Apple set to release iOS 14, iPadOS 14 as free software update

iPadOS 14 is designed specifically for iPad.

New Delhi: Apple was set to officially release iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on Wednesday (US time) and the updates will automatically be available on devices that currently runs iOS 13 or iPadOS 13.

Announced at the WWDC 2020 in June this year, iPadOS 14, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, ships for free with the new eighth-generation iPad and new iPad Air.

It will be available as a free software update for all iPad Pro models, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later, the company said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The watchOS 7 will also be available for Apple Watch Series 3 and later on September 16 and requires iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14. Not all features like the Blood Oxygen monitoring one will be available on all devices.

The new iOS version is compatible with the iPhone as well as iPod touch models that are compatible with iOS 13 and for iPad users.

The most prominent change in iOS 14 is a redesigned screen.

In iOS 14, Apple users can pin widgets with updating information on the home screen, including calendar and maps mini-programmes. Users can drag a widget onto the iPhone home screen, where it will remain.

Users can create a Smart Stack of widgets, which uses on-device intelligence to surface the right widget based on time, location, and activity, said Apple.

At the end of the Home Screen pages is the App Library, a new space that automatically organises all of a user's apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that may be helpful in the moment.

With Picture-in-Picture support, iPhone users can now watch a video or take a FaceTime call while using another app.

New Memoji options in Messages are even more inclusive and diverse with additional hairstyles, headwear, face coverings, and more.

In iOS 14, Apple Maps makes it easier than ever to navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides.

On-device mode in iOS 14 allows users to experience the features of the app offline for private voice and text translation.

With iOS 14, incoming FaceTime and phone calls and Siri interactions take on an all-new compact design that enables users to stay in the context of what they are doing.

iPhone users will now be able to pin conversations to the top of their messages list.

As for iPadOS 14, it includes most of the new iOS 14 updates, minus the Home Screen redesign.

The biggest change is the new Scribble feature for the Apple Pencil to write on any text field, with the written text converted to typed text.

There are also compact designs for FaceTime and Siri.

Meanwhile, Apple has postponed the full enforcement of privacy practices in iOS 14 software release after Facebook went out in public against those changes.

The feature would require app developers to request users' permission to track them across apps for advertising purposes. Facebook had complained about the feature, saying it would impact its ad business.

"We are committed to ensuring users can choose whether or not they allow an app to track them," Apple said in a statement on its developer website earlier this month.

"To give developers time to make necessary changes, apps will be required to obtain permission to track users starting early next year. More information, including an update to the App Store Review Guidelines, will follow this fall".