Top iOS 14 Features: Compact Phone Calls, Back Tap, Widgets, App Library and More

[smashcutt]

The iOS interface is starting to look too "bubble-y". They need to decrease the radius on some of the rounded corners, especially on the widgets. The round corners combined with the bright colors and flatness of the icons give the whole UI a Fisher Price feel.

 

[Yoms]

Hi @Yoms
You can disable the "Feature".
Settings / Phone / Incoming Calls / Full Screen

Thanks! I'm not eligible for this update as I still have an iPhone 6 though.
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You act like every phone call needs your immediate attention, while at the same time forgetting that the ability to be alerted instantly and accept the call just as quickly is not affected with the alert UI taking just the top portion of the screen. Most people don't use a smartphone primarily as a phone but as a general communication device. So if someone is in the middle of communicating through email, text, messenger — what have you — they don't want to be interrupted by a full-screen notification. I can appreciate being "old-school" and putting a priority on voice calling as more personal, but most don't share that opinion as they communicate with their own friends and family who are real people, with real feelings, with real things to tell you, a human being, in other words, that we are already talking to in another method.

A smaller UI for a phone call doesn't demote their importance — it realizes that the other thing you may be doing could also be important enough to need your continued attention right at the moment. And you can act on an incoming call just as quickly as you ever could so this is the best of both worlds.

I understand your argument. It's actually soundly written for sure.

What I'm critical about is that "need for more at the same time", this "I want to be able to go on instagramming while still receiving a call." Yes, the present behaviour interrupts the process. And? You therefore have to wonder whether you take that call or not before being able to get back to what you were doing on your phone. In other words, you have to pause. I think it's time to slow down a bit our habits, not to multi-engage with different people at the same time through different communication channels.

What's the next update? I can foresee it already. When you have a notification, you have that quick banner on the top of the screen, right? So next update will be to present multiple banners at the same time (one below the other) instead of one after another in case you are being contacted through different apps at the same time. This way, you'll be able to read (at least try to) your SMS, WhatsApp and Messenger notifications all at once.

I think this is a sick behaviour.

 

[Yoms]

yes, to tell me about my student loans of car insurance. of course i don't have any student loans and i'm already saving on car insurance and it's a scam phone call, but sure thing, interrupt away.

I'm not discussing the nature of the phone call per se. Sure these are annoying calls, I agree.

 

[tfigs]

Emoji search may be the best thing in this update. So easy to use and so necessary.

 

[C DM]

The answer, and hang up button is too close. That is what i see. Very easy to accidentally hang up on a person.

I agree, have hung up on accident instead of accepting the call.

Seems like you can tap pretty much anywhere on the notification aside from the decline button to accept the call. That aside, since this is just in beta and is basically just for the 14.0 release it's possible this might get tweaked over time, if needed.
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Thanks! I'm not eligible for this update as I still have an iPhone 6 though.
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I understand your argument. It's actually soundly written for sure.

What I'm critical about is that "need for more at the same time", this "I want to be able to go on instagramming while still receiving a call." Yes, the present behaviour interrupts the process. And? You therefore have to wonder whether you take that call or not before being able to get back to what you were doing on your phone. In other words, you have to pause. I think it's time to slow down a bit our habits, not to multi-engage with different people at the same time through different communication channels.

What's the next update? I can foresee it already. When you have a notification, you have that quick banner on the top of the screen, right? So next update will be to present multiple banners at the same time (one below the other) instead of one after another in case you are being contacted through different apps at the same time. This way, you'll be able to read (at least try to) your SMS, WhatsApp and Messenger notifications all at once.

I think this is a sick behaviour.

With a new option to no longer be completely interrupting and the old version of it all still being available as a setting, this now being something that users can basically decide for themselves, it seems like this is something that's a nonissue.

 

[Websnapx2]

I understand your argument. It's actually soundly written for sure.

Thank you, I appriciate that.

What I'm critical about is that "need for more at the same time", this "I want to be able to go on instagramming while still receiving a call." Yes, the present behaviour interrupts the process. And? You therefore have to wonder whether you take that call or not before being able to get back to what you were doing on your phone. In other words, you have to pause. I think it's time to slow down a bit our habits, not to multi-engage with different people at the same time through different communication channels.

Again, I think the issue here is of perceived priority. You are assuming that whatever the user is doing is less important than a phone call and all I am pointing out is that in that regard I think you are a minority. I appreciate you are using Instagram as an example but it illustrates maybe a subconscious bias towards other methods of communication. I personally find myself writing detailed work emails and slack messages on my phone — to be interrupted mid-thought by a full-screen notification — only to find out it was a telemarketer, is a very poor User Experience. Acknowledging the call without losing the context of my current action gives both precedence and gives me the power to either switch and take the call, or finish my initial correspondence before being thrust into another conversation.

