UPDATED 16:32 EDT / JUNE 22 2020

EMERGING TECH

At WWDC, Apple debuts new updates to iOS 14, watchOS 7 and more

Apple Inc. today announced sweeping updates to many of its mobile device operating systems, including features added to iOS, iPadOS and watchOS.

Many of these changes affect how commonly used apps have been upgraded – including Messages, Maps and the artificial intelligence agent Siri. Apple watchOS also has updates that will focus on user health with cycling and workout apps. Apple also revealed new interface technology with Apple Pencil for iPadOS.

Users will see these features, and upgrades to apps, reflected across all devices, including macOS personal computers running on the newly announced macOS 11 “Big Sur.”

iOS 14 brings updates to core elements

The new release of iOS 14 will include additional features that expand and combine core features of the phone itself by rethinking elements of the user interface.

“iOS is central to how we navigate our lives and stay connected,” said Craig Federighi (pictured), senior vice president of software engineering at Apple. “And now we’re making it even more powerful and easier to use with our new release of iOS 14. This year we spent time rethinking some of the most iconic elements of the experience on the iPhone.”

The App Library will automatically organize apps and format them in a visual manner that makes them easier to access on the home screen. Widgets, display apps that provide information at a glance, will be more accessible than ever, and they can be easily planted on the home screen and modified more easily with simple gestures to change size, shape or display format.

iPhone will also get picture-in-picture video, providing the ability to watch a video while accessing other apps, without interfering with navigation.

The visual interface of Siri has remained largely unchanged with the leaps and bounds the AI assistant has made over the years. This year, Siri will get a visual overhaul to fit that evolution. Now when Siri is called up, a kaleidoscopic ball will appear at the bottom of the screen and interact while providing accessibility and acting on behalf of the user.

Siri can now answer complex questions and knows 20 times more facts than before. It is now also possible to ask Siri to send a voice message. Keyboard dictation will also now use the same voice recognition AI as Siri.

Siri’s language AI will also be leveraged in the Translate app, which is capable of working completely offline and uses advanced on-device machine learning to translate between 11 different languages in real time.

This year Apple is changing up its messaging app, Messages, to include bigger and better features for staying connected and additional interface design changes. Messages now can pin conversations to allow people to keep up with their most important conversations. These pinned messages will also include visual displays revealing who was most recently talking.

Groups will now have inline replies added, which will allow people to hold individual, topical conversations in order to focus them out of conversations. The app will also now include “mentions,” which allow people to call out individuals to get their attention.

In iOS 14, Apple Maps will get more features that help people discover where they can go and assist them in getting there. With the addition of Guides, Apple Maps users will be able to easily discover recommended locations near them or in a place they want to view. Guides will not only suggest places, but also allow users to build lists of bookmarked interests.

Maps is getting a dedicated cycling option that will assist cyclists in designing routes, including information on steep inclines, busy or calm roads and the option to avoid stairs. The addition of EV Routing will enable electrical car drivers to understand the best route to keep their vehicle charged (by including compatible stations on the path). Congestion and green zones will also be added to maps in order to help drivers save gas and reduce emissions, for example, and the app will include information on which days it will be best to enter congestion zones to keep pollution down.

The 2021 BMW 5 series will become the first car to enable iPhone “digital car keys,” which is a secure app that can operate a vehicle. This feature will also be enabled on iOS 13. Apple has been working on standards for digital car keys that will allow Bluetooth and NFC-enabled cars to use the technology starting next year.

With App Clips, users can rapidly install minimal apps depending on context, this will allow them to quickly use an app for a situation they encounter without the need to scan through the App Store and download an app. For example, upon visiting a restaurant, a user could scan a QR code or interact with an NFC-enabled kiosk to interact with a menu app to order or pay. The minimal app only stays long enough to transact but leaves the user the option to install the full app.

iPadOS 14 gets feature updates in wake of with iOS 14 improvements

Next, the upcoming iPadOS 14 will receive the same redesigned widgets from the updates to iOS 14.

“iPad has always been about the apps,” said Federighi. “In the beginning we focused on giving the ecosystem of iPhone apps a larger canvas to deliver new and unique experiences. This sparked an entirely new set of apps designed for iPad first, with immersive experiences that transform this magical sheet of glass into whatever you need it to be.”

The Photos app will have a sidebar added, which will allow rapid navigation and organization features. Other apps to include a sidebar include Notes, iCloud Drive, Calendar and others. The sidebar in the Music app helps take better advantage of the entire screen real estate as well.

Search will now have a compact design — no more screen-dominating experience. The entire mechanism has also been rebuilt from the ground up to become an app launcher and a central stepping-off point for accessing information in varied apps. Search suggests relevant information and will also easily launch Safari for access to the web.

“With new compact designs for system interactions and new app designs specifically tailored to iPad, even better note-taking capabilities with Apple Pencil, and more powerful AR experiences,” Federighi added. “iPadOS 14 delivers an amazing experience that keeps it in a class of its own.”

WatchOS 7 gets quality-of-life improvements and health updates

There are now more than 20,000 WatchOS apps available, and with WatchOS 7 developers can now feature more elements from their apps on watch faces. The app store will also now offer entirely customized watch faces, which can be loaded from the store and automatically download and update any apps needed for the custom face.

Maps will also benefit from the iOS 14 Maps update, including direct-to-watch information about cycling maps, route-detection, information on when to dismount to use stairs or the ability to avoid them.

The Workout app now tracks the most popular styles of dance. This includes advanced sensor use for tracking arm and leg movements along with heart rate in order to provide the best information about a workout. All of this can also be tracked in WatchOS 7 and can talk to the Workouts app in iOS 14.

“Apple Watch not only helps you stay connected and active, but it’s also become an intelligent guardian of your health,” said Kevin Lynch, vice president of technology at Apple. “It enables you to take an ECG, detect falls and call emergency services for you. It’s impacting live sin ways that were inconceivable five years ago.”

Apple intends to add a number of Health features to Apple Watch, including Wind Down, an app to minimize distractions and help people get to sleep, and — in light of the coronavirus pandemic — automatic detection of handwashing time that includes haptic and sound notifications.

Apple Pencil and Scribble

Apple’s pen and drawing peripheral, Apple Pencil, will be updated to make handwriting just as powerful as interacting with an editing text. Scribble, a service on Apple devices, also allows users to handwrite directly into text fields and rendered the writing into text.

“One of the great parts about taking notes with the Apple Pencil is that it really lets you work in a free-form way,” said Jenny Chen, an engineer at Apple Pencil Software. “I can just start writing anywhere.”

Huge improvements have been made to handwriting recognition using Scribble, allowing quick editing and selection of written words. Using advanced on-device machine learning, note-taking and drawing will receive context-sensitive actions allowing users to quickly draw designs.

The handwriting system can also automatically recognize Chinese characters, numbers and numerals, understand phone numbers and format information according to context. All of these new features are available for Apple iPads that can interface with Apple Pencil.

Photo: Apple

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