iOS 8 Pre-Release Briefing

@theappbusiness #TABEssentials
iOS 8
Pre-release briefing
© 2014 The App Business

iOS 8 key themes

1. Better, faster interconnectivity
In iOS 8, a primary area of focus has been removing
unnecessary steps.
!
One area where this is particularly evident is rethinking
how apps are used and how they communicate - with
each other, and with external devices (Mac and iPad).
!
This means that you can, for example, take a couple of
photos, apply a filter from another app (without needing
to open it up) and send the photos to your Mac (using
OS X Yosemite) in just a few seconds via AirDrop. You
can also write an email on your iPhone, place it next to
your laptop on a table and see the draft automatically
appear on your laptop screen - this removed the need
to upload or save to the Cloud.
! It’s also possible in iOS 8 to interact with your apps
through the Notification Centre: from tweeting to
bidding without any extra steps or the need to open up
multiple apps.

2. A mobile-led, ‘programmable’ world
iOS 8 reinforces the importance of smartphones, including
wearables, as the primary touchpoint in our digital lives.
!
Smartphones are increasingly the arena where each of us
oversees, tracks and inputs details on our daily routine. Raw
data on our phones is becoming ever more personal and
tangible. Smartphones are, therefore, much more than just
an extension of our desktops - even though Apple aims for
seamless integration of both.
!
An example of this is that with iOS 8, you can gain deeper
insight into your health and wellbeing with the integrated
HealthKit app. This will automatically display tracking data
from wearables and in-phone apps, displaying information
on your weight, your running and even your caffeine intake.
This information could potentially update your medical
records and issue early warnings to health centres.
!
Similarly, by uttering a simple phrase to Siri, it’s possible to
automate and trigger devices inside your home through
HomeKit app - making living environments increasingly
‘smart’ and adaptive to individual needs.

3. More third-party friendly than ever
iOS 8 includes more than 4,000 APIs enabling third-party
developers to build better features and capabilities for their
apps. Extensibility allows new custom actions, functions and
data sharing between apps.
!
As a result, developers can create better and more immersive
experiences for end users with faster, more efficient
connectivity.
!
But there are also big challenges for developers that come
with this approach. Reducing a user’s need to open a third-party
app by making more functionality available through the
Notification Centre means developers need to think carefully
about the user experience and flow across not just their own
app, but the Notification Centre as well.

4. Continuity
iOS 8 is underpinned by a central principle: continuity. This
common theme can be found in many features explored in this
document, and focuses on greater integration between both
Apple devices and third-party apps. Continuity also aims to
ensure a user's activity flow has minimal - if any - disruption.
!
As a working example of continuity in action, with iOS 8, regular
incoming messages or calls on your iPhone could be answered
or dismissed on your Mac (OS X Yosemite) or iPad while your
iPhone remains on charge in another room.
!
This in-built feature differs from services like Skype or a
Bluetooth device, as the user doesn’t need to be signed up or
have their Bluetooth connection turned on. Instead, ‘continuity’
is achieved through Wi-Fi and your Apple ID (for identity
verification) to allow you to switch from one device to another
(as long as your iPhone is within the Wi-Fi range).

Key features and innovations

Notification Centre
Say ‘Hello’ to new shortcuts and interactions
Notifications are no longer designed to simply push
information onto your screen. In this release, developers
can refine notifications with up to 4 actions.
!
This allows users greater control: it will be possible not
only to dismiss a message or accept an invitation, but also
to reply by text or voice directly from the Notification
Centre. Each action is colour-coded to keep consistency
across all apps.
!
For instance, if you’re notified of a new message while
you’re in the middle of a conversation, you can decide to
answer, and type directly on the notification pop-up
without leaving your current conversation.
!
This change is in line with Apple’s core strategy of
maintaining a user’s activity workflow by avoiding
interruptions with deeper integration. Arguably, iOS 8 aims
to remove the need for a user to have to open and check
multiple apps, or even a conversation, unless they have a
specific desire to do so.
User receives notification User taps to reply -
without opening an app

