Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Code for iOS 14 reveals feature for trying apps without needing to install them

By

Apple will reportedly launch a feature on iOS 14 that will allow iPhone owners to try apps without having to install them first.

Recommended Videos

Code from an early build of Apple’s next major mobile operating system upgrade revealed a new API named Clips, which will allow apps to offer “interactive and dynamic content” even before they are installed on a person’s iPhone, according to 9to5Mac.

The Clips API is said to be linked to the QR Code reader, which may scan codes that will then launch the app on a card on the iPhone’s screen. App developers will determine the part of their app that will show up on that card, which will also offer the option to download the full version of the app.

Apple is said to be testing the new feature with several apps, including DoorDash, OpenTable, PlayStation 4 Second Screen, Yelp, and YouTube, possibly to use them as examples for this year’s online-only Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC.

Google already offers a couple of similar features, namely Slices, which adds parts of apps to search results and Google Assistant, and Instant Apps for Android, which are small partitions of an app that may be opened through a link.

The application of Apple’s Clips, meanwhile, remain unclear, including whether the parts of the apps will only be accessible through QR codes, which is what the iOS 14 beta code mentions, according to 9to5Mac.

iOS 14 previews

Apple is expected to introduce iOS 14 at the online-only WWDC 2020 in June. In addition to Clips, previous reports have revealed features that iPhone and owners may expect from the upcoming mobile operating system.

The rumored CarKey feature has also been spotted in iOS 14 code, after being first discovered in the iOS 13.4 beta. CarKey will allow iPhone and Apple Watch owners to unlock and lock the doors of NFC-compatible cars, and it is said that BMW will be the first vehicle manufacturer that will offer the capability.

Apple is also said to be working on “real” widgets for the iPhone’s home screen, in a feature internally called Avocado. The new widgets, instead of only appearing on a dedicated screen, may be placed anywhere.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
Apple’s next iPad mini could steal this iPad Pro feature
An iPad Mini 2021 displaying the homescreen with a number of apps.

Earlier this month, Apple introduced the iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air (2024). This fall, Apple will likely update the original iPad, which was last updated in 2022.

But what about the often-overlooked iPad mini, whose current version is actually a year older? We may be waiting a while longer for new iPad mini hardware, but when it does finally arrive, it should be well worth the wait.

Read more
Arc Search, one of the best iPhone apps right now, just got even better
Arc Search's Call Arc feature.

One of our favorite iPhone browser apps has just introduced an interesting new feature. Arc Search’s new "Call Arc" tool functions similarly to making a phone call on your iPhone 15 Pro or other iPhone. Instead of speaking to someone on the other end of the line, though, you ask Arc to answer your queries. The outcome is fresh and unique, and it actually works really well.

Before its latest software update, Arc Search already offered a voice search feature. The AI-powered Call Arc is different and designed for people on the go who are looking for quick answers to short questions.

Read more
Here are the 7 new emoji coming to your iPhone with iOS 18
2024 emoji.

It's that time of year again! The Unicode Consortium has released a preview of new emoji that will likely be included in a version of iOS 18 later this year or early next year. It will be up to Apple to officially add them to the next iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and visionOS versions.

The new emoji announced today include ones for a sleepy face, fingerprint, leafless tree, vegetable root, harp, shovel, and splatter. The emoji examples provided by Unicode serve as starting points for Apple designers to create finished designs and are not the final images Apple will use. Google and other platform users will also work with these emoji as a starting point.

Read more