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Marques Brownlee - iOS 14 Hands-On: Everything New!

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Author: Marques Brownlee
Categories: Real Estate Technology
Tags: real-estate, technology
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 08:09 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Treat iOS 14 as an incremental but useful update, with the biggest change being the home screen redesign (App Library, widgets, and smart stacks), plus compact UI improvements and a set of smaller features borrowed from Android or unique to Apple. Reviewer Marques Brownlee notes that many features may go unused by most people, but several are worth exploring. The update is expected to reach iPhones in the fall, likely around September, as Apple typically does every year.

Key Points

  • The App Library is a new last home screen page that automatically organizes all apps into categories and offers an alphabetical, searchable list, marking the first time iOS has an app drawer.
  • Widgets can now be placed on home screens, but they must sit on the left or right side and cannot be freely positioned or resized like on Android.
  • Compact UI changes include smaller incoming call banners, picture-in-picture that works across more of the OS, and a smaller Siri interface, though Siri still blocks interaction with content underneath.
  • Several Android-style features arrived, including emoji search, a stock Translate app with about a dozen languages, and the ability to set default email and browser apps.
  • Unique features include Back Tap shortcuts, Sound Recognition for alerts such as doorbells or fire alarms, green and orange privacy indicators for camera and microphone use, and a FaceTime feature that highlights sign language users.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • To add widgets: long press the home screen, tap the plus button, choose a widget, and place it on any home screen, on the left or right side.
    • To create a smart stack: place two same-size widgets on a home screen, then hold and drag one onto the other. The result is a scrollable stack, which can be edited into a smart stack.
    • To hide apps or whole pages: hold down to edit the home screen, tap the dots at the bottom, and uncheck the page to hide it.
    • To map Back Tap: go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap, then choose a double or triple tap action. The reviewer set a double tap to open Siri and a triple tap to take a screenshot. A later note says a Siri shortcut can be set to run on double tap, for example to open Google Assistant or the camera.
    • To use Sound Recognition: go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Recognition to enable notifications for sounds such as doorbells, fire alarms, or running faucets.
  • Third-party widgets are expected but were not yet available in this beta, and the reviewer is interested in widgets like Tesla controls or Google Calendar.
  • Night mode photos now include a gyroscopic guide to help keep the phone still.
  • Hand-washing detection from Apple Watch and face coverings for Memoji were also mentioned as updates.
  • Compatible iPhones are every model since the iPhone 6s.

Bottom Line

iOS 14 is a meaningful step forward mainly through its home screen changes and smaller usability improvements, but it is not a drastic redesign and is still clearly iPhone in its approach.