Should I update my iPhone or iPad to iOS 8? What are the pros and cons of upgrading? In our iOS 8 upgrading article we've got all the information you need to know about iOS 8, Apple's new iOS operating system for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and detailed advice on whether it makes sense for you to update your Apple device to iOS 8. Plus, find out what's new in Apple's iOS 8.2 update.
We also discuss the various models of iPad and iPhone that are rated as iOS 8-compatible, and explain whether they are likely to struggle to run iOS 8 and suffer speed reductions.
For more information on upgrading to iOS 8, read our full iOS 8 review. Plus: here'show to install iOS 8 without deleting anything or find out how to make space on an iPhone when you need it.
Finally, if you're wondering about the next version of iOS, here's our article on iOS 9 release date rumours.

iOS 8 upgrade advice: The basics

iOS is the operating system software that runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod touchdevices. It's the underlying framework that organises, launches and runs other apps, and can perform a number of features of its own. iOS 8 is the latest update to iOS.
If you've got an iPhone 4s (or later), an iPad 2 (or later), either of the iPad mini models, or a fifth-gen iPod touch, your device is officially rated as iOS 8-compatible, and you can update the iOS 8 for free. (For more on iOS 8 compatibility, see Can my iPhone or iPad run iOS 8?)
But should you update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 8?
Should you upgrade to iOS 8: Continuity feature

Should you upgrade to iOS 8: Know your versions

We discuss iOS 8 as a single entity for most of this article, but we should quickly acknowledge that a number of smaller point upgrades will be released throughout its (probably year-long) lifetime. Don't expect any big differences between these - mostly these will incorporate security updates, fixes and minor tweaks. When you update your device to iOS 8 from any version of iOS 7 (or earlier) you wil automatically get the most recent version that is available.

iOS 8.2: What's new in the iOS 8.2 update?

iOS 8.2 bought more than the Apple Watch app (which no, you can’t delete: read about how to remove and delete apps from your iPhone here). If your iPhone is older than iPhone 5 (4s, 4, or earlier) you won't get the Apple Watch app as the Apple Watch isn't compatible with your phone. Nor will the app appear on your iPad if you update it to iOS 8.2.
You will also gain a new activity app that – when paired with an Apple Watch – will show you fitness data received from the Apple Watch. You won’t see this app if you don’t have an Apple Watch,
Along with some general fixes and tweaks to the health app, there are also a number of improvements including:
The ability to select the unit of measurement – if you access Health Data > Height, for example, you can now choose Unit (cm or inches). This omission from the original health app seems ridiculous when you consider that only now can you choose between kg, lbs and stones for weight measurement.
The opportunity to add visual workouts from third-party apps.
There are also some stability enhancement and bug fixes in other Apple apps including Mail, Maps, Music and VoiceOver.
Here are the updates to iOS 8 that have been released so far, and what you need to know about them:

iOS 8.1.3: What arrived in the iOS 8.1.3 update?

The iOS 8.1.3 update was released on 27 January 2015, and comes with several improvements, including one that solves an issue that has prevented many people from updating to iOS 8 in the first place: capacity. iOS 8.1.3 "reduces the amount of storage required to perform a software update."
The full list of fixes are as follows:
  • Reduces the amount of storage required to perform a software update
  • Fixes an issue that prevented some users from entering their Apple ID password for Messages and FaceTime
  • Addresses an issue that caused Spotlight to stop displaying app results
  • Fixes an issue which prevented multitasking gestures from working on iPad
  • Adds new configuration options for education standardised testing.

iOS 8.1: What arrived in the iOS 8.1 update?

