Rumour: iOS and iPadOS 14 Stability and Features

Photo Credit: Szabo Viktor

With version 13 still having some bugs, iOS and iPadOS 14 could be focussed on improving performance and stability and may incorporate some attractive new features.

iOS and iPadOS 14 Performance

Testing might take a new turn with the next iOS and iPadOS development. It will likely feature “daily builds” with the ability for testers to switch newly developed features on and off as they find problems with it. This will provide testers with the opportunity to determine exactly which features are causing the problems.

New Features

One new feature for iOS 14 making its rounds is the multitasking feature it will possibly adopt from iPadOS. It will have the same deck layout seen in iPadOS where you will see the six last used apps. To close an app you will, as in iOS 13, flick the app towards the top of the screen.

The last state of the app will probably be displayed in the app switcher unless Apple builds in a refresh feature to keep all open apps up to date. There is just one problem with this approach, speed. Newer iPhones will have no problem refreshing the apps, but older hardware may cause iOS to get laggy or even freeze.

Have a look at the Tweet below and read more on how this new feature might work. There are also a lot of pictures and a video to show you how it could look and function.

Exclusive: iOS 14 internal engineering build shows redesigned multitasking view for iPhone https://t.co/bydwDbVayh

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) February 23, 2020

Another screenshot, seen in the Tweet below, shows you new customisation settings where you will be able to choose which app switcher you would prefer.

Here’s that internal ‘App Switcher’ settings. Not a jailbreak tweak. pic.twitter.com/Ft6qvZ6NGi

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) February 23, 2020

With the deck app switcher reportedly coming to iPhone, will we also see iPadOS’s side-by-side multitasking feature? Let us know in the comments what you think, whether it will be practical and if you would use it.

Default Apps

Restrictions

Another rumour is Apple lifting some restrictions on system default apps. This will give you more control over which apps will be used when you click on a link or a mailto email address. Apple has this locked down to using its built-in system apps such as Apple Mail and Safari.

There are a lot of email apps, for example, Gmail and Microsoft’s Outlook. Some users prefer to use third-party apps due to it having functions specific to that email account that Apple Mail may not have.

Antitrust Investigation

A big reason for the abovementioned rumour is the antitrust investigation against Apple that is in the pipeline in Europe, reports suggest. Spotify filed a complaint against Apple with the European Union, stating that Apple is hindering user choice on iOS as well as suffocating developers’ innovation through the regulations it imposes in the App Store.

These regulations include a 30 percent commission charged by Apple for each App Store purchase and links not allowed in descriptions. Let me explain.

Netflix, for example, tries to avoid paying this commission by not enabling in-app purchases. Regulations from Apple states that if in-app purchases are not enabled, a link to the developer’s website is not allowed, in this case, blocking Netflix from posting a link to its sign-up page.

Read more on the antitrust investigation here and more on the regulations here, in articles by The Verge.

Compatibility

iOS and iPadOS 14 is likely to be compatible with the same devices as iOS and iPadOS 13, with the exception of the iPad Mini 4 and the iPad Air 2, giving you another year with your older device.

Release

If Apple sticks to its conventional timetable, we will see a preview of iOS and iPadOS 14 at this year’s WWDC which will probably be in June. Right after the keynote, the developer beta should be released, followed by the public betas probably in August. The final public release might be early in September, just after the new iPhone launch.

Closing

While we don’t know a lot at this stage, the little we know sounds promising and can be great additions to iOS and iPadOS 14, making multitasking easier and hopefully giving users more power and free rein with the option to choose a third-party app as a default.

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