Widgets
A more customisable experience
Widgets are dedicated containers displaying at-a-glance
information. iOS 7 already features widgets from Apple’s
partners, for instance Yahoo Stock, but it was not possible
previously for third-party developers to create them. iOS 8
allows anyone to create a widget for the Notification
Centre, hence it will provide greater control and
customisation.
!
Users will be able to tap ‘edit’ to easily manage third-party
widgets, quickly disable built-in widgets, and/or arrange
the whole screen to their convenience.
!
As soon as you download an app that has a widget, it will
be available for you to include on your widget panel.
Likewise, you will be able to perform small interactions
with your widgets through the Notification Panel, providing
a great opportunity for developers and businesses to
enhance the user experience.
!
A real-world example might look like this: download the
Ebay app and login (using Touch ID); from here, enable
Ebay’s widget and bid on a hot item directly from the the
Notification Centre - resuming the more leisurely browsing
experience in a few taps.

Extensibility
A strong focus on app integration
For iOS 8, developers have increased opportunity to
integrate their custom functionality and features with
Apple’s native apps.
! In other words, a third-party app would be supported
across the following extension points:
!
- Share
- Custom actions
- Photo editing
- Document picker
- Storage provider
- Custom keyboard
- Today (Notification Centre)

Handoff
Seamless connectivity within your Apple environment
Handoff is an interesting feature that transfers and syncs a
user’s activity flow across all their associated devices. It
removes friction-points and takes integration one step
further without requiring a central interface or ‘hub’ that
drives user actions.
!
At the moment, we’re used to simultaneous connectivity:
editing a document in the Cloud, for example, and having it
available on all your devices when you click save, or upload.
However, what Handoff aims to do is remove that one extra
tap completely. This will allow you to start typing an email on
your iPhone, and as soon as you open your laptop and put the
phone down next to it, your email will appear - ready to edit
or send - on your laptop screen without any unnecessary
action required.
!
Another good example is online browsing. View a webpage on
a Mac and switch to Safari on iOS 8, and you will continue
your browsing experience at the same scroll position as on
the original device. In order for this to happen automatically,
both devices should be signed into iCloud with the same
Apple ID.

Touch ID
Third-party integration for seamless UX
iOS 8 will allow third-party apps to integrate with Touch ID
through an API.
!
Developers will be able to add Touch ID features to their own
apps at the authentication stage. However, to minimise
security risks, third-party apps won’t be able to either store
or recognise your fingerprint. The third-party app will request
a comparison between your fingerprint vs. your iPhone’s
records, and if it matches, Touch ID will notify the app that
everything is correct.
!
Touch ID will allow actions as well, which means further
authentication processes can be triggered inside an app after
you have entered your fingerprint. This might sound more
onerous, but should actually mean entering fewer passwords
each time you log in, sign up, buy, or pay etc. - creating a
more seamless user experience.

Keyboard
A smarter text engine
Apple has worked on improving their predictive text engine,
Quicktype, in iOS 8.
!
Quicktype will now ‘learn’ your writing style from previous
conversations and per contact - so it will be able to suggest
words as you type, showing your different writing styles
depending on who you’re speaking to. Quicktype will also
support several languages.
!
As we have already noted on iOS 8, Apple has more broadly
embraced third-party development - and the keyboard is no
exception. Keyboard options will broaden, allowing users to
choose their preferred input method — Android users used to
writing with Swiftkey, for instance, could have the same
experience on an iPhone.

Spotlight
More intelligent, intuitive search
Spotlight for iOS8 will enable users to make faster, more
efficient searches on their devices and the web.
! It aims to improve searching speed by showing more accurate
results whilst requiring less characters to be typed in. It also
promises to enhance the search experience, as it will include
context and location awareness. This means that if searching for
a landmark in London, it will show not only a Wikipedia
reference but also directions, restaurants near the area, shows
and activities.
! It will also browse automatically on the App Store, allowing you
to search for songs, books, and movies - and visit the Store with
a single tap.

iMessage
Improved features to match the competition
Apple’s native messaging platform will match what major competitors
(Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Snapchat) already offer. Users will have
the ability to:
!
- Send an audio message by touching and holding the microphone icon,
swiping up to send
- Record a video or take a photo by sliding up or right on the
camera icon
- Sharing a location on a conversation (and be able to visualise the other
person on a map)
- Scroll through attachments easily within a specific conversation
- Group conversations and define notifications settings per conversation
- Define expiration times for messages (from 2 minutes up to forever)
!
These will be integrated into the entire iOS 8 system. This means if you
receive a voice-recorded note and it appears on your lock screen, you can
lift your phone to your ear and listen to it. And just in case you feel like
replying by voice as well, simply speak and move the phone from your ear to
send your recorded note to the recipient.

