In brief
iOS8 adds practical tools for locating a phone, identifying songs, checking battery usage, recovering deleted photos and adjusting camera exposure. The article covers 11 features, including Wi-Fi calling, which requires network provider support.
The official release of iOS8 finally arrived recently, and many of you have probably used quite a bit of storage space to install the update! Besides providing a solid platform forthe development of different types of apps, iOS8 also offers many practical features that may have escaped your notice. Here are 11 iOS8 features you may not know about or may not be using to their full potential.
1. Report the last location when the battery is nearly empty
The iPhone's original Find My Iphone feature could only track the phone's location within the previous 24 hours. iOS8 adds a new feature, “Send Last Location”, which records the phone's last location when its battery is nearly empty, giving you an approximate location if it goes missing.
2. Siri adds song recognition
Previously, identifying a song required downloading “Shazam”. Siri in iOS8 will incorporate Shazam's song recognition feature, so you can open Siri to identify a song when you hear it. You can even ask in Cantonese, and it can recognise Cantonese songs.
3. Scan a credit card
When Safari in iOS8 prompts you to enter credit card details, you can use “Scan Credit Card” to scan your card, and the phone will fill in the information automatically. Although its practical value is limited, it can help avoid certain keylogger programs, such as iKeyMonitor.
3. Hide photos and videos in “Collections”
“Moments”, “Collections” and “Years” all display photos and videos stored on the device. iOS8 adds a hiding feature: press and hold a photo or video to select the option to hide it. However, it will still appear in “Albums”.
5. Make calls over Wi-Fi
The new Wi-Fi calling feature lets you use Wi-Fi instead of a mobile connection to make calls in areas with poor reception. However, it requires support from your network provider. For example, overseas provider T-Mobile changes its displayed network name to T-Mobile Wi-Fi when the feature is in use. It appears that no network providers in Hong Kong support this feature yet.
6. Check apps' battery consumption
iOS8 adds a very useful battery usage report, available under “Usage” > “Battery Usage” in Settings. It shows which apps have consumed the most power over the past 7 days or 24 hours.
7. Smoother voice typing
The new iOS offers smoother Real Time Talk-To-Type functionality. It responds faster than before and lets you dictate longer passages in one go.
8. Activate Siri by voice and download apps
In iOS8, when the device is connected to power, you can activate Siri simply by saying “Hey Siri”. This convenient hands-free option can help drivers use it safely. Siri also adds App Search functionality for finding and downloading apps, although you cannot continue using Siri while opening the App Store.
9. Recover deleted photos for a limited time
A new “Recently Deleted” section in Albums stores photos deleted by the user. You can select “Recover” to retrieve a photo deleted accidentally. Photos are generally kept for 30 days, and you can also delete them permanently if needed.
10. The camera adds exposure adjustment, Time Lapse and a timer
When focusing the camera in iOS 8, a sun icon appears, allowing you to adjust exposure immediately. Time Lapse photography and a timer have also been added, with the latter making it easier to take selfies using the front camera.
11. Switch from a mobile webpage to its desktop version
iOS8 also adds an option to switch to the desktop version of a website. While browsing a mobile webpage, open the address bar and pull down on the page to reveal “Request Desktop Site”. Tap it to view the desktop version.