First Look: See iOS 14 in Action With Home Screen Widgets, App Library, Subtle Call Alerts and More

Apple yesterday unveiled iOS 14, the newest version of the operating system designed for the iPhone, and we thought we'd go hands on with the new software to give MacRumors readers a sneak peek at all the features.


iOS 14 brings some useful new interface changes, including a revamped Home screen. Widgets have been redesigned, and for the first time, they can be dragged out of the Today center and placed right on the Home screen among your apps.

ios14homescreen
You can choose which widgets you want to use, which app page you want them on, and how big the widget should be, which makes widgets a whole lot more useful because they can be positioned front and center. Up to 10 widgets can be stacked up, and there's even a Smart Stack widget that will automatically display an appropriate widget based on ‌iPhone‌ usage and time of day.

ios14widgets
Along with widgets, app pages can be hidden from the Home screen for a cleaner and more customizable look. All of your apps are still accessible thanks to a new App Library feature, which may be one of the best improvements in the update. Swipe all the way to the from right to left on the ‌iPhone‌ to see all of your apps organized into neat little folders.

ios14widgets2
You can search to find an app here, tap on a folder to see its entire contents, or check out the Suggestions folder where Apple makes app recommendations based on usage habits.

ios14applibrary
Siri in iOS 14 is smarter and can access more data sources to provide better answers to complex questions, but even better, ‌Siri‌ no longer takes up the entire ‌iPhone‌ display when activated.

There's an animated ‌Siri‌ icon that pops up at the bottom of the ‌iPhone‌ when you summon ‌Siri‌, and most ‌Siri‌ results also show up in smaller banners at the top of the screen, no longer interrupting what you're doing on your ‌iPhone‌. Ask for the weather, for example, and it shows up in a small, dismissible banner.

ios14siriinterface
Apple also made another major quality of life improvement that users have been wanting for years now, and phone calls, FaceTime calls, VoIP calls, and more now show up as banners and don't take over the whole screen.

ios14phonecallsinterface
The Maps app received a major overhaul with cycling directions for bike riders and commuters. It features bike paths, lanes, and bike friendly roads, plus info on elevation and incline levels for avoiding stairs. For electric vehicles, there's now an option to create a route that includes charging stations.

ios14cyclingdirections
Also new to Maps is a Guides feature that allows trusted brands and Apple partners to create guides highlighting notable attractions, places to eat, and more in various cities that you visit. You can create your own Guides too - it's the same as Collections from iOS 13, just with a new name.

The Weather app includes some features from Dark Sky, the app that Apple purchased back in March. It adds info on severe weather events, a next-hour precipitation chart, and minute-by-minute precipitation readings when rain is forecast, which is limited to the U.S. for now.

ios14rainforecast
Apple added some great new features to the Messages app, many of which enhance group chats. Up to nine important conversations can be pinned to the top of Messages so you can keep an eye on the chats that matter most, and there's a new inline reply feature that lets you reply to a specific message in a standard chat or a group chat.

ios14pinnedmessages
Mentions in Messages have been added, so if you want to get someone's attention in a group chat, you can @mention them with their name and it'll pop up a notification even if they have the group chat muted because it's noisy. There are also new options for choosing images for groups, with emojis and Memoji icons.

ios14mentionsmessages
Speaking of Memoji, Apple added new Memoji customization options. You can select new hair styles, headwear, or masks, and there are more age options. New Memoji stickers are available for hug, fist bump, and blush.

Apple made an improvement to emoji too, adding a much needed search feature. When you bring up the emoji interface there's now a search bar at the top so you can find a specific emoji by keyword.

macosemojipicker
A brand new Translate app expands on ‌Siri‌'s translate features in iOS 13, allowing you to type or speak text to have it translated to and from 11 languages that include Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

ios 14 translate app
Languages can be downloaded for on-device translation, and ‌Siri‌ can speak your translations for you. Pop the ‌iPhone‌ into landscape mode and it enters what Apple calls "Conversation Mode." In this mode, the app listens for either of the two languages it's set to, translating between each one so you can have a conversation with someone in another language.

Apple's long rumored Car Key feature was unveiled alongside iOS 14, but it'll ultimately work with devices running iOS 14 and iOS 13. Car Key lets your ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch be used in lieu of a physical key to lock, unlock, and start a car using NFC. It has some neat new features like sharing keys over Messages, and in the future, it's going to work without the need to even take your ‌iPhone‌ out of your pocket. Car Key needs to be implemented by car manufacturers and it's coming first to the BMW 5 Series next month.

bmw car key 2
There are a lot more features in iOS 14, including tons of smaller changes, which we'll be covering in future videos. For more on what's new, you can also check out our iOS 14 roundup, which is in the process of being updated and will include a super detailed look at all of the changes introduced in iOS 14.

Later this week, we'll have separate first look videos available for macOS Big Sur, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7, so keep an eye out for those.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

LeeW Avatar
66 months ago
I mean it all looks great, but I just hate to applaud Apple for adding things that should have already been there.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
66 months ago
Phone calls and Siri not taking up the entire screen on my iPhone are such welcome updates. I’m excited to have widgets and the new iMessage updates too.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
66 months ago

Still no iCloud Mail read status sync

EPIC FAIL
I've got no clue what you're talking about. My iCloud mail syncs read status no problem.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
howispangler Avatar
66 months ago
Woah thanks for the love! That's my band in the screenshots! ha ha. I've been coming to this page for years! Really cool to see that here. ❤️?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roland.g Avatar
66 months ago
I was excited to see this video. Until I realized it was a landscape video of a device in portrait orientation so there is no way to watch it full screen.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
66 months ago

I've got no clue what you're talking about. My iCloud mail syncs read status no problem.
No, it doesn't.

Apple says iCloud Mail does not support this feature: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT203545

You can't have something that Apple says doesn't exist.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)