What you need to know
- Google has highlighted features and apps for the new iPhone 12.
- Highlights include widgets, Apple Watch apps, default apps, and privacy features.
- All of the features and apps highlighted are also available for other iPhone models.
Ahead of tomorrow's iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro release, Google has published a blog post that highlights new features users can enjoy from the company on their new iPhone.
Google has created its own set of widgets for iOS 14 that users will be able to enjoy. The new Google Photos (opens in new tab) widget will rotate through your memories, while the YouTube Music (opens in new tab) widget will display your most recently played songs. The Google Search (opens in new tab) widget gives you quick access to search by the camera, voice, and more.
Widgets are new on iOS—they personalize your iPhone and give you quick access to your favorite apps. Here's a new one to try out: the Google Photos widget rotates through Memories from Google Photos so you can relive some of your best moments right on your homescreen. Starting today, you can also add the YouTube Music widget to your iPhone. This puts your recently-played songs within easy reach—so you can always listen to your favorite tunes and get access to more than 70 million official songs. Since the launch of iOS 14 in September, millions of people have taken advantage of our Search widget. It brings fast access to Search on your home screen, and includes shortcuts to different ways to search in the Google app. Lens lets you search what you see with your camera, Voice Search lets you hum to search to find songs, and Incognito can bring an extra level of privacy.
The company is also pointing out that Google Maps and YouTube Music (opens in new tab) are now on the Apple Watch. The Google Maps (opens in new tab) app will give route estimates and step-by-step directions, while the YouTube Music (opens in new tab) app will act as a remote to the music playing on your iPhone.
Many iPhone users choose to pair their device with an Apple watch—and having access to certain features with a flick of the wrist can be helpful in all sorts of situations. If you use Google Maps on your Apple Watch, you can get route estimates and step-by-step directions to pre-saved locations without opening your iPhone. Our new Watch app for YouTube Music lets you customize your Watch face with YouTube Music playback functions (play, pause, skip) and gives recommendations for new songs based on your listening habits.
The company is also pointing out that, due to iOS 14, users can now choose to set Chrome (opens in new tab) and Gmail (opens in new tab) as their default browser and mail app.
When setting up your new iPhone, you can now choose which browser and email service you prefer to open by default, so when you open a link, it will open in Chrome automatically and when you click on a link to send an email, you'll go straight to Gmail. Learn more about how to set Chrome and Gmail as your default browser and email service.
The last feature that Google mentions is Privacy Screen, which allows you to require the use of Touch ID or Face ID each time you open the Google Drive (opens in new tab) app.
If you use Google Drive on an iPhone or iPad, you might like a feature called Privacy Screen. Using Face ID or Touch ID on your iOS device, Privacy Screen will shield your files from view until it can verify it's you. Privacy Screen is activated each time you close the Drive app and reopen it, or switch between Drive and another app. You can also choose to set a delay if you like, but we designed Privacy Screen to be a seamless check for sensitive information. It won't slow you down, but it will make it harder for unwanted viewers to look at your files.
All of these features and apps are available now and would be a great addition for new iPhone 12 owners if you are deep in the Google ecosystem.
