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What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

Posted June 21, 2014 at 8:22pm by iClarified
Apple has introduced a set of Continuity features designed to let iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite work together better than ever before.

Here's a look at the new features.

What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot


Handoff
Handoff lets you seamlessly start tasks on one device and continue them on another device. For example, you can start writing an email on the iPhone and pick up where you left off when you sit down at your Mac. Or browse the web on your Mac and continue from the same link on your iPad.

To utilize the feature, your devices must be signed in the same iCloud account. Handoff works with Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. Developers will also be able to add Handoff support into their third party apps.

When you start something on your Mac, a corresponding app icon will appear at the bottom left corner of the lockscreen on your iPad or iPhone. Swiping up on the icon will bring up what you were working on, letting you pick up where you left off.

What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot


Conversely, when you start something on your iPad or iPhone, a corresponding icon will appear on the left side of your dock. Click the icon to pick up where you left off.

What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

Initial reports suggest that only Macs with Bluetooth LE will support Handoff; however, Apple apparently hasn't finalized requirements for the feature yet.

Calling
You can now make and receive phone calls on your iPad or Mac as long as your iPhone running iOS 8 is on the same Wi-Fi network. Incoming calls show the caller’s name, number, and profile picture. Just click or swipe the notification to answer, ignore, or respond with a quick message.
What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

To make a phone call from your iPad or Mac simply tap or click a phone number in Contacts, Calendar, or Safari.
What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

SMS and MMS
You can now send and receive SMS and MMS text messages right from your iPad or Mac. So when you get a message, you can respond using whichever device is most convenient, regardless of whether the message is an SMS, MMS, or iMessage. You can also start a conversation from your iPad or Mac by clicking a phone number in Safari, Contacts, or Calendar.
What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

AirDrop
AirDrop now works between iOS and Mac OS X. This means you can easily send photos or documents from your iOS device to nearby computer. As in iOS 7, simply tap the share button and then select a nearby device to share with. Transfers are encrypted so that what you share is highly secure.
What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot

Instant Hotspot
If you’re out of Wi-Fi range, your iPad or Mac can connect to your phone’s personal hotspot when your iPhone is close by. With the new Instant Hotspot feature, you’ll see the name of your iPhone in the list of Wi-Fi networks in the Settings app on your iPad and in the Wi-Fi menu on your Mac. Just select it and you’re connected. You don't even need to type in a password. When you’re not using your phone’s network, your devices intelligently disconnect to save battery life.
What's New in iOS 8: Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, Instant Hotspot


WHAT'S NEW IN IOS 8:
There's a lot of changes in iOS 8. Here's a few of the changes we've posted on already: Health, iCloud Drive, Family Sharing, Photos, Camera, Mail, Safari, Messages, QuickType, Third-Party Keyboards, Interactive Notifications, and Contact Shortcuts.

We'll be taking a look at even more new features shortly. You can follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for more.

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Comments (10)
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Len
Len - September 13, 2014 at 7:17am
Instant Hotspot SUCKS! We've lost the ability to create a hotspot for other devices like a Kindle, PC, a friends laptop, etc. You can only hotspot your own iOS 8 phone to your Yosemite Mac or iOS 8 iPad. It works based on your Apple ID so no more hotspot sharing with friends or random devices.
Great!
Great! - June 22, 2014 at 11:55pm
Now many fans will think these are just copies of jailbreak apps, but let me explain...at the back end they do much more than you think. Behind the scenes, these new functionalities work together SECURELY so that your data is not compromised, unlike on Jailbroken apps where your data COULD be. The thing with JB apps is that there is a higher risk of your data being stolen and/or malware being introduced.
Grant
Grant - June 22, 2014 at 6:39am
Ahahaha.... No network will let you easily connect your laptop to your phone.., it's total bs, you'll probably have to buy a tethering package... So lame!
Muammar moosa
Muammar moosa - June 22, 2014 at 4:54am
How to use the hot spot in ios 8? Since i have updated my phone to ios 8 i cannot see the hotspot function in the setting menu? Where does it gone?
jtern
jtern - June 22, 2014 at 1:52am
No updates to music app I presume? A queue or "add to next" button would've been much appreciated
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - June 22, 2014 at 1:05am
So that's how an XL iPhone is made, and by XL I mean 2x big than 2014 ones.
Fukran John
Fukran John - June 21, 2014 at 10:47pm
Perfect copy of Jailbreak apps. Oh ya, when did Crapple ever made anything their own ? My dad that I never thought about it
Geno
Geno - June 21, 2014 at 10:41pm
I still will need jailbreak to get tethering on my phone.
Blackgold
Blackgold - June 21, 2014 at 8:44pm
Goodbye jailbreak. We are going to miss u :(
JuergenWest
JuergenWest - June 21, 2014 at 9:44pm
While never guaranteed it is very likely there will be a publicly released jailbreak for iOS 8 so do not count them out just yet however if Action Menu was built into iOS, I would no longer "need" a jailbreak as Apple has pretty much filled every other void over the years.
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