iOS 14 May Bring New Clips Feature to Allow Users Try Out Apps Before Installing Them

Apple's iOS 14 has been reported to come with a host of new features like an AR mode for Find My iPhone, new features for Apple Keychain password manager, and an option to add widgets to iPhone home screen, among other functionalities. Now, a report citing iOS 14 code hints that Apple might be testing a new feature that will let users preview or test applications before installing them. The feature will reportedly allow users to experience parts of an app's functionality when they get a link to another app or scan a QR code generated by an app not present on their iPhone.

According to the report by 9to5Mac, the new API that will allow developers to bundle this pre-installation experience to users is being referred to as 'Clips' in the iOS 14 code. The Clips API will work in direct relation to QR code reader, so if a user scans a QR code generated by an app that isn't installed on user's iPhone, the QR code reader can directly open a floating card of the missing app, giving some functionality of that app to the user. This card will also give the option to fully download and install the app.

Android already offers a similar functionality in the form of a feature called “Slices”.

“Slices are UI templates that can display rich, dynamic, and interactive content from your app from within the Google Search app and also in other places like the Google Assistant,” Google writes in the Slices developer documentation.

A lot of new features for Apple's iOS 14 have surfaced in reports and leaks. Earlier it was reported that with iOS 14, iPhone will get new and redesigned wallpaper settings, along with the option of adding widgets to the home screen. Further, the Apple Keychain password manager is reported to get two-factor authentication and a feature that warns users about reused passwords.