So it’s finally here. Apple has released iOS 8 to the masses and as you would expect, a decent amount of features come along with that. We’ve previously detailed our favorite hidden features in iOS 8, but today we’re letting it all out. We’ve put together a list of our top 20 favorite iOS 8 features that you can look forward to after updating…
Keep in mind, there are a lot more than just 20 features that are new to iOS 8, but to keep things simple, we’ve put together a video featuring most of the need-to-know information. There’s no doubt that iOS 8 brings a ton of improvements in customization and functionality. If you haven’t updated yet, head over to the Settings app, tap on ‘General,” and select “Software Update” to get started.
Check out our top 20 iOS 8 features video below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxwig4Tr2o]
Here are the top 20 features we’ve mentioned in the video above:
- Touch ID for apps
- App Extensions (Extensibility)
- Quick type
- Quick reply
- Handoff
- Group messages improvements
- Details tab in Messages app
- Interactive notifications
- Voice/video messages
- Quick send photos
- Request desktop site in Safari
- Battery usage by app
- Third-party keyboards
- Notification center “Today” Widgets
- iCloud Photo Library
- Shazam integration
- Flyover Tours
- Custom Share Sheet actions
- App Store bundles
- Time-Lapse video
Be sure to let us know which iOS 8 feature is your favorite. Have you updated to iOS 8? What do you think so far?
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iCloud Photo Library was pulled from the public release, and erased from all iOS 8 marketing. This is causing massive confusion among users, and is undoubtedly a shameful move by Apple.
I am curious as to why not one tech blog that covers Apple, and obsessively covers iOS 8, has seen fit to mention this calamity.
It wasn’t pulled, i have it on my iOS 8 installation (final, public release of 17th of September) and turned on
It’s still there, it’s just got a big (Beta) next to it and says make sure you back up your photos before you try this.
I don’t have that :( In my Photos settings I just see My Photo Stream , Upload Burst Photos and iCloud Photo Sharing :(
I don’t have it either.
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/12/apple-demotes-icloud-photo-library-beta/
Macrumors covered it…hopefully this is just a hold back until Yosemite is released
I am curious as to why an apparent blowhard that has yet to upgrade, and therefore has no clue when it comes to iOS 8, has seen fit to display said ignorance to excessively in public.
Even if they had pulled it (which they didn’t), I think you’re blowing things a bit out of proportion. Shit gets delayed and canceled. It happens.
I think the more likely explanation is that you can’t access iCloud drive from the desktop until Yosemite comes out. So users who didn’t know better would be screaming to Apply support wondering why they can’t access their iPhone photos from the Mac.
Daniel,
When Yosemite is released, you will not be able to access iCloud Photos from iCloud Drive on the Mac either. As much sense as that would make, that’s not how they are doing it.
You won’t be able to access them at all. Not until Photos for Mac is released in 2015.
Today we’ve seen the first indication that an iCloud.com element to Photos is coming, but we don’t know when. Maybe soon, maybe not. Until all of these things come to past, the Photos situation is a disaster of Apple’s creating.
LOL… suuuuure. Becasue, you know, the FREE iPhoto and Aperture suddenly both IMPLODED when “Photo” was announced as we all know, so you’re totally screwed when it comes to Macs and photos!!
Oh wait… or maybe me thinks you’re just a moron troll full of BS. Yeah. That must be it.
Its a mess. Many developers (like myself) still have it, but most people that updated yesterday have no option for it at all.
It is quite a mess, considering the Photos app has changed to accommodate it….and is now missing it. The Photos app is actually now worse than iOS 7, if you are missing iCloud Photo Library option.
You’re absolutely right. I upgraded my phone this morning and now my iCloud Photo library is completely missing. Also they have completely changed the way you view your photo library. Instead of being able to view it as one complete album as I preferred now I am forced to use the collections view and only have the option of recently added photos under my albums.
Matthews,
That’s really not how its supposed to be. Albums are completely separate, and could conceivably be ignored altogether. With iCloud Photo Library enabled, the Photos tab just shows all. All photos. All videos. Organized by Data. There is also some other handy automatic tagging/organization. But When looking at Moments, you are essentially looking at the old camera roll….except now all photos and videos are stored on your device AND in iCloud, without limits….
…at least, that what is for those iCloud Photo Library still working. Everyone else is missing that key part of the redesign.
This sounds like a translation. I hope no one REALLY talks like this…
Great overview. Thanks.
Thanks Dom. Really good overview and kudos for including the bullet list of items to help remind me of everything I saw.
They need to let you be able to set a third party keyboard as the default keyboard. Whenever I open Messages it always opens the Apple keyboard.
You can reorder and delete the keyboards you don’t need. That’s the best way to solve your problem at the moment.
Yeah I’ve tried that but it still reverts back to the Apple keyboard. Hopefully when 8.0.1 drops they’ll add that.
@Kevin Schrepel
I wonder if you did this correctly. I pressed the Edit at the top right corner, and used the sliders at the right of each keyboard name. The keyboard at he top of the list should be the default keyboard.
Unfortunately its very unreliable in 3rd party apps. Not exactly the global solution they billed it as.
Is anyone else not liking the way the photos app was reorganized? The recently deleted album is really dumb, now I have to delete photos twice? Also, can’t we just have all the photos in an album, not just the “recently added”? I can’t find photos on my phone that were only in the Icloud album, not in the camera roll.
Sigh.
You’re supposed to have a Photos tab that is tied to iCloud Photo Library, that just works, and just shows all. Instead, with iCloud Photo Library mysteriously missing, you have a Photos tab that shows you….well, I’m not quite sure WHAT it shows you with IPL not active.
Wow, iOS has finally caught up to android. Makes someone want to change to the iPhone without losing functionality your are already used to.
With the android vs iPhone rivalry, consumers win.
“iOS has finally caught up to android”
Pfffffaaaaahahahahahahahahaaa… yet another blowhard that doesn’t know the simple difference between WHEN and HOW.
Ouch. Sorry, Bubba, if anyone has any “catching-up” to do, then it’s certainly NOT Apple. :-)))))
its not like that, as someone who owns both android and iphones it was frustrating not having these features if you were already used to them.
Across the board anyone who knows both will say the same thing. IPhone has caught up, not just features wise, but size wise as well. Now there is really no reason to stick with Android other than if removable memory is vital to you
You might want to remove your iphone 6 order number from the video
quick reply. and the rest.
lol @ yaaaaa who
You did not mention quick replying in iMessage from the lock screen. For this to work you must have messages “Show on lock screen” in Notification settings.
Multigestures get unable without reason, anyone else with this problem? Is not that bad cause you just turn it back on.
Not big on the recents feature when you press the home button twice, is there a way to turn that off?
HUH?? Other than the top row it’s THE EXACT SAME. *facepalm*
Great iOS8 roundup, Dom!
One cool suggestion to beautify your notifcation centre while adding cool functionality is to add Yahoo Weather (now simply known as “Weather!”) and drag it into 2nd place under the regular weather forecast – it gives you a detailed readout if morning, evening, night and next day temperatures and weather icons against a stunning background picture of your local City!
Please Dom, do this and show the screenshots on your blog – it’s beautiful and seriously i-envy- inducing!