Apple launches iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14: How to download them

The all-new iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14 are available as system updates on your devices and all you need to do is to head over to ‘Settings’ and get it going.

The new software updates bring in a host of new features and improvements on the iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV.  (Bloomberg)

As Apple had announced during the Apple Event day before, the new system updates for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV have all been launched now and you can go ahead and update them all. The all new iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14 are available as system updates on your devices and all you need to do is to head over to settings and get it going.

How to download the new system updates:

For this, you need to head over to Settings on the respective devices. To download watchOS 7 though you need to update your iPhone to iOS 14 first, otherwise, it is not going to work.

Now, once you are in ‘Settings', scroll down to ‘General' and click on ‘System Updates'.

Your device will search for new updates and show you - iOS 14, iPad OS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14. You need to click on this and agree to the terms and conditions that pop up.

Post this the download starts and the device is going to install it automatically once that is done.

This takes a little bit of time and your devices need to charged above 50% for all of this to go smoothly. You can keep them plugged in while you update them as well. Also, for the Apple Watch to be updated, you need to keep the iPhone near it for the process to start.

What's new in these updates?

iOS 14

The iOS 14 brings new widgets to the iPhone home screen and the all new App Library. The App Library categorises all your apps into usage-types and helps declutter your home screen. iOS 14 also allows you to change your default email and browser apps.

With the new iOS 14, incoming calls on your iPhone and Siri are both going to get a new compact UI that does not take up all the screen space when being used. And you can also watch a video or take a FaceTime call while you are using another app with the new Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature. The new update also lets you pin conversations in Messages to the top of the list for easy access and you get App Clips that let you download only those features of an app that you need.

The new update gets Apple Maps cycling directions, electric vehicle routing and new Guides. Guides help provide a curated list of places in a city you are visiting for better ease. Now, you can also choose to share an “approximate” location within apps and not the precise location and iOS 14 also gets you more transparency about an app's use of your mic and camera. From next year on, all apps ask for user permission before tracking.

iPadOS 14

The new widgets in iPadOS 14 is limited to Today View only, unlike iOS 14. However, the biggest update for the iPad with this new update is the enhancements with Apple Pencil, new app sidebar designs and the compact calling and Siri interface that iOS 14 brings to the iPhone.

You can now scribble with the Apple Pencil and your handwriting will be converted to text when you write in any text field. You can also circle to select and scratch to delete text. iPadOS 14 recognises addresses, dates, phone numbers and email addresses in handwriting.

tvOS 14

The new tvOS 14 brings in better integration with the HomeKit accessories, support for 4K videos in YouTube and improved multi-user (for Apple Arcade and Game Center) and PiP video.

watchOs 7

The new update for the Apple Watch brings in the long-overdue support for sleep tracking. There are also watch face sharing options and new watch faces. Besides this, there are also multiple complications supported for a single app and Wind Down feature that lets you establish a bedtime routine.

Sleep Mode automatically turns off the screen of your Apple Watch and enables Do Not Disturb. When you wake up, you will get a haptic alarm and weather report. There is handwash detection too with the new watchOS 7, and the newly renamed Fitness app has a better UI.