What's the next update? I can foresee it already. When you have a notification, you have that quick banner on the top of the screen, right? So next update will be to present multiple banners at the same time (one below the other) instead of one after another in case you are being contacted through different apps at the same time. This way, you'll be able to read (at least try to) your SMS, WhatsApp and Messenger notifications all at once.

I think this is a sick behaviour.

That just isn't how iOS works. There are levels of notifications — quick and persistent — and you would have to assume that an incoming call would remain persistent until the caller hands up or the call goes to voicemail. At no point do you get multiple notifications stacked outside of the lock screen (especially if one is persistent), so your scenario just isn't likely. Notifications — as they behave now — would be first come first serve, but more to the point how would maintain the full-screen Answer screen address that issue? it wouldn't, as you would only know about the other communication notifications after actioning on the full-screen answer screen is dealt with, and if you were to answer the call — not till you answered the call.

Lastly, I hope you don't think prioritizing whatever someone may be currently doing above deciding to take a call is "sick behaviour", just because that heavily depends on many factors to understand the context of that decision. Most of the calls I get are solicitations, since most businesses I use contact through email and basically only my mom calls me, and I can answer that call just as quickly and easily without my whole screen being taken over.

Keep in mind this is a feature you can turn off in settings.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Does anyone know if it is possible to create a smart playlist of songs that are similar to your Shazam or SoundHound history?

 

[alexandr]

The answer, and hang up button is too close. That is what i see. Very easy to accidentally hang up on a person.

and unfortunately no way to call them back

 

[alexandr]

I'm not discussing the nature of the phone call per se. Sure these are annoying calls, I agree.

right, so i guess it would be ok to let people decide how to react to their incoming phone calls, no?

 

[Yoms]

right, so i guess it would be ok to let people decide how to react to their incoming phone calls, no?

Reacting for sure, yes. I'm not arguing that. I'm talking about an UI element. Anyways, I've already made my point.

 

[nrvna76]

if you swipe the call away does the caller go straight to voicemail or continue to ring the normal amount until voicemail picks up? Not sure if the caller will know they’ve been swiped away...

 

[alexandr]

if you swipe the call away does the caller go straight to voicemail or continue to ring the normal amount until voicemail picks up? Not sure if the caller will know they’ve been swiped away...

nope - it keeps ringing, which is awesome. a small icon appears in the upper lefthand corner showing the call is still incoming, which also let's you tap on that and answer it. see this - https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-14-compact-interface/

 

[minivini]

Apple's iOS 14 update, coming this fall, is packed with tons of new features, functions, and design changes, many of which iOS users have been wanting for years now. In our latest YouTube video, we highlighted some of the best features included in iOS 14 that will make you want to upgrade to the new software.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

