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Code for iOS 14 reveals feature for trying apps without needing to install them

Aaron Mamiit
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Apple will reportedly launch a feature on iOS 14 that will allow iPhone owners to try apps without having to install them first.

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Code from an early build of Apple’s next major mobile operating system upgrade revealed a new API named Clips, which will allow apps to offer “interactive and dynamic content” even before they are installed on a person’s iPhone, according to 9to5Mac.

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The Clips API is said to be linked to the QR Code reader, which may scan codes that will then launch the app on a card on the iPhone’s screen. App developers will determine the part of their app that will show up on that card, which will also offer the option to download the full version of the app.

Apple is said to be testing the new feature with several apps, including DoorDash, OpenTable, PlayStation 4 Second Screen, Yelp, and YouTube, possibly to use them as examples for this year’s online-only Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC.

Google already offers a couple of similar features, namely Slices, which adds parts of apps to search results and Google Assistant, and Instant Apps for Android, which are small partitions of an app that may be opened through a link.

The application of Apple’s Clips, meanwhile, remain unclear, including whether the parts of the apps will only be accessible through QR codes, which is what the iOS 14 beta code mentions, according to 9to5Mac.

iOS 14 previews

Apple is expected to introduce iOS 14 at the online-only WWDC 2020 in June. In addition to Clips, previous reports have revealed features that iPhone and owners may expect from the upcoming mobile operating system.

The rumored CarKey feature has also been spotted in iOS 14 code, after being first discovered in the iOS 13.4 beta. CarKey will allow iPhone and Apple Watch owners to unlock and lock the doors of NFC-compatible cars, and it is said that BMW will be the first vehicle manufacturer that will offer the capability.

Apple is also said to be working on “real” widgets for the iPhone’s home screen, in a feature internally called Avocado. The new widgets, instead of only appearing on a dedicated screen, may be placed anywhere.

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Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
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