With the switch to iOS 8, we get a lot of new features that really change the way our iPhones and iPads work. Visually, it's a much smaller change than the move from iOS 6 to iOS 7, but new features like extensions, widgets, continuity, battery management, and a full raft of tweaks mean that your phone or tablet just went through a lot of changes.
There are a tonne of new features in iOS 8 and we've covered pretty much every major improvement to the OS. While doing that, we noticed several smaller features that are very useful, but might slip by unnoticed. Without further ado, let's jump right in to the best hidden features in iOS 8.
Hidden Featureas in iOS 8 that everyone should know
Send last location to Apple before your battery dies
If you've ever lost your iPhone, this new feature allows your iPhone (or iPad) to send its last known location to Apple when the battery drains to a critical level. iCloud presently holds this information for 24 hours, but this new setting will allow Apple to access location information for a lost device for a longer period of time.
Credit card scanning
In iOS 8's web browser (Safari), you can utilize the camera to scan in credit card numbers when making online purchases, rather than manually entering your credit card number.
Systemwide Hindi support
Finally, you can set Hindi as the system language in iOS. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region > iPhone Language > Hindi. This doesn't just change the keyboard, but the entire UI as well.
Hide keyboard prediction by swiping down
Speaking of keyboards, if you don't like the word predictions that pop up above the keyboard, you can quickly hide them. Just place your finger on the predictions and swipe down. To reveal these again, swipe up in the same place.
Hide images from Photos app
Images and videos in the Photos app can now be hidden from the Moments, Collections, and Years view in the Photos app. Holding your finger on a photo will bring up an options menu and selecting "Hide" will keep it from being visible in those sections. Hidden photos are still visible in the albums view, however, in new "Hidden" album.
DuckDuckGo
You can now set privacy-focussed search engine DuckDuckGo as default in Safari. Tap Settings > Safari > Search Engines > DuckDuckGo.
Zoom controls
iOS 8 has advanced zoom controls. While this feature has been designed for the visually impaired, it's quite useful when you want to zoom in apps that don't support it (such as Instagram). Head to Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom. Now turn on Zoom and Show Controller. After this, double tap with three fingers anywhere in iOS and you'll see a pop up that lets you zoom in and out. Drag three fingers on the screen to move round the screen.
Phone calls over Wi-Fi
iOS 8 includes an option for WiFi calling, allowing you to place phone calls over WiFi when connected to a WiFi network, which is handy when your carrier signal is low. Several carriers, including T-Mobile, have already announced support for the feature. As of iOS 8 beta 3, this feature is available for T-Mobile users. In beta 5, when WiFi calling is enabled, it is labeled T-Mobile WiFi at the top of the iPhone screen.
Phone calls over Wi-Fi
iOS 8 includes an option for WiFi calling, allowing you to place phone calls over WiFi when connected to a WiFi network, which is handy when your carrier signal is low. Several carriers, including T-Mobile, have already announced support for the feature. As of iOS 8 beta 3, this feature is available for T-Mobile users. In beta 5, when WiFi calling is enabled, it is labeled T-Mobile WiFi at the top of the iPhone screen.
Reply to messages without changing screens
Previously, if you were using an app and received a text message, you’d need to exit the screen you were on in order to reply. iOS 8 eliminates this irritating feature; simply swipe down on the banner that appears when a message comes through, and enter a quick response without leaving the screen.
Easily recover deleted photos
In iOS 8, when the preview icon at the bottom of the screen in the camera app is tapped, it opens up a view that allows you to recover deleted photos. To clear this menu, you can simply empty the ‘Recently Deleted’ album in the Photos app.
Create a blank home screen
iOS 8 lets you go minimalist on the home screen. Just move all icons to the next home screen and you can finally create a blank home screen. This is really not useful, unless you want to make sure people can check out your cool wallpaper.
Mail gestures
The Mail app in iOS 8 has some nice new gestures. Open your inbox and try a short right swipe on any mail to reveal a Mark as Unread option. Swipe to the left to reveal three options - More, Flag and Archive. You can change swipe actions by going to Settings > Mail > Swipe Options.
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