Due to COVID-19 and the resulting quarantine, many have grown closer and closer to their phones. Just when they might have started getting sick of them, Apple released iOS 14. Released on Sept. 16, iOS 14 is the newest update to Apple’s iPhone. While the new update boasts many new features for users to get excited about, perhaps the most prominent is the use of widgets and shortcuts. 

The update itself allows users to add widgets from default apps that come with any iPhone, such as the weather app. By adding these as widgets, users will not need to tap on the app to view its contents.  Rather, it can be displayed as a bigger version of any app with only some preliminary contents being shown, which for some, is enough. However, some students have downloaded additional apps to take this personalization a step farther. 

“I’ve downloaded smart widget and color widget,” sophomore Lindsay Sheridan said. “Color widget can display the time and calendar, and you can display a photo behind it. Smart widget allows you to add photos.” 

Widgets do not just limit to that of photos and information, but widget games have also emerged. They display just like normal widgets, but are more interactive. It allows those who download them to play games while still on their home s

“I’ve downloaded Steve,” freshman Shaely Wacker said. “The Steve app is a dinosaur, like the one from google, and you play different levels with him and make him jump over cactus.” 

With so many new options for personalization, a downside to the update is how time consuming it can be to get everything to look the right way. Many people choose a specific theme, and it can take a long time to make sure everything matches. 

“What I really don’t like about the update is that there are so many themes you can do when customizing your home screen, that it’s hard to organize it and get it the way you want it,” sophomore Cassidy Howard said. “If you decide you want to change it up later, it becomes a hassle to come up with a new theme”. 

Although sprucing up one’s home screen has become a new and exciting thing, for some, an update that keeps one’s phone working is good enough. 

“I’m not as into my phone as other people,” television production teacher Brian Keyes said. “Honestly, if my phone charges, I’m happy”. 

Even with its pros and cons, as long as Apple makes attempts to better the experience of its users from their products, more iOS updates will be available from Apple in the future. For some, the update was not even thought about. 

“I find the update beneficial because I feel happier going into my phone then before when it was just boring,” Wacker said. “And not beneficial because we are all spending so much time decorating our home screens”.