As expected, Apple(s appl) announced the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, at its annual WWDC event in San Francisco on Monday. In contrast to the major visual overhaul presented in iOS 7, this update is more subtle in its improvements.
While there aren't a lot of new design changes, there have been major improvements to notifications that users will immediately recognize. Notably, notifications are now "interactive," which means users can reply directly to them without leaving the app they're in or the home screen. Double tapping the notification will also bring up a little floating head to get access the person who sent you the message.
iMessage, which is the most-used iOS app according to Apple, has also received a lot of tweaks that eliminate annoyances. If you've ever been in a noisy group iMessage, you'll discover there is no meaningful way to remove yourself on iOS 7. In iOS 8, there have been a slew of tools added to control the iMessages you receive. There's a new "Do Not Disturb" button added on a per-thread basis, and you can finally remove yourself from group threads.
The iPhone keyboard has received word prediction abilities, bringing feature to iPhone after years on the Android and Windows Phone platforms.
In iOS 8, it's possible to call Siri without pressing the home screen button. Siri now listens for the term "Hey Siri," which sounds a lot like Google's "OK Glass." Siri can also identify songs with Shazam integration.
One major focus of this version of iOS is a greater willingness to open new APIs to to third-party developers. For instance, the new version of iOS can use new, third-party virtual keyboards, but according to Apple VP Federighi, they will be in the most restrictive sandbox, which will need to ask for permission to the web.
There has been no sign of a larger iPhone screen in any demo given so far.
