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iOS 8 facts for kids
| Version of the iOS operating system | |
 |
|
iOS 8.4.1 running on an iPhone 6 Plus
|
|
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Source model | Closed, with open source components |
| Initial release | September 17, 2014 |
| Latest release | 8.4.1 (12H321) / August 13, 2015 |
| Repository |
|
| Update method | Software Update |
| Package manager | App Store |
| Platforms | |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (XNU) |
| License | Proprietary EULA except for free software components |
| Preceded by | iOS 7 |
| Succeeded by | iOS 9 |
| Tagline | The biggest iOS release ever. |
| Support status | |
| Obsolete, unsupported. No longer receiving security updates, because all iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches that support iOS 8 support iOS 9 as well. Drops support for the iPhone 4. | |
iOS 8 was the eighth big update for iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. Apple Inc. developed it as the next version after iOS 7. It was first shown on June 2, 2014, and released to the public on September 17, 2014. Later, iOS 9 replaced it on September 16, 2015.
iOS 8 brought many new features. It allowed apps to talk to each other more easily. It also introduced "Continuity," which let your Apple devices work together. For example, you could answer phone calls or reply to text messages on your Mac or iPad. A cool part of Continuity was "Handoff." This feature let you start something on one device, like writing an email, and then finish it on another.
Other new things included "Spotlight Suggestions." This improved search feature gave you more detailed results. It could find information from Wikipedia, local news, and even apps on your device. "Family Sharing" was added so families could link accounts and share content. One parent could manage permissions. The keyboard got "QuickType," which suggested words as you typed. "Extensibility" made it easier to share content between different apps. App developers could also add "widgets" to the Notification Center. They could even create their own keyboards for users to choose from.
Some apps also got updates. The new Health app could collect data from different fitness apps. It also had a "Medical ID" for emergencies, which could be seen from the lock screen. The Photos app got iCloud Photo Library support. This meant your photos could be saved and synced in the cloud. iCloud Drive let you store files in the cloud and access them across all your devices. In a later update (iOS 8.4), Apple added Apple Music, a music streaming service, and Apple Music 1, a 24-hour radio station, to the Music app.
People generally liked iOS 8. They especially praised Continuity and Extensibility. These features made it easier to control apps and devices. The QuickType keyboard suggestions were also popular. Reviewers said Spotlight Suggestions made the iPhone "almost a portable search portal for everything." However, some noted that iOS 8's full potential would only be seen when more app developers used the new features.
About a week after its release, iOS 8 was used on 46% of iOS devices. By October 2014, its adoption slowed down. This was partly because the update needed a lot of free storage space. This was a problem for iPhones with only 8 or 16 gigabytes of storage. But by December, iOS 8 was on 63% of devices, showing a big increase.
Contents
History
iOS 8 was first shown at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 2, 2014. A test version was given to people at the conference. The official release for everyone was on September 17, 2014.
Key Features
Continuity
Continuity was a big new feature in iOS 8. It allowed your Mac, iPhone, and iPad to work together. For example, you could answer phone calls on your iPad or Mac that were coming to your iPhone. It also brought SMS (text message) support to the iPad and Mac. This was an improvement to the iMessage feature.
Continuity also included "Handoff." This let you start a task on one device and finish it on another. For example, you could begin writing an email on your iPhone, then continue it on your iPad, and finally send it from your Mac. For Macs to use Handoff and Continuity, they needed the OS X Yosemite operating system and Bluetooth low energy.
Spotlight Search
iOS 8 improved Spotlight, the search feature. It was called "Spotlight Suggestions." This new search could find more detailed results from many websites and services. It could show parts of Wikipedia articles, local news, and quick links to apps on your device. It also found iTunes content, movie times, and nearby places. You could use Spotlight Suggestions from your iPhone's home screen or in the Safari web browser search bar.
Notifications
The Notification Center (where you see alerts) was updated. It now allowed "widgets." These are small parts of apps that show information without opening the full app. For example, a weather widget could show the current weather. You could add, move, or remove widgets whenever you wanted.
Notifications also became "actionable." This meant you could reply to a message right from the quick drop-down notification. Or you could act on an alert directly from the Notification Center.
Keyboard
iOS 8 added a new feature called QuickType to the keyboard. It showed word predictions above the keyboard as you typed. This helped you type faster.
Apple also allowed other companies to make keyboard apps. You could then replace the default iOS keyboard with one of these new ones. For your privacy, Apple added a setting called "Allow Full Access." This let third-party keyboards do more, like syncing data to the cloud. However, these keyboards could not use Siri for voice typing, and some secure text fields did not allow them.
Family Sharing
Family Sharing was a new feature in iOS 8. It allowed up to six people in a family to link their iTunes accounts. One parent became the administrator, controlling the settings. Purchases made on one account could be shared with other family members. If kids under 13 wanted to buy something, the parent had to approve it. Purchases made by adults were not visible to the kids.
Family Sharing also worked with apps. A "Shared album" was automatically created in the Photos app for each family member. Everyone could add photos, videos, and comments to this shared space. An "Ask to Buy" feature let anyone ask to buy items from the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBooks Store. This also included in-app purchases and iCloud storage. The administrator could approve or deny these requests.
Multitasking
The multitasking screen (where you see open apps) now showed a list of recently called and favorite contacts. You could turn this feature off in Settings if you didn't want it.
Other System Features
- Data Roaming: For users in Europe, iOS 8 added more options for controlling data usage when traveling abroad.
- Siri: The Siri voice assistant now worked with Shazam. If you asked Siri "What song is this?", it could identify the music playing.
