Highlights:
- Apple iOS 14 to be rolled out soon
- iOS 14 comes with unique features for the Indian users
- There are also multiple changes in the way iOS handles the Indian languages
In a few weeks from now, probably some days before Apple launched its flagship iPhone 12, the iOS 14 will be rolled out to the iPhone users across the globe, including users in India. As of now the software is in public beta and can be used however normal users will do better if they wait for the final version to come out.
While local customisations have always been part of the iOS over the years, this time Apple is adding several unique features that are tailor-made for its Indian users.
Out of all the India specific features on the upcoming iOS 14, the two which have raised most eyebrows with the Indian users are the SMS filtering and creation of playlists in Apple Music based on the actor.
Unlike the global market where the music is often categorised and searched on the basis of the artist, in India, because of the tradition of songs and dance in Bollywood, music is often associated with the actor.
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So Chaiyya Chaiyya is a song associated with Shah Rukh Khan and not Sukhwinder Singh, the singer. Similarly, many of the popular songs which were sung by Mukesh are recognised as songs of Raj Kapoor.
With iOS 14, Apple is making it easier for Indian users to find and sort their music using the name of an actor instead of an artist.
The SMS filtering feature in the upcoming iOS 14 is expected to make life easier for the Indian users. The Messages app in the iOS 14 will categorise and filter SMS based on the number they are using.
To give it some perspective, this means the messages with OTP will go into a separate category and will not be mixed with messages from your friends and family. To create this feature Apple has fed thousands of phone numbers used by the banks, delivery services, cab services among others into its system, in addition to the with alphanumeric sender id such as AX-ICICIB, and has created a smart filtering system.
The messages in iOS 14 will be put in different categories including Promotional, Transactional, and Junk. Though it sounds promising on paper and Apple says that the Messages app in the iOS 14 will be able to automatically filter and label SMS messages, the feature could only be put to test once the final version of iOS 14 is out.
Apart from these two features, there are a few other important India-specific updates in the iOS 14:
- iOS 14 will support email addresses in Hindi and other Indian scripts.
- 20 different document fonts apart from improvement to the existing 18 fonts including the weight and italics so there is a better choice of stylish texts.
- Siri to get a new Indian voice in iOS 14, this new voice will be using neural text-to-speech technology to sound more natural.
- Another update for the Indian users in the iOS 14 is the smart download which means the Indian users will be able to download Siri voices and software updates, as well Apple TV+ shows over cellular networks. We can bid goodbyes to the “Wi-Fi” only requirement.
