Apple launches iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 on just one day’s notice

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  Apple is letting users more substantially customize the home screen with iOS 14. [credit: Apple ]

Today marks the launch of most of Apple's major annual updates to its operating systems-excepting macOS Big Sur. iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 are rolling out to users across the globe and throughout the day today (and tomorrow, in some regions).

The timing is unusual this time around. Normally, Apple launches OS updates several days after its September product-announcement livestream, typically timed closely with the release of new iPhones. But with no iPhones announced this week, Apple instead pushed these updates only one day after the event and one day before the new Apple Watch and eighth-generation iPad are expected to end up in users' hands.

iOS 14 brings major new features to the home screen and app management experience for the iPhone, with support for the home screen widgets that were introduced in iPadOS last year and a new App Library view that allows for easier managing of all installed apps on one panel. Along with that comes systemwide picture-in-picture support for videos-another feature that has made its way from iPadOS-and a number of significant improvements to Messages, Maps, and other applications, as well as a new live translation app.

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