Apple has made its first major update to iOS 8, iOS 8.1, available to download and install now.
With iOS 8.1 comes lots of changes, but most notably the return of the Camera Roll that was dumped in iOS 8 much to the annoyance of users, and also the introduction of Apple Pay, which uses the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus's NFC chip.
The update is just 128MB if you've already got iOS 8 installed, and it's free, of course.
Also part of iOS 8.1 is the iCloud Photo Library beta, which lets you share photos and videos across devices.
Here's the full list of iOS 8.1 features and fixes as listed by Apple:
  • Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (US only)
  • Photos includes new features, improvements and fixes
  • Adds iCloud Photo Library as beta service
  • Adds Camera Roll album in Photos app and My Photo Stream album when iCloud Photo Library is not enabled
  • Provides alerts when running low on space before capturing Time Lapse videos
  • Messages includes new features, improvements and fixes
  • Adds the ability for iPhone users to send and recieve SMS and MMS text messages from their iPad and Mac
  • Resolves an issue where search would sometimes not display results
  • Fixes a bug that caused read messages to not be marked as read
  • Fixes issues with group messaging
  • Resolves issues with WiFi performance that could occur when connected to some base stations
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent connections to Bluetooth hands-free devices
  • Fixes bugs that could cause screen rotation to stop working
  • Adds an option to select between 2G, 3G or LTE networks for cellular data
  • Fixes an issue in Safari where videos would sometimes not play
  • Adds AirDrop support for Passbook passes
  • Adds an option to enable Dictation in Settings for Keyboards, separate from Siri
  • Enables HealthKit apps to access data in the background
  • Accessibility improvements and fixes
  • Fixes an issue that prevented Guided Access from working properly
  • Fixes a bug where VoiceOver would not work with third-party keyboards
  • Improves stability and audio quality when using MFi Hearing Aids with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
  • Improves reliability when using handwriting, Bluetooth keyboards and Braille displays with VoiceOver
  • Fixes an issue with VoiceOver where tone dialing would get stuck on a tone until dialing another number
iOS 8.1.2: Included bug fixes and addressed a problem involving ringtones purchased through iTunes.
iOS 8.1.1: Helped speed up and stabilise iPad 2 and iPhone 4S running iOS 8.
iOS 8.0.2: Fixed the major problems in 8.0.1. See this article - How to downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7, and how to reinstall iOS 8 if iOS 8.0.1 broke your iPhone - for the full list of fixes.
iOS 8.0.1: The first update to iOS 8 lasted just an hour before being pulled, for the alarming reason that it caused iPhones to lose the ability to connect to their cellular network, and affected Touch ID as well. This was swiftly replaced by...

Should you upgrade to iOS 8: The pros

The obvious benefits of iOS 8 are the new features, of which there are many. 
Camera: There are tons of new camera features, including a new Time Lapse mode, real-time exposure adjustment, a timer (3 sec or 10 sec), and the extension of existing high-end features to more devices (the iPad can now take panoramic shots, and older iPhones get burst mode).
The Photos app has new editing features.
You can do voice messaging from within the Messages app, and it works with just a few gestures.
Mail has gesture support for archiving and deleting messages, and various new organisational tricks - such as swiping messages downwards to hide them temporarily.
The system keyboard has been heavily enhanced, with whole-word predictive typing and the ability to download third-party keyboards (such as Swype) and use them across iOS 8.
You can install widgets - cut-down versions of apps that sit in your Notification Centre.
There's a new Family Sharing feature to help you share apps, media and location data within your family unit, and to control the kinds of apps and media your kids can download.
Should you upgrade to iOS 8: Family Sharing feature

There's a new app called Health, which will be used to collate fitness- and health-related information picked up from fitness apps, trackers and so on - although the third-party apps aren't ready yet so it's been delayed.
Finally, Apple has opened up iOS to third-party developers far more than ever before. As well as being able to create widgets and new system keyboards, app developers can use Touch ID in their apps. There's an API called HomeKit which will let devs build home-automation kit that works with iOS devices. And Apple has created new software frameworks for developers to work with - a programming language called Swift and a graphics system called Metal - that could lead to brilliant apps and games appearing for Apple devices.
And if all this is too much to get a handle on, there's a new Tips app to help you get the hang of the new features in iOS 8. It's only got a few tips at the moment but Apple says it will continually add new ones.
More info on iOS 8:

