users can reply to messages straight from the notification area, and this works on the lock screen too. Other apps can also tap into this functionality, such as accepting event invites, liking Facebook posts and such.

 

iMessage

Messages is the most-used app on iOS, Apple claims and as a result, they have focussed heavily on new features. Users can now name message threads and exit or enter a thread as they wish. Audio and video messages can also be added, and they have a Snapchat-like self-destruct function.

Continuity

Apple has introduced enhanced compatibility between desktop and mobile platform - Continuity. The feature is also very crucial to OS X Yosemite. A feature called Handoff, lets you work on multiple devices provided they are signed into the same iCloud account and are in the same network.

You can use Handoff with apps such as Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. Developers can build Handoff into their apps now, too. Continuity also lets you answer iPhone calls on your Mac, or even continue iPad messages on Mac.

 

Keyboard and Switcher menu

Apple's stock keyboard will now predict what word you will type next; that’s a feature ripped off directly from SwiftKey, which happens to have an iOS app too.

In the task switcher menu, Apple has added recent contacts, while Spotlight search will help you find pretty much anything and not just the stuff on the iPhone or iPad.

 

Siri

Siri is now hands free, which means that Apple's virtual assistant will be accessible with just a “Hey Siri.” It's similar to what Google has with Google Now. Apple has opened up a public beta program for developers, which allows app makers to ship out early releases to advanced or enthusiastic users.

 

Safari

Safari has undergone some changes. The design has become more flatter. On the iPad, it now adds 'bird's eye view' of all the tabs the user has opened. The sidebar from Mavericks now also comes to Safari on iOS.

 

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is Apple's new cloud storage service that will offer come with cross-platform functionality. Third-party apps will also be able to access the iCloud drive. For instance a third-party application like Sketchbook will be able to save changes to documents automatically to your cloud.

iCloud Drive will make it possible to access all the content from Mac and Windows and will offer automatic syncing.

 

Metal technology

Apple has also introduced Metal graphics system. It is said to offer efficient rendering of detailed 3D graphics. At WWDC, Apple also demonstrated a new Zen Garden game built with the Metal technology.

 

Apple has also announced several other features to make things simpler for developers. The developer features include App Store improvements to make it easier for them to sell their wares on the store. Apps can now share data with each other, but it is backed by some security from Apple. iOS 8 also opens the gates to system-wide third-party keyboards.

It will also be bringing Touch ID, the fingerprint scanner seen in the iPhone 5s, for third parties apps as well.