Apple's HomeKit framework may be barely a couple of days old, but there are still plenty of developers around the world who are sat pondering what they could do with such a framework. Being able to tie all sorts of home automation into one app is an awesome idea, but HomeKit wasn't the only cool new addition to iOS at WWDC.
Whenever a new version of iOS is released, the focus immediately turns to its jailbreaking potential. With the first beta of iOS 8 having just been distributed to developers, it has now emerged that it can, in fact, be jailbroken, with renowned security expert known in jailbreak circles as i0n1c having worked some more magic.
We're always partial to a freebie or two here, and having featured a bunch of different apps and games from the App Store as well as Google's Play Store for Android over the past few weeks, we're now going to show you how - in a couple of simple steps - you can get your hands on a total of eight free songs on iTunes. This is a pretty decent saving on the regular price of these hits, and if you're interested in stocking up your library with some new tracks, then check the finer details below.
It took Apple a fair while, but having seen some signs in iOS 7 that some attention was being paid to the great tweaks gracing Cydia and the jailbreak scene, it appears that the company has taken more than a fleeting interest this time around. In fact, several of the newly-announced software's features first appeared through Cydia in one form or another, and here, we look at how the jailbreak scene has been a key influencer of iOS 8.
Apple's WWDC 2014 keynote was as polarizing as ever, but for the very first time, we're seeing significant parts of the ecosystem being opened up to third parties. Once iOS 8 gets its public release around September time, users will be able to head over to the App Store and download / install a new system-wide keyboard if they don't like the stock offering, and Fleksy - one of the key players in this field - has just teased a snapshot of its iOS 8 port on Twitter.
In an effort to make its mobile OS as seamless as possible, Apple is set to bring contextual, location-based shortcuts to the lock screen with iOS 8. This means if, for example, you're whimsically wandering around near a shopping mall and just so happen to be looking at your phone, iOS 8 may throw up an icon relating to the nearest Starbucks or Apple Retail Store, as well as other outlets of interest that aren't so closely affiliated with Apple.
The feeling of having accidentally deleted a photo is one enough to send a chill down one's spine - particularly if said image was of particular importance or sentiment. Often, a lost photo can be magically recovered through cloud backup or by using numerous recovery tools, and thankfully, makers of software have done their bit by elongating the process of permanent deletion. From what we're hearing, Apple is making it a tad more difficult to lose a treasured memory for good, with a new lifeline feature that'll help you recover those snaps that you erroneously discarded of.
Along with all of the more obvious features relating to the UI and general functionality of iOS, Apple has done quite a lot of work in improving the security features of its mobile operating system through the past few revisions. With iOS 8 having just been announced earlier on this week at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote, some of the details are only now beginning to trickle in, and given the rife nature of iPhone theft in particular, users will be pleased to learn that the Cupertino outfit plans to make it even easier to track a lost, stolen or otherwise missing devices with iOS 8.
Apple's announcement of third-party keyboard support with iOS 8 was, for many, the clinching revelation of this year's WWDC, particularly given the prehistoric nature of the current key-tapping experience. Finally, Apple will be allowing developers to tailor the keyboard to suit the needs of the user, and with the likes of SwiftKey, Swype and Fleksy having already established very strong followings on Google's Android, it's not much of a surprise to learn that these three big names will all be on board for iOS 8.
Those hoping to see some exciting new hardware revelations at WWDC were left sorely disappointed as Cook, Federighi and co. waxed poetic about the new software features of iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite. But just because nothing was unveiled at the conference's keynote, this isn't to say that some of the touted products aren't on their way, and having delved the new beta of Xcode 6, one Apple enthusiast has already spotted signs that newer, larger iPhones and iPads could be on their way.
