iOS 14.5’s best features: Siri has new voices
iOS 14.5's best features: Siri has new voices
iOS 14.5’s best features: Siri has new voices
Dang! Apple is back at it again with another big iOS update, this time
in the form of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5. The latest update for your
iPhone and iPad brings a healthy list of changes and improvements.
There’s a new feature that makes unlocking your iPhone with Face ID
while wearing a face mask a breeze (we could have used that feature
about a year ago, am I right?). It also requires that app makers ask you
for permission to track you across the web and other apps, which
is a welcome privacy addition.
Features Apple built into 14.5 join other notable features included in
iOS 14 since its release last September. For example, iOS 14.4 added
a new workout to Fitness Plus for Apple Watch owners. That update
also included a series of security fixes for vulnerabilities that were
actively being exploited. Yikes.
And 14.4 followed the addition of Apple ProRaw photos to the
iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max in yet another update.
Upon its release in September, iOS 14 added the ability to create
custom app icons and place new widgets wherever you want.
It also added a new Scribble feature in the iPad update now lets you
use the Apple Pencil to write in any text field, and the tablet will convert
it to text, instead of always pulling up the keyboard. And that’s just the beginning.
Below you’ll find the best tips and tricks we’ve discovered for iOS 14
and iPadOS 14. We keep this post updated to reflect new features
and updates, so check back for more fantastic tips.
1. Face ID now works with a mask… but there’s a catch
Wearing a face mask during a pandemic keeps you safe, but it also leads to
an incredibly frustrating experience when it comes to unlocking your
Face ID-equipped iPhone when you’re out in public. You either
have to lower your mask for a split second, or wait for it to ask
you for your PIN code. Neither option is ideal.
With iOS 14.5, the iPhone will now look for your paired Apple Watch to
unlock itself whenever it sees the bottom half of your face is covered.
If your watch is nearby, your iPhone will unlock more often than not,
just as fast as it normally does when using Face ID.
Here are complete instructions detailing how to set up the new unlock
tool and how to use it (complete with a fancy animated GIF).
2. Siri has new voices, and you get to choose
For the first time, Siri’s voice will no longer default to a female voice.
In fact, Apple added two totally new voices and made subtle
improvements to the previous voices. In total, there are four voices
English speakers get to choose from when setting up a new device.
If you want to change Siri’s voice, you can do it at any time by going
into the Settings app. Complete instructions can be found here.
After you pick a new sound for Siri, be sure to come back and leave
a comment with your favorite. I went with Voice 3.
3. New privacy feature to stop apps from tracking you
One of the most controversial features in iOS 14.5 is the requirement that
apps ask for permission to track you across your Apple devices.
If you decline the request, or block apps from asking you altogether,
the developer has to honor your decision. If an app is caught tracking
you without permission, it could get kicked out of the App Store.
To check out the new feature, go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking
on your iPhone or iPad. Or you can check out our complete walkthrough
that dives into the feature with more detail.
4. Check out the new home screen features
The iPhone now has an app drawer-like feature called App Library,
which acts as a warehouse to store all of the apps you don’t regularly use.
You can access the App Library by swiping from right to left on your
screen past all of your current home screens. Another first for the iPhone
is the ability to place widgets on the home screen. Apple provided
developers with the tools to create a new style of widget that’s sure to
make your Android friends jealous. We go into more detail
about the home screen changes here.
5. Create a custom Smart Stack widget
Speaking of widgets, you’re not locked into using Apple’s curated Smart
Stack widget. You can create your own stack of widgets using the
same technique you’d use to create an app folder. Seriously, it takes
longer to decide which widgets to include than it does to create it.
5. Make your own app icons
Apple also added new features to its Shortcuts app, with the most popular
addition being the ability to create your own app icons and fully
customize the look of your phone. So instead of the Apple Mail app icon,
you can download an icon that replaces it with a picture of a cute cat
or the Gmail icon and use that to launch the app. The process is
somewhat tedious, but if you want a home screen that’s unlike
any other, it’s well worth your time.
6. Use apps without installing them, thanks to App Clips
Think of App Clips as miniature apps that only show you a portion of what
the full app can do. For example, a Yelp App Clip could show you business
hours and the menu for a specific restaurant and nothing more.
Want to try one? Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone, search for
Panera Bread, tap on a location and then select Order Food. Pretty cool, right?
After using an App Clip, you can access it again in the App Library in
the recently added folder.
7. iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max can take raw photos
This is surely a feature for photography buffs, but one that will hopefully
pique the curiosity of those who are looking to get a bit more out of their
iPhone camera. The release of iOS 14.3 adds Apple’s ProRaw photo format,
which allows you to take photos using the “raw” photography format, and
make changes to it without any image degradation as when the photo
is converted to a JPG (the standard for Apple’s camera app).
