MAPS
The changes to Maps are more
than skin deep, with Apple
adding new kinds of data, but
there are some nice user
interface touches too. At last,
the Drive, Walk and Transit
options are joined by Cycle, and
directions will take account of
bike lanes and cycle paths, steep
hills and stairs. A little graph
in the directions card illustrates
the ups and downs of your trip.
Electric cars are more
dependent on charging
locations, and for compatible
vehicles Maps will calculate your
route around suitable stops,
even considering hills to predict
mileage. Meanwhile, new
shareable Guides offer extra info
on places to go and things to do,
with London among the first
cities to be covered. Apple
stresses that Maps continues
to protect the privacy of your
location data.
SIRI AND
MORE
Like phone calls, Siri no longer fills
the whole iPhone display when
active, instead popping up its familiar
circle icon at the bottom and its
results at the top. You can still see
the app that you were using, but you
can’t interact with it until Siri goes
away again.
iOS 14 also adds some interesting
new accessibility features. Sound
Recognition can alert you if it hears
predefined noises, such as a smoke
alarm or a baby crying. FaceTime
detects if someone is using sign
language in a group call and brings
them to the front. The VoiceOver
screen reader, Voice Control, and
Magnifier have been improved.
Potentially of use to everyone, Back
Tap lets you double– or triple–tap
the back of your iPhone to launch
a selected Shortcut.
TRANSLATE
The new Translate app converts
instantly between 11 languages in
text and audio. Turn your iPhone
sideways to conduct a two–way
conversation: whatever you speak
is repeated in the second language
for the other speaker, whose reply
is repeated in yours, while both
appear as text. Where listening is
tricky, a large–type mode displays
phrases full–screen to show to
someone. You can download
languages so it works without
internet access in complete privacy.
PICTURE IN
PICTURE (PIP)
Picture in Picture is a feature we’ve
already seen on the iPad, but now comes
to the iPhone in iOS 14. Whether you’re
watching a video or on a FaceTime call,
you can squish down the stream to a
thumbnail overlay and continue using
other apps. The catch is that while this
already works with the Apple TV app,
third–party apps will need to add support.
So far, YouTube doesn’t, for example
— although you can get around this by
accessing it via Safari.
Image rights: Apple.
Hands–on: iOS 14 & iPadOS 14
maclife.com SEP 2020 27