Everything new in iOS 14 beta 7: App Library & wallpapers

Posted:
in iOS
The seventh developer beta of iOS 14 has been released to developers and includes a bit more polish as we approach the final release of Apple's massive update.

The 7th beta of iOS 14 is released
The 7th beta of iOS 14 is released


As we are deep in the development cycle with six beta preceding the current build, new features are rare and hard to come by. Still, Apple included a few noteworthy changes.

First, the new App Library has been updated with entirely new categories and updated category names. "Productivity" has become "Productivity & Finance," "Reference & Reading" has become "Information & Reading," and both "Shopping & Food" and "Travel" are new categories.






Another change is in the wallpapers category of Settings. The previous pastel-colored wallpapers with the retro stripes have been updated to work in both light mode and dark mode. Now when dark mode is enabled, these wallpapers will be jet black with just the stripes in the center. It lends itself much better to the dark aesthetic.

As always, this is a non-exhaustive list of the changes we've spotted so far. See any others not on our list? Let us know on Twitter @Andrew_OSU and we'll add them.

Also, check out our previous coverage on what changed in the last beta.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    Got suckered into watching the video for the new wallpapers.  Not new wallpapers, more like dark-mode versions of the rainbow/pride one that we already have.  So anyone thinking there are some new, spectacular wallpapers, there aren't.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    mobirdmobird Posts: 752member
    Any chance that someone has looked at Carplay to see if the wallpaper feature has been added yet? Any other features you might have seen?
  • Reply 3 of 12
    mobird said:
    Any chance that someone has looked at Carplay to see if the wallpaper feature has been added yet? Any other features you might have seen?
    Yes it has

    but don’t get too excited 
    mobird
  • Reply 4 of 12
    kkqd1337 said:
    mobird said:
    Any chance that someone has looked at Carplay to see if the wallpaper feature has been added yet? Any other features you might have seen?
    Yes it has

    but don’t get too excited  ;)
    Would you say the OS is 90%+ complete as we are now into September? Do you like the overall quality of the update (iOS 14) so far?

    edited September 2020
  • Reply 5 of 12
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
  • Reply 6 of 12
    jdb8167 said:
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
    Spotlight search is the best app shortcut there is.
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 12
    imatimat Posts: 208member
    igorsky said:
    jdb8167 said:
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
    Spotlight search is the best app shortcut there is.
    Try:

    - settings -> accessibility -> touch -> "back touch" (sorry but my iPhone is not in english). From there you can choose double tap or triple tap actions. One of the available options is "application library". Might help. Although, maybe, Apple could add the "App Library" to that setting....
    jdb8167
  • Reply 8 of 12
    imat said:
    igorsky said:
    jdb8167 said:
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
    Spotlight search is the best app shortcut there is.
    Try:

    - settings -> accessibility -> touch -> "back touch" (sorry but my iPhone is not in english). From there you can choose double tap or triple tap actions. One of the available options is "application library". Might help. Although, maybe, Apple could add the "App Library" to that setting....
    I didn't think of that. A good use for a new feature. Thanks.
    edited September 2020
  • Reply 9 of 12
    jdb8167 said:
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
    If you've got 5 pages of apps, I'm assuming many of those are things you don't use (at least not frequently). Why not "remove app" (it doesn't delete) which makes it only available in App Library and through Spotlight?

    I only have two pages of apps, and many are in folders, but I still use Spotlight to launch things most of the time.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    adept1 said:
    jdb8167 said:
    Is there a shortcut to get to the App Library? If I have 5 pages of apps it doesn’t seem very convenient. 
    If you've got 5 pages of apps, I'm assuming many of those are things you don't use (at least not frequently). Why not "remove app" (it doesn't delete) which makes it only available in App Library and through Spotlight?

    I only have two pages of apps, and many are in folders, but I still use Spotlight to launch things most of the time.
    I was trying to eliminate most of my old folders and to put the apps in each page as categories. This would work fine for my use if I could get to the App Library quickly but it doesn’t seem possible. I’m still trying to work out the best way of dealing with the new navigation. 

    It is likely that I will go back to using folders to organize categories of apps. For most of my use the Siri suggestions widget works well. For less used apps, I need a new strategy. 
  • Reply 11 of 12
    The beta evolution of the App Library is troubling for its lack of user friendly access and functionality, and its rigidness.  Apple can do so much better. Yet, apparently Apple's quest to dumb down both the OS and IOS seems to take precedence over anything else these days. 
  • Reply 12 of 12
    2stepbay said:
    The beta evolution of the App Library is troubling for its lack of user friendly access and functionality, and its rigidness.  Apple can do so much better. Yet, apparently Apple's quest to dumb down both the OS and IOS seems to take precedence over anything else these days. 
    Dumb down iOS? You must have a different version of iOS than I do; iOS has gotten steadily more complex every year since its inception. It's not nearly as simple as it was when it launched as iPhone OS and revolutionized smartphone use for the masses. 

    Of course, that added complexity is the direct result of added functionality, and for that I'm thankful. But it certainly has come at the price of not being as simple as it once was. Ex: all the hidden, disorganized functionality within the Share buttons. 
    edited September 2020
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