6 new iOS 14 features Apple didn't tell you about at WWDC 2020

While many things were announced at WWDC 2020, the lion’s share of upgrades was dedicated to iOS 14, but deeper dives have revealed even more features that weren’t introduced on Apple’s digital stage.

While we’re expecting iOS 14 to return out alongside the iPhone 12, many (if not all) of the features hinted below should be usable on every other iPhone getting the update (every phone newer than the iPhone 6S). Which is exciting, as these are helpful and unexpected improvements.

Double-tapping the phone back

For example, there’s a feature that will allow you to double-tap or triple-tap the rear cover of your iPhone as a shortcut – consider the custom buttons on some Android phones that you simply can remap to your own custom function, as Droid-Life describes it. Actually, this feature was supposedly discovered during an earlier Android 11 developer preview, though it hasn’t made it thereto OS’ public beta. seems like Apple beat it to the punch.

Sound Recognition: accessibility-related alerts

Another unexpected feature is really pretty neat: in Settings > Accessibility, there’s now a neighborhood called Sound Recognition wherein you'll choose which sounds you would like your iPhone to notify you about – like fire alarms, smoke sirens, doorbells, and so on. And following Apple’s precedent for privacy, all the listening and audio processing is completed on-device, as 9to5Mac points out.
Extensive back button
It's also worth calling attention to the very fact that you’ll be ready to long-press the rear button to return through multiple layers of menus directly. It’s not game-changing, but it should ease those deep dives into Settings submenus.

iPadOS 14: all the new features revealed at WWDC 2020
watchOS 7: everything coming alongside the Apple Watch 6
macOS 11 Big Sur: subsequent big free update to the macOS ecosystem

Stackable Widgets

Other new features discovered after WWDC 2020 are literally extra perks on top of those we saw during the presentation, but that doesn’t make them less exciting.

For instance, Widgets made an enormous splash when Apple introduced them – expansive mini-looks at first-party apps, like Weather and Fitness. But despite taking over chunks of your home screen, they won’t clog it up: apparently they’ll have ‘Smart Stack,’ which intelligently stacks multiple widgets atop each other counting on certain factors like time of day, consistent with 9to5Mac – otherwise you can customize what’s in your stack and swipe through them.

Maps tracks traffic cameras

Likewise, the improvements to Maps will definitely please eco-friendly commuters, because the app is expanding its navigation options to incorporate cycling also as plan trips between electric vehicle stations. But another neat perk: Maps will tip users to upcoming speed and/or traffic cameras, per Apple Insider. It’s unclear if this may let users add their own reports or add other road conditions, which might make Maps more seriously compete against the Waze app.

Change the default from Mail and Safari

Lastly – a minimum of until more surprise iOS 14 features are discovered – you'll now set third-party browsers and email apps as your defaults, per CNET. Which may be a welcome breath for those folks who aren’t huge fans of Mail and Safari.