San Jose: Apple kicked off its annual developer conference WWDC20 in a virtual avatar with CEO Tim Cook addressing racism and a call to "being a force for change". What followed was mega updates in the Apple ecosystem starting with iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and WatchOS 7 and MacOS, among others.
"At the end of the Home Screen pages is the App Library, a new space that automatically organises all of a user's apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that may be helpful in the moment," said the company.
"Siri expands its knowledge, helps find answers from across the internet, and can now send audio messages. Keyboard dictation runs on the device when dictating messages, notes, email, and more," said Apple.
Conveniently on the wrist, Maps is updated with cycling directions and Siri now offers language translation, said Apple.
"WatchOS 7 brings sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, and new workout types together with a whole new way to discover and use watch faces, helping our users stay healthy, active, and connected," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer.
With WatchOS 7, Apple Watch introduces sleep tracking, taking a holistic approach to sleep by providing valuable tools to help users get the desired amount of sleep, get to bed on time, and create a pre-bedtime routine to meet their sleep goals.
Washing hands properly for at least 20 seconds can help prevent the spread of illnesses like the COVID-19 virus.
Apple Watch now uses motion sensors, microphone, and on-device machine learning to automatically detect hand-washing motions and sounds.
It then initiates a 20-second countdown timer, and if the user finishes early, they will be prompted to keep washing. Apple Watch can also conveniently remind the user to wash their hands when they return home.
Apple has released iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates with multiple new features including stunning new emoji.
- iOS and iPadOS 14.2 include new emoji 13 characters with options that include smiling face with a tear, ninja, pinched fingers, anatomical heart, black cat, mammoth, polar bear, dodo, fly, bell pepper, tamale, bubble tea, potted plant, piñata, plunger, wand, feather, hut, and more.
- Along with emoji, iOS 14.2 includes support for Intercom, which turns the HomePod, HomePod mini, and other devices into intercoms that can be used throughout the home.
- iOS 14.2 also brings an optimized battery charging feature to AirPods and AirPods Pro. This feature is designed to reduce battery aging and extend the overall lifespan of AirPods' battery.
- The iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates added eight new wallpaper options and improved iconography across the operating system.
- The iOS 14.2 update lets Apple Card users see a yearly spending history option. Before, spending activity was limited to a weekly or monthly summary.
- The iPadOS 14.2 update adds new A14 camera functionality for iPad Air owners. Introduced on the iPhone 12 lineup, it has Scene Detection, which uses intelligent image recognition to identify objects to improve photos.
- One can download either update for free on all eligible devices by going to Settings, General, and then Software Update.
Apple has added support for the highly-demanded 1080p FaceTime calls with the new iOS 14.2 update. The new resolution for video calls is supported by iPhone 8 and new models, including the iPhone 12 series.
Discovered by MacMagazine, Apple quietly updated the specs pages for devices like iPhone XR shortly after the release of iOS 14.2.
The FaceTime calls will work in 1080p resolution on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max.
While this comes as good news for iPhone users, Apple is not making the 1080p FaceTime calls widely available. This means the 1080p resolution will work only on Wi-Fi networks and this needs to be available on both ends.
The only advantage of the iPhone 12 lineup when it comes to FaceTime HD is support for the resolution over both Wi-Fi and 5G.
Also Read: Apple enters 5G era with 4 iPhone 12 series smartphones
(Inputs from Agencies)
