by Mursal Asadulla
Courier Staff Writer
Just two days before the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple released their new update. iOS 8 simplifies and enhances features already available with iOS 7, making the applications even more convenient. Apple has also allowed third-party developers to access main features such as the keyboard and camera, but until we see the results, we won’t know how much control Apple provided these developers.
Apple has added new features to the Messages app to make it much better than before. There is now a details page from a button in the upper right of a text message that gives you more options. At the top of the Details page, you have contact information with buttons to call, start up Facetime, or look at that person’s full contact information. You are also able to share your location so your friends know exactly where you are. You can also record your voice in Messages using the microphone button on the right; so you can for example, share music with a friend. You can also manage group messages better with the Do Not Disturb button, so you can temporarily mute group chats.
Texting and emailing have been made even more efficient with QuickType, you are provided word suggestions at the top of your keyboard. QuickType works with 16 different languages. It can even predict words and phrases in a sentence. There is now support for third-party keyboards, but we will see what apps developers can come up with to make it even better.
Notifications received an upgrade too, you can now respond to messages and events while on an app without having to close the app that you are on. You are able to respond by typing into a field at the top of the screen, then hitting Send.
The new Health app can track all of your fitness apps and wearables at once to give you a look at your overall health. There are categories to help you track everything from your intake of vitamins to flights of stairs traveled with the data you enter in yourself. All of these are located on the app’s dashboard so the graphs of health data you care about are always the first things you see.
There are new features to help you edit, perfect, and find photos. Auto-straightening and cropping are the main new features, you can use automatic color-correction tools to make your photos appear better. Apple explained that outside developers can use their tools within the app. There has also been added two new sliders for lightness and color. You can also search filters at the top of the app to help narrow down categories such as the location of the shot or the date.
Siri now supports streaming voice recognition, which shows you what you are saying as you speak.