US Edition Apple's latest operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod, iOS 8, is now available to download in the UK, bringing with it a range of brand new toggles, features and functions. But in spite of the numerous benefits to be reaped from this software overhaul, there are a few features that might leave some users wishing they could revert back to iOS 7 (which they can't).
iPhone 4S users in particular may be regretting their choice; despite being eligible for upgrade, users of older devices such as this have already reported a siginficant drop in performance, and an annoying increase in load speeds. Here is how to avoid the features that have so far particularly rankled with users of even the latest devices.
Turn off ‘context-sensitive’ predictive text
The iOS 8 keyboard now offers predictive typing which claims to pick up on how you write, and subsequently provide a list of words to make texting a lot faster. Some users have already found this to be more of a hindrance than a help, however, and it’s easy enough to turn it off. Go to Settings, then General and Keyboard, then set the ‘Predictive’ option to off.
Stop voice messages and videos from auto-destructing
In iOS 8’s Messages, it’s now possible to send Snapchat-style voice messages and videos that will delete after a certain period of time. But if you would actually prefer to save these messages, go to Messages under Settings, and change the Audio Messages and Video Messages expiration time to Never.
Hide your recent contacts
Now when you double tap the home button on your device, a new menu appears with images of your recent contacts. If you have concerns about privacy, and would rather people couldn’t see exactly who you’re contacting, then this can be disabled in Settings. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then scroll to ‘Show in App Switcher’. Set them to off, and they’ll no longer appear in the menu.
Prevent apps from accessing your data
There are times when you might want an app to gain access to your data – for instance so that it will indicate when a contact of yours has joined the likes of Twitter or Instagram. Unfortunately though, these apps can often upload your contact list to their servers, and this poses a security risk in the event that this data is stolen. By going to Settings and then Privacy, you can select which third-party apps you’d like to grant access to data – be this your contacts, e-mail, calendar or photos.
Avoid quick messaging woes
The new iOS allows you to reply to a text as soon as it pops up, without having to leave the screen you’re on when it appears. Though ostensibly useful, there are a few issues with this that Apple have yet to iron out; if you start replying to a text and someone then sends you another message, the message you’re already typing will be deleted. With ‘Alerts’ selected in Settings, you’re also unable to just switch over to the Messages app to reply.
To get around this, change the Notifications setting to ‘Banners’, which will allow you to tap the banner that appears when you receive a text to jump to Messages, or pull down on the notification to reply.
Delete the U2 album
At this year’s iPhone 6 launch, it was announced that Apple would be giving away a free U2 album to every iPhone user. If you were less than pleased to receive this gift from Bono, then you’ll be happy to learn that Apple has also released a tool to remove it. Simply head to this URL, type in your Apple ID information, and the album will be removed from your music.
Delete photos completely
If you’ve managed to accidentally delete a photo, you’ll now be able to easily recover it, as Apple has updated iOS 8 to include a ‘Recently Deleted’ album. Unfortunately, if you’re not such a fan of this feature, at present there’s no way to permanently disable it. For the time being, tap ‘Select’ then ‘Delete All’ in the Recently Deleted album to empty it out.