iOS 14 leak reveals feature that lets you use apps even if you haven’t installed them

Enlarge / iOS 13 on an iPhone 11 Pro. (credit: Samuel Axon)

According 9to5Mac's analysis of an alleged leaked build of iOS 14, the next major release of Apple's mobile operating system for iPhones, iPads, and iPods will introduce a new API that will let developers offer some functionality of their apps to users who have not actually downloaded or installed those apps.

The publication says that Apple refers to the feature as "Clips" and that it is built off of the existing tools that allow users to navigate to app-specific content via QR codes. The idea seems to be that tapping an app-targeted link or scanning a QR code could bring up content in a temporary "floating card" of the app on the device that allows you to consume the content or perform some other app-related action.

Presently, using a link or code like that when you don't have the associated app installed opens it in Safari and sometimes directs you to the App Store to download the app before you can do anything with it. Now, a portion of the app could be downloaded "as an Over-The-Air package." Apple would provide the API to developers to determine which parts of the app should be accessible this way and to let developers implement this themselves using Apple's own tools.

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