For many more details and instructions on where to find the new setting,
check out our complete ProRaw guide.
8. Work out at home with Fitness Plus
With gyms closed or running at limited capacity, now’s the time to work out
at home. Apple’s Fitness Plus service is built directly into your iPhone,
iPad and Apple TV, and it uses your Apple Watch to track your workout.
The guided video workouts are released weekly, with options for all
different fitness levels. Read our hands-on with the new service and then
let us walk you through everything you need to know to set it up.
9. Time to take a walk
Speaking of Fitness Plus, iOS 14.4 and WatchOS 7.3 added a new workout
called Time to Walk. Apple has enlisted celebrities who go on a virtual
walk with you, telling stories that are meant to be inspiring, intertwined
with personal music choices. You’ll need to install updates on your watch
and phone before you can use it. Here’s how to set up and use the new workout.
10. Picture-in-Picture comes to the iPhone
You’re no longer forced to decide whether you want to watch a Twitch stream
or browse Reddit on your iPhone. With iOS 14, you can do both at the same time,
now that Apple has added picture-in-picture mode to the iPhone.
The iPad has had this feature for a couple of years now, so it’s nice to see
the iPhone get it as well. When you start watching a video you only need to
leave the app and go back to the home screen to trigger PiP.
There are some apps, like YouTube, that don’t support the feature.
You can view a list of all the apps installed on your phone that support it by going
to Settings > General > Picture in Picture. Read more about picture-in-picture
to get a better idea of when and where it works.
11. Deleting apps can be confusing now
With the addition of the App Library, there’s now an extra step when it
comes to deleting an app from your phone and for longtime iPhone users,
it’s not at all straightforward. But it doesn’t have to be too confusing:
We walk you through the new steps to delete an app.
12. Ditch Apple Mail and Safari
Apple added the ability to delete its own apps from your iPhone a
few years ago, but you still couldn’t set apps like Gmail or Outlook as
your default email app. Now you can, but Apple has limited this new
feature to only the email and web browsers. It only takes a few taps to make
the change, after which you won’t have to deal with Apple’s apps ever again.
13. AirPods Pro has a new audio feature
The iPhone and iPad aren’t the only devices that received a big update.
Apple’s AirPods Pro also got a small firmware update that added a new
feature called Spatial Audio. You’ll need an iPhone or iPad running
iOS 14 to use the feature. With both devices updated, whenever you’re
watching a video the sound will follow the movements of your head,
adjusting with each twist and turn. CNET’s David Carnoy described it as
an “out-of-bud experience.” And he’s not wrong.
14. The iPad looks more like a Mac than ever
iPadOS 14 includes several new features and enhancements that bring
its interface closer to looking and working like a Mac. Or is it the
Mac that’s starting to look like an iPad with MacOS Big Sur? Either way,
you’ll want to learn all you can about the new iPad features in iPadOS 14.
15. Hidden features are the best features
Not to be left out, there are several hidden features in iOS 14 that do some
truly amazing things. For instance, a new back-tap feature lets you tap
on the back of your phone two or three times, triggering a task like
taking a screenshot or launching an app. We’ve found a total of thirteen
hidden features worth sharing with you so far and plan to keep adding to the list.
16. New privacy features
Keeping your information private is one of Apple’s main marketing points,
and iOS 14 is going even further to help keep your information private.
There are new location sharing settings that will limit whether an app
sees your exact location or a more general area. There’s also a new
notification dot that will tell you when an app is using your phone’s
camera or mic, and finer controls over which photos an app has access to.
Check out all of the new privacy features and how to use them.
17. New camera tricks
There are several subtle but important new features in the Camera app.
For example, when taking a photo at night, there’s a new guide to remind
you to keep still. You’ll see crosshairs that show you where to keep the camera.
There’s also a new exposure adjustment dial, and you can snap multiple
photos much quicker. Learn how to use and where to find the new
features, complete with animated images.
18. Up your selfie game
Another new feature in the Camera app is a new setting for the
front-facing camera that is sure to help your selfies shine.
The new mirror mode forces the camera to act more like a, well, mirror,
which can make it easier to make sure your shot is framed and lined
up the way you want. We show you where to find the new setting.
19. Still want more? We gotcha
As a bonus round, we’ve compiled a few more tips on how to do even
more, like tag someone in a group conversation in the Messages app
and use Apple’s new Translate app to carry a conversation in two completely
different languages. We walk you through those two tips,
plus a few more of our favorite features.
There’s still plenty more to learn and figure out in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, so
we’re just getting started. Just getting started with a new iPhone 12? Here’s
how to set it up. After that’s done, be sure to check these settings. Finally,
don’t forget to transfer your Google Authenticator accounts to your new phone.