Should you upgrade to iOS 8: The cons

So why shouldn't you upgrade?
Well, obviously you might not be able to update. The iPhone 4 and older, the original iPad, and 4th-gen and older iPod touches simply can't update.
And you might find it tricky to update even with a newer model. Before iOS 8.1.3, iOS 8 had been demanding that you have around 5GB of free space on your device before you can update, and that might mean deleting a lot of music, photos, apps and so on to make room. That's put a lot of people off. But when you update iOS it needs the space for the duration of the update process - unpacking compressed files and things like that - but won’t need anywhere near as much space afterwards. So you may be able to reload some of the stuff you deleted.
Besides, if space is a problem, you can upgrade to iOS on your Mac or PC - in iTunes - use the space there and then sync your device to the Mac or PC using a cable (seeHow to upgrade to iOS 8 without deleting anything). So space shouldn't be a reason not to upgrade.
Visually, iOS 8 is virtually identical to iOS 7, so there shouldn't be much to annoy you about the new system. But you might not like the changes to the Photos app, for instance - some people are finding it confusing that there's no longer a folder called Camera Roll. We don't think you should let this put you off - you'll quickly get used to the new organisational structure.
But here are some more serious reasons you might not want to upgrade to iOS 8.
First, it's pretty much an irreversible process. There's a brief window for a few days after a new iOS comes out when you can go back fairly easily: Apple continues to 'sign' (authorise) the previous version of iOS so you'll be able to go back. But very soon the downgrade process gets a lot more difficult, and unfortunately that has now happened to iOS 8: Apple is no longer signing iOS 7.1.2. So it's probably best to assume this is a one-way ticket.
For more on this, see How to downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7, which we'll update when and if we find out a method that works without Apple's authorisation. But based on last year's downgrade process, it's likely to be difficult and/or restricted to a small number of devices.
(Lots of people get caught out in iOS updates and find themselves unable to go back. One of Macworld's most popular articles is a tutorial explaining how to downgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 6, even though the process is exceptionally awkward and often impossible. Check you definitely want to do this before taking the plunge. Reading our iOS 8 review is a good start.)
If you're a jailbreaker, you shouldn't upgrade to iOS 8 - or at least not yet. There isn't a jailbreak for iOS 8 so far, and probably won't be one for a few months.
Some apps (particularly older ones) might not work properly with iOS 8 yet - or ever. this depends on how many people are still using the app and whether the developers feel it's worth the effort to update the app. Most of the big app developers will have already worked out any problems during the beta testing period, however, and most of the rest will sort the issues out soon. But not all will.
But the single biggest reason not to upgrade is speed.

Should I upgrade to iOS 8: Older models

If you're running an iPhone 4s or an iPad 2 - and, according to some reports, even the iPad 3 - you could find that your device gets noticeably slower when you update to iOS 8. It's simply a more demanding system, and older hardware may struggle to run it. Apps may open more slowly, navigation may become sluggish.
Older devices, of course, also don't get the full range of features.

Should I upgrade to iOS 8: Conclusion

iOS 8 lives and dies by its features - it's got loads of new features, and I think they're great, but you should take a look at our review and decide if you're interested in them. If you're not going to use any of the new stuff then it's probably not worth updating. And it'll be easy to update in six months' time if you change your mind. If you update and then change your mind in six months it will be very difficult to go back.
But I think it's well worth upgrading - and strongly encourage you to look into all the new possibilities iOS 8 opens up.
My personal recommendation is this: if you're on an iPhone 5, 5c or 5s; an iPad 4 or iPad Air; either iPad mini; or the 5th gen iPod touch; then you should update. Your device can run it fine, and the new features are there for you to experiment with until you get used to them - with the Tips app to walk you through some of the new stuff.
If you're on an iPhone 4s, an iPad 2 or an iPad 3, then I'd give it a miss. It's not worth the slowdown. If you decide to take the plunge, I strongly recommend that you make sure Apple is still signing iOS 7 so you can downgrade if the slowdown is too much for you.

