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The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system is now available in the market and showcases numerous improvements from notifications to the Touch ID sensor. It has many additions as well as improvements to its credit, like the introduction of the new programming language called Swift, integration of information related to health as well as smart home gadgets.
Developers already had their access to iOS 8 since June so that they get the option to make them able to explore the features, understand the changes and subsequently test the apps. The iOS 8 provides the developers with the scope of working on an adaptive user interface with APIs characterized by context sensitivity, extended functionality, a totally new programming language and many more.
The iOS 8 has over 4000 new APIs that have resulted in making the apps bolder and more responsive. These features are listed below:
Adaptive User Interface: The introduction of Auto Layout has compelled developers to think differently about user interfaces. Previously the developers had to keep in mind the different ways the users may come across the apps specifically the landscape and the portrait meaning the horizontal as well as the vertical views. Adoption of Auto Layout has been successful in getting rid of this particular issue. It is a tool that helps in simplifying the process involved in fitting the apps to screens in the developer suite of Apple named Xcode.
Home Kit Framework: This feature connects all devices in a certain location and is used for discovering devices at home, configuring along with providing them with necessary commands with respect to the user’s requirements. The latest version also provides for grouping of the actions on the basis of selected zones which can further be triggered with the help of Siri. The basic zones that have the provision of configuration through the framework are Rooms, Homes, Accessories, Services and Zones (upstairs or downstairs).
PhotoUI.framework: With the help of the Photo kit framework, the developer or rather the user gets the option of editing photos directly in the camera roll app without importing those as it was in the earlier versions. The photo kit feature incorporates a thread safe element to fetch, catch thumbnails and assets of full size. The framework requests changes to the assets, receives notification on the changes that are made by other apps along with the conversion of the digital assets in a lucid and easy to use format.
Health Kit framework: It is a relatively new feature that provides a framework to the user for the complete management of the information related to the health of the individual. This feature has made the sharing of health related information easier for the different apps irrespective of the source of the same as to if it is coming from devices connected to an iOS device or being manually entered by the user. The information of the user’s health is then stored in a secure and centralized location letting the user see all of the same displayed through the Health app.
Cloud Kit Framework: This feature is related to managing the content that has the provision of being changed in specific instances when the app has to run on several devices. It thereby allows the developer or the user to design the apps in such a way so as to gain control over handling the data. The iCloud storage are of four types namely, key value storage, iCloud document storage, Core Data storage and Cloud Kit storage.
App Extension: A great feature of the iOS 8, App Extension enables the user to make changes and modify the architecture of the system in a systematic way like handling the customization of the notification bar, addition of filters to the photo library amongst many others.
Handoff Mechanism: This unique mechanism helps the user to start an activity on a particular device and then resume the same without any further complication on another device. It is a great feature of the iOS 8 that offers the user the comfort of continuing a process or an activity on different devices without undergoing the pain of shuffling them again and again.
Local Authentication Framework: This framework named as the TouchID adds an extra cover of security to the apps that can use the feature for the purpose of authenticating a user prior to accessing of the complete or some of the content that may be stored in the app. It asks for a pass code the moment a user tries to get access to a particular app.
Notifications in the 8th version of the iOS are easily accessible, Siri is a lot more user friendly and responsive. It also enables the use of the TouchID by third party apps, navigation of mails have been made easier by a single swipe. With the latest version, the keyboard has become smarter, photos and camera have become more advanced, the Health kit feature results in unification of medical information while Home kit provides for a smarter and master control of the home. The totally revamped version has allowed for the group functioning of the messages, the continuity feature acts a bridge to link Macs and Mobiles along with advanced family sharing options that lets the members of a family spread media files to up to 6 people. To get maximum benefits of iPhone development, you may consider hiring services of a certified iPhone development company.
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