iOS 8 will bring third-party keyboards, Notification Center widgets, Safari extensions

When iOS 8 launches on iPhone and iPad later this year, users will be able to install their own third-party keyboards, custom widgets for Notification Center, and new extensions that will enhance functionality in Safari.

In a demonstration at Monday's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Apple software chief Craig Federighi showed off Notification Center on both iPhone and iPad. One widget showed current sports scores via ESPN SportsCenter, and another one allowed users to track and update bids on eBay through the auction site's app.

In another example, Federighi accessed a Bing translation extension included in the Safari browser on iPad. This allowed him to quickly translate a page to English using Microsoft's search engine.

Another extension for Pinterest was shown, allowing Federighi to quickly post items he found to his Pinterest account. The extension automatically pulled pictures from the website and allowed him to select the one he wanted.

Finally, Federighi revealed to great applause that iOS will now support third-party keyboards. Users will be able to install their own keyboards of their choosing.

Apple will also introduce its own enhanced keyboard, dubbed "QuickType," in iOS 8, which will predict what a user may want to type based on their past usage.

196 Comments

ezhik 101 comments · 10 Years

About 10 years ago

So basically they ripped off a whole lot of Android features.

nexusphan 260 comments · 12 Years

Good to see Apple listening to it's critics! Anyone else think that Notification center seems waaay too busy now? I feel like they should have gone about this differently.