Family Sharing
A better way to keep connected
In iOS 8, devices paired through Family Sharing will now
be able to share purchases, data, location and updates.
! It will allow family members - and perhaps friends or
small groups - to access each others’ photo albums, or
locate a sibling on a map, provided that the Sharing
feature is turned on.
!
One feature allows parents to set a unique credit card for
family purchases and give access to the whole family.
They can ‘sign off’ App Store purchases, improving
parental control.

Look and feel
Flat, minimalist design continues
After the design leap from iOS 6 to iOS 7, Apple will
keep their aesthetics - matching the new flat,
minimalist style found in OS X Yosemite.
!
We can expect the same range of translucent
materials, flat icons and smooth transitions as per iOS
7. The only small noticeable difference might be solid
white icons on the Control Centre panel, to indicate
an active state.
iOS 7 iOS 8

iOS 8 ‘Kits’

HealthKit
iOS 8 plans to change the way we interact with all that diverse, disparate
range of health data on our devices by collecting and displaying it all on
a single dashboard via HealthKit.
!
The main benefit of this built-in app is that it allows you to visualise and
track, at a glance, a summary of health information about yourself. This
includes fitness performance, sleep patterns, nutrition goals, blood
pressure, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate - and even your
caffeine intake.
! It can also create a medical ID section within the lock screen. This could
show critical medical information such as birth date; medical conditions;
medical notes; medication; blood type; organ donor information;
weight, and/or height. This private information won’t be shared with
third-party apps, but could be accessed by paramedics in case of an
emergency.
!
For medical organisations, this could help to automate changes on
patient records or provide alerts for medical practitioners regarding
particular patients.
!
For developers and businesses, this offers an important opportunity to
collect and integrate data from other apps - previously generated by a
user - and create a whole new range of highly personalised features,
metrics and even rewards and offers.
!!!

HomeKit
HomeKit operates on a similar principle to HealthKit.
Instead of users managing each of their ‘smart’ domestic
devices individually with different interfaces, HomeKit will
unify this data in a single built-in dashboard, controlled by
a user’s voice.
!
HomeKit will allow third-party smart-home gadgets to pair
with your iPhone. You’ll be able to turn off the lights, lock
or unlock doors, and even set a specific temperature in
your bedroom by simply telling Siri that you’re ‘going to
bed’. There will be no need to open your central heating
app to turn on/up the heat, only to then open two or
three more apps to complete the sequence of actions
required before bedtime.
!
The voice control feature works through triggers and
responses that developers would be able to match
between your iPhone and the actual device. When the
phrase ‘going to bed’ is spoken, Siri ‘understands’ what
follows next and will turn all the lights off, lock the doors
and set the temperature etc. automatically.

PhotoKit
iOS 8 provides full control over your iPhone’s camera
settings (from white balance, shutter speed, and
aperture to focus, exposure and more) while integrating
third-party apps within the in-built camera interface.
!
For example, iOS 8 will allow users to apply third-party
filters without leaving the iOS camera roll. This removes
the frustrating extra step of importing your photos
separately into a third-party app. It also saves space on
your phone by avoiding duplicates: only a single copy
needs to be edited and shared.

CloudKit
CloudKit is a framework designed to make developers'
lives easier by eliminating the need to write the server
side application logic. This means that now, developers
can concentrate only on client side coding as Apple will
take care of the rest through iCloud’s servers.

Key dates

iOS 8 release date
Apple’s Keynote: 9.9.14
iOS 8 potential release: 10.9.14*
*not confirmed

@theappbusiness #TABEssentials
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iOS 8 Pre-Release Briefing

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