• Picture in Picture FaceTime - You know how FaceTime pauses your video if you exit the app while you're on a FaceTime call? That's no longer the case in iOS 14 thanks to the Picture in Picture FaceTime option where you can use your phone as normal while you chat.
• Compact Phone Calls - Fed up with phone calls taking over the entire iPhone display and interrupting what you're doing? If your iPhone is unlocked and in use, incoming phone calls now show up as a small banner that can be tapped to expand it or swiped away so it's little more than a passing nuisance.
• App Library - App Library is a one stop shop for all your apps, and it's one of those features that makes you wonder why the iPhone didn't always have it. You can find any of your installed apps in the App Library, and it lets you get rid of Home Screen pages and hide apps if you want, for a much more organized iPhone interface.
• Third-Party Default Apps - Tired of tapping links and having them open up in Safari instead of Chrome? In iOS 14, you can set default mail and browser apps so you're no longer forced to open links and compose messages in Apple's own Safari and Mail apps.
• Search in Apps - Apple made search better in iOS 14, and now when you type in a search term, you can scroll down to the "Search in Apps" section and tap an app to automatically launch a search in that app. You can search Notes, Reminders, Mail, Files, Messages, the App Store, and more. App search was in iOS 13, but the feature in iOS 14 is expanded and more organized.
• Approximate Location Sharing - Lots of apps are hungry for your location data, and in iOS 14, Apple has a new privacy option to let you use location-based features while obscuring your exact location. Apps like those that serve up weather info don't need to know exactly where you are, so you can now choose to share an approximate location instead of an exact location.
• Emoji Search - The Mac has long had a little search interface for finding emoji, and in iOS 14, Apple finally brought this same emoji search option to the iPhone. Just tap on the emoji (or globe) icon and then tap on the emoji search bar to find the exact character that you're looking for.
• On-Device Dictation - In iOS 14, dictation now gets better over time as you use your device with all of that learning done directly on the iPhone rather than through Apple's servers. All processing is now done offline, so when you dictate a text message, note, or email to your iPhone, it stays on device.
• Back Tap - With Back Tap, you can double or triple tap on the back of the iPhone to perform actions like taking a screenshot, accessing the Control Center, changing the volume, and more. It's an Accessibility feature, but anyone can use it.
• Sound Recognition - Another Accessibility feature, Sound Recognition is a useful feature for those who are hard of hearing because it lets the iPhone listen for sounds like fire alarms, smoke, pets, door bells, running water, shouting, and more. It's pretty accurate and sends a notification whenever the iPhone detects a sound.
• Exposure Lock - Serious iPhone photographers will be pleased to learn that iOS 14 allows an exposure compensation value to be locked in for an entire photo or video session with separate controls available for locking camera focus and exposure for a single shot.
• HomeKit Control Center - Your favorite HomeKit scenes can be accessed in the Control Center in iOS 14, plus there's an expanded HomeKit interface you can get to with a tap to make it easier than ever to control smart home products.
• Custom Widget Stacks - Apple added widgets for the Home Screen in iOS 14, so you can pull them right out of Today Center and onto the main iPhone display. Even better, Apple made Widget Stacks, so you can create one widget space on the Home Screen that houses multiple widgets you can swipe between.
• QuickTake Video - Have an iPhone XR or an iPhone XS? Good news, in iOS 14, you can use the QuickTake video feature that Apple added to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. You can hold down the capture button in photo mode to capture a quick video without taking precious seconds to swap to video mode. In iOS 14, QuickTake also works with the Volume Down button.
• Apple Music Redesign - "For You" in Apple Music is now "Listen Now," which offers up better than ever suggestions for what you might like to listen to. Search offers up suggestions based on genre and mood, and playlists now feature animated artwork. It's a solid update for Apple Music users.
• Apple Music Continue Playing - There's also one other new Apple Music feature so good that it deserved its own bullet point - continue playing. When you listen to a single song or a playlist and the music ends, Apple Music will now automatically play something that's similar so there's no dead air.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a bunch of other great features included in iOS 14 that we'll highlight in the future. If you have a favorite new iOS 14 change, let us know in the comments below.

iOS 14 is available to developers and public beta testers at this time, so anyone with a compatible device is able to download it. iOS 14 will be in beta testing for a few more months before it sees a public release this fall.

For more on all of the new features in iOS 14, make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup and keep an eye out for our detailed guides and how tos, which we're adding to the site each day. Our guides and our roundup offer an in-depth look at all of the new features in the update, while our how tos teach you how to use them.

Article Link: Top iOS 14 Features: Compact Phone Calls, Back Tap, Widgets, App Library and More

The only thing I’ve found that I dislike is the new method for entering an alarm time. I loved the look, feel, and sound of the click-wheel rotation. Now it’s a very sterile entry method via keypad. I hope this doesn’t make it into the release version.

 

[PSeg90]

Absolutely love this iOS 14 Beta! I use the Picture In Picture pretty much all day. Great for Youtube via browser (not the app). The compact phone call UI is actually really great (when your phone is in use and not locked).
I tried to use the "Back Tap" feature but it actually was set off just by holding my phone normally, so I disabled.
Hid all apps except the main home screen so when i slide to the left, it opens the App Drawer, if i swipe to the right, it opens the widget page. Love the ability to hide multiple home screen pages!

 

[Websnapx2]

Love the beta — running it on my daily. Love that you can have multiple instances of apps on screens (I set up a screen for Sports so all my apps are there for a game-day, but can still exist on another page/place.

 

[compwiz1202]

Not on a smartphone... for many people, the main function would be facebook, instagram, netflix, whatsapp and games.
You could always minimize by hitting the home button and then do whatever you please on the phone with a green bar on top reminding you that you're still on a call.

And would much rather have the call banner so you don't accidentally accept or decline when if pops up in your face on the entire screen.

 

[compwiz1202]

Reading the comments here over the last weeks it seems clear that the vast majority of people doesn’t want the phone app to take over the entire screen. Sure, you can do other things if you go back to home while on a call but why interrupt what the user was doing in the first place? It was time for a change in my opinion.

I do agree with the choice part, but there is a toggle, isn't there?

 

[compwiz1202]

I agree, have hung up on accident instead of accepting the call.

I think what could be cool would be to put a message button in the middle to do the canned responses instead of having to swipe, plus it would be a buffer

 

[compwiz1202]

if you swipe the call away does the caller go straight to voicemail or continue to ring the normal amount until voicemail picks up? Not sure if the caller will know they’ve been swiped away...

Normal. My wife and I tested that one.