How to upgrade to iOS 8

If you decide that upgrading is right for you (and as we said, we would recommend this for everyone on an iPhone 5 or later and an iPad 3 or later; iPhone 4s and iPad 2 owners might wish to wait for a while), then how do you upgrade to iOS 8?
It's actually very easy. You should get a notification informing you that a new version of iOS is available for you to download; all you need to do is confirm that you're happy to do this. You'll need to download it, and then install it; the whole process is likely to take a couple of hours, but this all depends, as we say, on the amount of server traffic and how well Apple is coping with it.
If you don't get a notification you can look in the Settings app and see if there's an update waiting for you. Click on the Settings app icon (the silver cogs) and scroll down to the General category. Then tap on the Software Update option (the second one down), which incidentally will have a little grey '1' if there's an update for you.
iOS will think for a moment and then present you with the update, including the amount of storage space required (you may need to clear some space before downloading) and a link to a 'Learn more' article that tells you about the changes. Simply confirm you wish to upgrade and follow the steps.
Upgrading to iOS 8 is free. 
The video above shows you how easy upgrading to iOS 8 can be - although as you will see from the video in this story about upgrading iOS 8 over iTunes, it's not always such an easy process.
For more detail on the upgrading process: How to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 8.

How much storage space will iOS 8 take up?

Based on last year, we expected that iOS 8 would be about 700MB, although at the time it was recommended that you have 3GB free.
Unfortunately iOS 8 turned out to be even bigger and greedier. iOS 8 is 1.1GB and requires a massive 5.8GB of storage to be free before it can install. This is because it downloads a compressed file, unpackages it and then installs it. You need the space for the unpacking and the update. It also needs enough space for iOS 8 itself.
Luckily you can download the software via iTunes, and connect your iPhone to your Mac to instal it on your iPhone without needing to delete apps, photos and more. We explain exactly how to go about updating iOS over iTunes on a Mac or PC in this article: Here's how to update to iOS 8 without deleting anything.
As for how much space the update uses - we had a 16GB iPhone with just 1.3GB available. The iPhone's capacity was shown as 14.91GB before and after the update. Once our software was up to date and we had 917MB of space left over sot he update didn't use up 1.1GB more than iOS 7 did, it was around an additional 300MB.

New features in iOS 8

All Apple's iPad and iPhone models ship with iOS 8 and various apps provided by Apple for free. There are also thousands of apps available on the Apple App Store for you to download. Here are the 10 best apps for your new iPad or iPhone to get you started.

Reachability

There are a number of new features in iOS 8 designed to make one-handed use easier, these new Reachability features are specifically for users of the bigger iPhones. We don't believe they will be available to users of 4-inch or smaller iPhones.
'Reachability' is Apple's name for this update: it means that when you double-tap the Home button, the entire screen interface shrinks downwards so you can reach it easily. It's a clever idea, and shows more than a little humility.

Messages

The Messages application in iOS 8 includes a new voice messages feature. And it's pleasingly gesture-sensitive: you lift the iPhone to your ear to listen to the message, for instance, speak your response, and then move the phone away to send your message. Read: New Messages features

Health and HealthKit

Fascinating range of health- and fitness-related apps and data compilation features that take advantage of the capabilities of the new M8 Motion co-processor. Read ourComplete guide to Apple's Health and HealthKit.

Touch ID

Can now be used with third-party apps, which opens up a wealth of new possibilities: e-commerce apps, for instance, would be able to build in fingerprint authentication, and other apps could use fingerprint identification to replace tedious passwords and logins.
One new first-party implementation of Touch ID is Apple Pay - see below for more on that. Read: How iOS 8 will unlock Touch ID

Photos

Read about the new features in Photos for iOS 8including Time Lapse, new smart adjustments and filters, and photo storage in iCloud.

