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iOS/iPadOS 14
#55160 07/10/20 10:21 PM
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The first thing I tested was Scribble (handwriting recognition everywhere) on iPadOS 14. I haven't written anything by hand in so long that even I don't recognize my writing but Scribble does a credible, but not perfect, job of translating my scrawl into text. I am still trying to figure out how to manage the "App Library" and the various "Widgets" which are automated ways of organizing the plethora of apps that tend to accumulate. There are also the expected subtle changes, display enhancements, etc that will also be making their way into MacOS 11 (Big Sur) beta that will be available shortly. I am still figuring out how to test translation.

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/10/20 10:24 PM. Reason: re-wording

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55193 07/12/20 04:27 PM
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As expected with early beta releases, battery consumption on my iPhone went from an average charge remaining at the end of the day in the 75 to 85% range to 38% last night. It was expected and will be fixed hopefully early on. Everything else seems to be working well, or at least I have not yet discovered any problems.

There are three new organizational entities in iOS 14:
  1. WIDGETS - sort of a demi-app that displays data from other apps in a larger window on the screen. The currently available Widgets include:
    • News -- displays a curated top story headline
    • Photos -- randomly selects images from your photo library
    • Calendar -- what's up next
    • Smart stack -- Automatically rotates widgets to show the most relevant information throughout the day
    • Batteries -- status of batteries on the phone and all connected devices.
    • Several others
  2. App Library -- automatically selected groups of apps and if you touch App Library at the top of the groups an alphabetical list of all your apps appears.
  3. Stacks -- You can stack widgets on top of each other, and you can flip through them with a flick of your finger.

NOTE: None of these features appear in iPadOS 14.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS:
  • Widgets are useful because of the larger size window which makes opening the app itself unnecessary.
  • App Library is visually attractive, but I haven't figured out how apps get included in the Library stacks or if they can be managed. If they can be managed, then for people like me with a TON of apps it is a Godsend.
  • Stacks will probably be very useful for many people, especially those who are better organized and have a better memory than me.
  • The absence of all of the new UI features in iPadOS 14 appears to be one more clear indication Apple has positioned the iPad as a MacBook alternative rather than a "king size" iPhone. Watch for the app stores to merge.

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/12/20 04:55 PM. Reason: Observations

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55215 07/14/20 05:24 PM
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I wouldn't have believed it if I had not experienced it but, the new organizational changes in iOS 14 are changing how and when I use my iPhone, arguably for the better.
  • LOCKED SCREEN -- Flashlight, Camera are available on the lock screen as well as the option of Siri Suggestions. I went through my morning routine without unlocking the screen, just following Siri's suggestions.
  • HOME SCREEN -- Widgets and Widget Stacks make this much more readable and offer direct access to app content. For example, the Top Stories widget stack has current top news stories and Apple news headlines available at the flick of a finger. Pressing on the Widget opens the News app to the full displayed story. The Calendar Widget is stacked on the ToDo widget.
  • Some features have moved to new locations and Apple has taken pains to leave breadcrumbs to the new location. For example when I went to check the wake-up alarm setting in the clock I was re-direicted to its new location in the Health App.
  • APP LIBRARY -- In the previous versions of iOS, I went to a lot of effort organizing and re-organizing my multitude of apps into desktop folders and I was never quite satisfied. iOS 14 preserved these folders and added their own App Library to the mix along with a selection of icons for the most recently used apps. App icons can now appear in multiple locations. Now when you touch the minus sign you are offered three choices
    1. cancel
    2. Remove from the Home screen. Apps Removed from the Home Screen appear only in the App Library.
    3. Delete the app
  • Apple has done a surprisingly good job of categorizing apps in the App Library, but...
    • Not all apps are categorized
    • There is no option to create personal categories
    • I haven't found a way to change an app's category
    • I wish there were some way to use the larger App Library category groupings with the older Desktop Folders.
  • SO FAR SO GOOD -- nothing has crashed, everything is working, iOS 14 public beta 1 is amazingly stable and solid.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55290 07/20/20 05:08 PM
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I encountered my first iOS 14 problem this morning in CarPlay. Although the Map interface and spoken directions still work well, when you are listening to Music or other audio sources, and the audio switches to Maps for a turn instruction, it does not automatically switch back to the previous audio source. Not a major problem, but annoying when you are deeply engaged with a book on tape. There are also some changes to the car's screen display.

One other observation: although I previously complained about high battery usage, a couple of days following installation of iOS 14 battery consumption has returned to normal or at least near normal. My supposition is some transition processing, or data shuffling was taking place in the background. Since iOS does not have an Activity Monitor, it was invisible to me.

All in all, I really like iOS 14 👌 and would be very reluctant to switch back to iOS 13. 👎 It isn't any single feature, rather the sum of the new features and functions. As a result I use my iPhone a LOT more than I did when it was running iOS 13. I wish some of the new iOS 14 features had made it into iPadOS 14 and I have my fingers cross waiting to see what and how any of this makes it into Big Sur 🤞.