- Wi-Fi Calling: This feature allowed you to make phone calls over a Wi-Fi connection. Mobile carriers could then offer this "Voice-over-Wi-Fi" service.
App Features
Photos and Camera
Camera App
The Camera app got two new features: time-lapse and self-timer. Time-lapse records video by taking pictures at longer intervals. When played back, it makes events look like they are happening very fast. The self-timer gave you a three-second or ten-second countdown before taking a photo automatically. iPads could also now take panoramic photos.
iCloud Photo Library
iOS 8 added iCloud Photo Library support to the Photos app. This allowed your photos to sync between all your Apple devices. Photos and videos were backed up in their full quality. This also meant that smaller versions of photos could be saved on your device. This helped save storage space, especially on devices with less memory.
Photo Search
The Photos app got better search options. You could search for photos by categories like "Nearby," "One Year Ago," "Favorites," and "Home." These searches used the photo's location and date.
Photo Editing
The Photos app also gained more precise editing tools. These included better rotation, one-touch auto-enhancement, and deeper color adjustments. You could change brightness, contrast, exposure, and shadows. There was also an option to hide a photo without deleting it.
Photo Extensions
Apple added an "Extensibility" feature. This allowed you to use filters and effects from other apps directly within the Photos app. You didn't have to move photos between different apps to apply effects.
Camera Roll
When iOS 8 first came out, Apple removed the "Camera Roll" from the Photos app. This was an album that showed all photos on your device. It was replaced by "Recently Added," which showed photos by when you took them. Many users complained about this change. So, Apple brought the "Camera Roll" back in the iOS 8.1 update.
Messages
In iOS 8, the Messages app got new features for group chats. You could turn on "Do Not Disturb" mode to silence notifications for a specific conversation. You could also remove people from a group chat. A new "Tap to Talk" button let you send quick voice messages. A "Record" button allowed you to send short videos.
When talking to another Apple user, you could send short picture, video, or audio clips that would disappear after two minutes. In the Settings app, you could also choose to have messages automatically deleted after a certain time.
Safari
In the Safari web browser, developers could now allow "Safari Password Sharing." This let them share login details between their websites and apps. This meant you might not have to type your passwords as often. The browser also added support for WebGL, which helps with advanced graphics on websites.
iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive was like a file manager for your Apple devices. Once you turned it on in Settings, you could save any type of file in the app. These files would then sync to your other iOS devices and your Mac.
App Store
In iOS 8, the App Store was updated. It got an "Explore" tab to help you find new apps. The "Search" tab showed trending searches. Developers could also bundle multiple apps together and sell them at a discount. New "preview" videos allowed developers to show how an app worked.
Health
HealthKit was a service that let developers create apps that worked with the new Health app. The Health app mainly collected data from fitness apps on your device. It also tracked steps and flights climbed using your iPhone's motion sensor. You could enter your medical history into "Medical ID." This information could be seen from the lock screen in an emergency.
HomeKit
HomeKit was a software framework that let you use your iPhone to set up and control smart-home appliances. You could organize devices into rooms and set up actions. This allowed you to control your smart home using Siri voice commands or through apps.
Companies making HomeKit devices needed a special license. All HomeKit products also had to have a special security chip. Devices made without HomeKit support could still work with it through a "gateway" product, like a hub.
Passbook
The Passbook app in iOS 8 was updated to support Apple Pay. This was a digital payment service. It became available on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with the iOS 8.1 update.
Music
A new music streaming service called Apple Music was added in the iOS 8.4 update. If you subscribed, you could listen to unlimited songs on demand. With this service, the standard Music app on iOS was redesigned. It included Apple Music and the 24-hour live radio station Beats 1.
Weather
The Weather app now used weather data from The Weather Channel instead of Yahoo!. The app also got some small changes to its look.
Tips
iOS 8 added a new "Tips" app. This app showed helpful tips and short information about iOS features each week.
Touch ID
iOS 8 allowed Touch ID (fingerprint sensor) to be used in apps made by other companies.
Problems
App Crash Rate
A study found that apps crashed more often on iOS 8 (3.56%) than on iOS 7.1 (2%).
8.0.1 Update Issues
In September 2014, the iOS 8.0.1 update caused big problems. It broke Touch ID on iPhone 6 models and stopped cellular service on some phones. Apple told affected users to go back to the original iOS 8 until a fix was ready. iOS 8.0.2 was released just one day later. It fixed the problems caused by the 8.0.1 update.
"Effective Power" Text Message Crash
In May 2015, news reported a bug where a special text message could crash the Messages app and restart an iPhone. This bug, called "effective power," could even keep restarting a device if the message was seen on the lock screen. People sometimes used this bug to play pranks and intentionally crash others' phones. Apple fixed this bug in iOS 8.4, which came out in June 2015.
Once a device was updated to iOS 8, it was not possible to go back to iOS 7.
Hoaxes
"Apple Wave" Microwave Charging
In September 2014, a fake Apple ad for an iOS 8 feature called "Wave" spread on Twitter. It claimed users could charge their iPhone by heating it in a microwave oven. This feature was not real. Many people reported on Twitter that they had ruined their iPhones by trying this. The hoax started on 4chan, an online forum.
Supported Devices
iOS 8 worked on devices with an Apple A5 chip or newer. Apple stopped supporting the iPhone 4 with this update.
iPhone |
iPod Touch
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iPad |
Images for kids
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iOS 8 logo
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iOS 8.4.1 running on an iPhone 6 Plus
See also
In Spanish: IOS 8 para niños
- OS X Yosemite
- Apple TV Software 7