iOS 8 Features Apple Mobile Device Owners Will Be Glad to Get

by Don Reisinger

The Photos experience in iOS has been greatly improved in the upcoming release. When users have iOS 8 on their devices, they’ll be able to see every photo and every edit taken across devices. That’s achieved by storing all of that content in iCloud and dropping it to devices whenever called upon, effectively creating an online photo repository for users. Apple says the experience will be much better, and it’s hard to argue with that after seeing the feature in action.

One of the highlights of iOS 8 is its support for more ways to send information to friends and family in Messages. The app now supports audio messaging and video messaging, and users can even send their location to others so they can quickly meet up. That will undoubtedly make some privacy advocates uncomfortable, but it could make it easier to find friends at busy events.

Apple has realized that getting easy access to the most-used features or most-discussed individuals is a must, which is why it’s now in iOS 8. The feature allows users to quickly scroll through individuals who have been identified as “favorites” by the users, as well as see whom they’ve talked to recently. There are also some quick-access features built into Mail that make it easier to categorize messages.

Apple is employing a new feature in its iOS virtual keyboard. When users type out emails or messages, the operating system automatically analyzes what’s being said, is context-aware and suggests what the next word should be. Apple says it’ll reduce typing time and get messages across more quickly. Here’s hoping that’s true.

Apple’s new iCloud Drive was one of the most popular new features announced at the keynote address. The feature lets users work on files stored in iCloud from any device and then syncs them across other products, including Macs and PCs. The better access to iCloud files will be a boon for travelers who need to work on the go and can’t always get back to their Macs to get work done.

Apple’s Spotlight has been in some need of improvement, and finally, the company has turned its attention to the core feature. The new Spotlight built into iOS 8 provides access to everything from on-device messages and events to online results, like movies in iTunes or theaters, or where a particular restaurant might be around a location. Users will need to type in a query, and Apple’s Spotlight will search everything from Wikipedia to its own Mail app to find relevant results.

Apple’s alerts system was much improved in iOS 7, but it’s gotten even better in iOS 8. With the new operating system, if a person is in another app and, say, receives a message from a friend, the user doesn’t need to get out of the app and go to Messages to respond. Instead, the user can respond at the top of the display within the app. It’ll make answering text messages much easier.

Like other companies in the mobile space, Apple is getting serious about health. The company’s iOS 8 will come with a new HealthKit feature to manage personal information, including calories burned, steps taken on a walk and quality of sleep. Look for Apple to announce more features when it unveils its new iPhone.

Apple has come a long way in integrating the Mac and iOS. Now, when users receive a phone call on their iPhones, they can actually answer and talk to the other person through their Macs. The feature also lets users automatically switch between Macs and iOS devices to keep working, and it keeps everything synced between products. It appears to be a great feature.

Apple has brought Family Sharing to iOS. What that means is users within the house on the same iTunes account can have all the content they’ve downloaded on all their devices. Even better for parents, a feature is built into Family Sharing that allows kids to make a purchase in the App Store or iTunes only after it’s been approved by the parent. The parent’s device is set up as such and will be pinged when the child tries to make a purchase. The parent can then decide to allow it or not.