Speaking of iPadOS 14, Scribble (handwriting using Apple Pencil 2) and I are beginning to come to terms. I am adding a screen cover to increase tip drag and hopefully improve my on-screen writing. On a recommendation from the Concepts app, I also practice handwriting, printing, and sketching to refresh my muscle-memory from too many years ago on the iPad and on paper with a wooden pencil. Not only is my muscle-memory returning, but Scribble is getting better at translating it to text. (in the beta version, Apple requests the iPad be allowed to send the hand-written text to them to be used to improve Scribble. That does somewhat restrain what I write as well as making me self-conscious.) 😜 As an added benefit, my sketching is better than it has have ever been

NOTE: If you have any interest is sketching or drawing and have an iPhone or even better an iPad, check out Concepts, it is amazingly powerful, useful, and easy to use.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55307 07/21/20 04:28 PM
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Speaking of CarPlay, sort of, where in iOS 14 can you find CarKey (even if you don't use it). It was supposed to be introduced in the 13.6 update, but it is nowhere to be found. So to plan ahead on my end, where is it in 14? Thanks.


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Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
Ira L #55314 07/21/20 07:03 PM
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You start by buying a 2020 model BMW 350 series sedan, then when you pair your iPhone running iOS 14 Car Key will automatically appear. Supposedly there will be other compatible vehicles beginning late this year and all through the following year. If you are willing to contribute toward my purchase of a new BMW, I will be happy to test the feature for you. 😜

On second thought, make that a MAJOR contribution!


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55326 07/22/20 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
You start by buying a 2020 model BMW 350 series sedan, then....

Okay, so I guess I can forget about it for my 2004 and 2008 Volvos. laugh


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Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55331 07/22/20 04:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
You start by buying a 2020 model BMW 350 series sedan, then when you pair your iPhone running iOS 14 Car Key will automatically appear. Supposedly there will be other compatible vehicles beginning late this year and all through the following year. If you are willing to contribute toward my purchase of a new BMW, I will be happy to test the feature for you. 😜

On second thought, make that a MAJOR contribution!


So the iOS automatically senses a compatible vehicle. OhhKaaay. smirk


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
Ira L #55335 07/22/20 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: Ira L
So the iOS automatically senses a compatible vehicle. OhhKaaay. smirk

I would imagine there is also some "pairing" routine involved as well. (I would test it out, but I am waiting for Volkswagen's I. D. Buzz 🚌 in 2022 which hopefully will be compatible. 😀 )


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55468 07/29/20 11:16 PM
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FWIW the more I use iOS 14 the better I like it. With iOS 12 and 13 I had a raft of carefully curated "folders" on the iPhone Desktop so I could find all the different apps, even if I didn't remember their names when I hadn't used the for a while. I am slowly taking all those off the desktop, along with the apps they contained. IOS 14 has made those folders superfluous.
  • REMOVE FROM HOME SCREEN: As before a long press on an app brings up a menu containing: Edit Home Screen, Share App, and Remove App. Touching this last option, Remove App, brings up another sub menu containing: Remove from Home Screen and Delete. Remove From Home screen does exactly that, it removes the app from the home screen but leaves it on the device.
  • FREQUENTLY USED APPS: iOS 14 keeps icons of the eight most recently used apps at the top of the window for ready access. This is in addition to where they are normally found.
  • APP LIBRARY: To quote an old Disney song this is "the thing-a-ma-bob that does the job" by automatically collecting all the installed apps, organizing them into logical groups, and/or alphabetical order for access.
My iPhone desktop is much cleaner and to my surprise more useful and useable. I am finding I use my iPhone more and more for tasks I have always don on the Mac.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55470 07/30/20 04:02 PM
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If an app is removed from the Home Screen, but not the device, where is it? Or is the Home Screen now a specific screen? If it is the first screen, how does this apply to a long tap on an app that is normally on the, let's say, third screen of my iPhone?


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
Ira L #55471 07/30/20 04:15 PM
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The Home Screen is any screen from 1 to n, except Siri Suggestions, a Widget, or App Library. Any app removed from the Home Screen, like all apps installed on the system, is found in the App Library.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55473 07/30/20 06:10 PM
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It has taken me some time to accustom myself to the new features in spite of reviews I have read so I understand it might be difficult to get a feel for them without being able o get your hands on an iPhone running iOS 14. Hopefully these images will at last give you a taste of the new look and feel.

My Home Screen 1 looks like this.
  • Widgets are active windows into an app and what you see changes throughout the day as the content of the app changes The one I keep on top is Apple News. Swiping up or down on a widget scrolls through different content from the app. Widgets of the same size and shape can be stacked and swiping left to right scrolls through the stacked widgets.
  • Safari Suggestions are based on things you do frequently on the iPhone and change throughout the day based what you do and when you do it. It takes a while to learn your habits, but mine is getting surprisingly accurate in anticipating my needs.
My App Library looks like this. Touching the spot indicated to open a collection yields this. Touch App Library and an alphabetical list of all applications appears with a search window and alphabet sidebar to speed lookup. The app I am looking for is easier to find in App Library than in my former folders. Not that I don't use folders, they are still great for projects and related tasks. For example the folder I have with wild bird, insect, and plant identification apps used when camping or the folder for all the apps used only when visiting Walt Disney World.

I have already said this, it is so darn handy on the iPhone, I really wish some of this had been put in iPadOS 14 not to mention MacOS 11.0.

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/30/20 06:17 PM.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: iOS/iPadOS 14
joemikeb #55489 07/31/20 05:15 PM
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Very helpful screen shots. Thanks. smile


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.

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