Notifications

Work with third-party apps. Notifications are also now more interactive: you can tap on a notification for a Facebook status update, for instance, and you'll be able to 'like' the status or comment on it from there, wthout having to go into the Facebook app. Read more about iOS Notification Centre.

Safari for iOS 8

Find our more about Safari in iOS 8 including new Private Browsing and the ability to scan in your credit cards.

Keyboards

We're pretty excited that Apple will be adding new keyboard features and allowing third party keyboards in iOS 8. Read about Using QuickType & Swype keyboards in iOS 8 plus: Alternative keyboards in iOS 8.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is Apple's new wallet technology (turns out it's not called iWallet).
Apple Pay uses NFC, a hardware feature that is included in the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It also works in conjunction with Touch ID and a "new secure element" that stores all payment information securely. In fact, thanks to a system called tokenisation the information stored isn't even your account details but a set of codes used to unlock those details.
Anyway, Apple Pay will allow you to pay for goods and services with your phone's Touch ID. It will work in the US at launch; UK start date of this service is to be confirmed but is expected some time early next year.
The new Apple Pay API is now open to developers to incorporate into their apps.
The following was written before iOS 8 was unveiled. 
Pre-release speculation: The iOS 8 rumours
Note: iOS 8 has been available to beta testers for several months now, and we know virtually all of the features and design changes that will be in the final version. See the details and linked reviews and FAQs on page one. The pre-unveiling speculation and rumours that follow are therefore rather redundant now, but we leave them here for those who are interested to see how accurately the rumours from earlier this year tally with the reality of iOS 8.
The release of iOS 7 caused a buzz among the Apple community in 2013, as it came with a radical redesign, bringing a new look and feel to the iPhone, iPad and iPodtouch software. Now that the excitement has died down, users are looking to the future, imagining what could be in store for the next version of iOS, presumably called iOS 8 if Apple's naming convention continues.
We're certainly excited about 2014 as a whole for Apple, not least because CEO Tim Cook has revealed on multiple occasions that the company has "big plans" that it believes we are going to love.
Speculation about iOS 8 - which is believed to be codenamed "Okemo" after a ski resort in Vermont - skyrocketed as February 2014 arrived, with reports that Apple is working on a 'Healthbook' app for the new operating system, which could change mobile health and fitness tracking for good. Then, on 13 March, screenshots showing what is allegedly our first look at the app icons for Healthbook, Preview, TextEdit and Tips emerged, followed by further mockups based on leaked information about the rumours Healthbook app.
In April, new rumours about a possible Shazam partnership that could result in a song identification feature in iOS 8 emerged, followed by rumours of a 'Watch Utility' app, split-screen multitasking and high-definition audio playback in May. Read on to find out more about the latest iOS 8 rumours and to see the leaked images.
See our iOS 8 wishlist for a round-up of our most-wanted iOS 8 features. Plus, here'swhat we don't want to see in iOS 8.
Watch our video where we discuss what Apple might have planned for iOS 8, the iPhone and iPad:

When will iOS 8 come out?

Apple has traditionally used its Worldwide Developers Conference to unveil new versions of iOS, so we expect that tradition to continue this year. WWDC 2014 begins on 2 June, and Apple has already confirmed that we'll be learning about the future of iOS and OS X during the event. There's even speculation that Apple may use this year's WWDC to unveil the iPhone 6.
While we expect iOS 8 to be shown off for the first time in June, it's unlikely to be released to the public until the next generation iPhone comes out, probably in September. Between June and September, iOS 8 is likely to be in beta form for developers to test and begin working on their apps ahead of the public release.
Here's the first look at iOS 8 - a banner put up by Apple at its WWDC 2014 venue (viaMacRumors)

Will my iPhone run iOS 8?

