As our team develops iOS apps, some of our clients are always interested in what makes advances in the OS useful to their business or services. Apple’s introduction of iOS 8 provides some important and useful enhancements that anyone using an iPad or iPhone should be interested in.
Interactive Notifications —
Interactive notifications is a terrific new element within iOS 8. Now, you may respond to texts, email, calendar invitations, reminders and messages within other apps such as Facebook or Instagram from the notification banners that pops up at the top of the screen.
Keyboards —
For the first time, you’re no longer restricted to the keyboard Apple gives you and can pick better options from third-party developers, like Swype ($0.99). So, if you type in a particular way, now you can do it your way.
Timer for Photographs —
Apple added a timer to its Camera app, allowing you either 3 or 10 seconds to position the camera and then jump into the shot with your friends. You don’t need to touch the camera, either. Selfies galore.
Battery Monitoring —
This is one of the most useful new elements of iOS 8. Check your apps and see how much impact each one has on your battery. To identify which apps you should close when not in use, visit General > Usage > Battery Usage. This small step could add a few hours of extra battery life to your day.
Homescreen in Landscape Mode —
While iOS 7 users could read content in landscape mode, the home screen never changed. Now, iPhone 6 Plus owners will be able to turn their device 90 degrees and see apps displayed on the home screen in either format.
Key People Shortcuts —
If you press the Home button twice, you’ll not only see the webpages you have open but the faces of people you’ve recently talked to. This makes it easy to call or text your favorite contacts right away. Note that ALL contacts will be highlighted, even those you might not want others to see. To remove this feature, visit Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Show in App Switcher and switch it of Off.
Shared Locations —
Now, iOS 8 lets you set up a window for when you want whereabouts shared, too — for example, if you’re going to be at a specific location from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, you can share your location with a group of co-workers or friends until you’re ready to head back to the office – or home.
Slo Mo Video —
iOS 8 users now have way more control over videos. What typically can cost thousands of dollars in camera equipment to speed up or slow down footage is now available for free within the Camera app, giving you the opportunity to get creative with your clips.