40 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2020
iOSCENTRAL APPLE’S NEXT TRANSITIONdownload before we can use them. Rather
they’re going to be ever-present,
glanceable, dynamic, and agnostic
extensions that adapt to both our location
and the device we’re using without
needing to visit a store.
WIDGETS WIDGETS
EVERYWHERE
The iPhone may have kicked off the
“there’s an app for that” mentality, but you
need to look no further than the iOS 14
home screen to see how Apple’s
ubiquitous handset is moving beyond a
home screen littered with icons of every
task. It’s not just the App Library, which
literally removes icons from our view, but
also the elevation of widgets.
Widgets will take away the need to launch apps whenever we need to know something.
In iOS 13, widgets are deliberate.
They’re hidden behind a swipe, stacked in
an infinite scroll, and not all that easier to
use than an actual app, but in iOS 14
they’ve been elevated to front-and-center
glanceable objects that will actually cut
down on the number of times we need to
open our favorite apps. From weather
forecasts to sports scores and news,
widgets give you a reason to stay out of
your apps by putting relevant information
within constant eyesight. Apple will even
be spotlighting popular ones in the gallery
so you can download an app strictly to use
the widget.
And that means we’re going to be
using the accompanying app less. The
iPhone’s home screen has always been