You should be able to run iOS 8 on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch when it arrives. However, Apple has been known to stop supporting older models with updates when several successors have launched.
Unfortunately, iPhone 4 owners might find themselves disappointed when iOS 8 arrives, if the latest rumours are to be believed. GottabeMobile suggests that Apple will not make iOS 8 compatible with the iPhone 4. iPhone 4 owners already miss out on some of the features in iOS 7, including turn-by-turn navigation, panorama photos, AirPlay mirroring and Siri, so it wouldn't come as too much of a surprise if it doesn't get iOS 8.

iOS 8 rumours: Split-screen Multitasking

Apple made some changes to Multitasking in iOS 7, but we'd like to see these changes go even further.
In May, 9To5Mac cited "sources with the knowledge of the enhancement in development" in a report that claimed that the iPad will get a new split-screen feature with iOS 8.
Like Microsoft's 'Snap' feature, iOS 8 will reportedly let iPad users run two apps at once, side by side on a screen, and will allow them to interact with both at the same time.
We particularly like Sam Beckett's Split Screen Multitasking concept. Split screen is something we'd love to see in iOS 8, as it would increase productivity significantly and is a feature we're constantly craving while using our iPad.
We'd also like to be able to close all of the open apps at once.
[Update: more evidence has been found in the iOS 8 beta related to splitscreen. A developer found a "main-screen-canvas-size" option which suggests that splitscreen might be possible on the new iPads. It's thought that multitasking isn't yet in the beta because it was too buggy, but we can expect to see it in future. See ouriPad Pro article for more details.]

iOS 8 rumours: Healthbook

It is thought that many of the new features in the new version of Apple's iOS will be focused on health, perhaps with a Passbook-style fitness and health app that stores data from the rumoured iWatch.
In March, this image was leaked on Weibo and allegedly shows new Healthbook, Preview, TextEdit and Tips app icons, as spotted by 9To5Mac:

We assume that the Preview and TextEdit apps have the same functionality as their Mac counterparts, perhaps expanding iCloud compatibility. There's some confusion about what the Tips app is for though (presumably to provide tips... but what for?).Read on for more information about Healthbook.
Apple plans to introduce the aforementioned health and fitness tracking application with iOS 8 later this year, according to sources cited in a 9To5Mac report. This application is likely to work closely with Apple's rumoured iWatch, which the sources say is "well into development."
The sources claim that the iOS 8 app is codenamed 'Healthbook' and will be used to collect data such as how many steps you've taken, how many calories you've burned and the distance you've walked. The app will also allegedly be used to monitor blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate and more. In addition to the monitoring and tracking features, the report claims Apple's Healthbook app will offer users the ability to set medication reminders.
The rumours of a Healthbook app arrive alongside reports that Apple executives have been meeting with medical officials including the Food and Drug Administration. Apple has also hired several people from the medical field. Most recently, Apple hired former chief medical officer at pulse oximeter firm Masimo Corporation Michael O'Reilly.
Perhaps the strongest evidence to support the theory that Apple is looking into introducing a health app is the M7 chip it introduced with its latest iPhone. The M7 chip measures motion data, enables the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, and, as pointed out by Apple when the chip was announced, enables a new generation of health and fitness apps.
In mid March, 9To5Mac released further information about the rumoured Healthbook app, based on alleged "sources working directly on the initiative's development". This information includes mockups created by a designer from the details leaked by the sources.

According to the reports, the Healthbook app's design will be based on the current Passbook design, with lots of tabs relating to various health categories. These tabs will be movable to enable the user to rearrange the app to suit their preferences. Tabs include an Emergency Card and health tracking for blood, heart rate, hydration, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and weight, the images suggest.

iOS 8 rumours: Watch Utility

iOS 8 has been spotted in screenshots purportedly taken on both the iPhone and iPad, all of which show a 'Watch Utility' app as well as those 'Healthbook,' 'Preview,' 'Text Edit,' and 'Tips' apps. We can only assume that the Watch Utility app is designed to help control, customise and use the rumoured iWatch.

iOS 8 rumours: Apple partners with Shazam for song-identification feature

Reports that emerged in April claim that Apple is working with Shazam to introduce a song-identification feature with iOS 8 that's based on the Shazam app, which uses the iPhone's microphone to listen to a song and determine what that song is.
The new Shazam integration in iOS 8 will also be closely linked to Siri, according toBloomberg, which claims a user will be able to ask Siri "what song is playing."
The rumours about Shazam in iOS 8 arrive following widespread chatter about thefuture of iTunes as a whole, with some rumours suggesting that it's about to get an overhaul that could lead to the seperation of the iTunes app and iTunes Radio, and could even mean an iTunes app for Android.

iOS 8 rumours: High-definition audio playback

Apple could be planning to introduce high-definition audio playback with iOS 8, according to new reports. Mac Otakara suggests that all iOS 8 compatible devices will be able to play high quality 24-bit audio files through the Music App and third-party apps, and high-fidelity music will be available to download from iTunes.
Apple is working on a new version of its premium in-ear headphones first launched in 2008, to coincide with the high-definition audio playback announcement, the report adds.

iOS 8 rumours: New Touch ID features

During Apple's earnings call for the first quarter of 2014, CEO Tim Cook spoke about Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which was introduced in September 2013 with the iPhone 5s.
"The mobile payments area in general is one that we've been intrigued with - that was one of the thoughts behind Touch ID," he said. "But we're not limiting ourselves to that. I don't have anything specific to announce today, but you can tell by looking at the demographics of our customers and the amount of commerce that goes through iOSdevices versus the competition that it's a big opportunity on the platform."
Cook's comments suggest that we should look out for new services that work with the Touch ID in future versions of iOS.
In April, further reports about possible new Touch ID features was published by Re/code. According to the report's unnamed sources, Apple's head of e-commerce, Jennifer Bailey, has been interviewing executives in the payments industry. Re/code claims there are two positions at Apple that involve mobile payments, and that Apple's "ambitions" for the service are "very, very serious."

iOS 8 rumours: More new features

There are several additional new features that we'd like to see in iOS 8, and we've listed them (and the rumours surrounding them) below.

iOS 8 rumours: Notifications

One of the areas of iOS 7 that we expect to get addressed in iOS 8 is Notifications. We think that it feels a bit clumsy at the moment. For example, replying to an iMessage requires the launching of the app, rather than a simple dialogue box as in OS X's Notification Centre.
We'd like to see a universal control to clear all of the past notifications at once. In iOS 7, the user has to manually delete each app's entries.
We love Sam Beckett's interactive Notifications concept, as shown below. It's a perfect example of what we'd like to see in iOS 8 when it comes to the Notification Centre.
We'd also like to be able to quickly unsubscribe from app Notifications that we've accidently signed up to within the Notification Centre.
Apple made an interesting acquisition in 2013, for a small software house called Cue. Cue specialises in smart assistant programming. With Google Now becoming an increasingly impressive service on Android, it's possible that Cue could be how Apple will catch up. It could help Apple add smarter push notifications, providing us with the information we need when we need it.

iOS 8 rumours: Maps

Apple is still working to improve its Maps app, so we expect some updates and tweaks for the iOS 8 version of the app.
Maps is expected to get some big improvements in iOS 8, including significant data improvements including new points of interests and labels, as well as public transit directions and maybe even augmented reality, if a patent in Apple's portfolio relating to such feature comes into play.

iOS 8 rumours: Control Centre

We loved the addition of Control Centre with iOS 7, and we think Apple could take it even further in iOS 8. Perhaps Apple will give users more control over the Control Centre, by letting them decide which apps they want easy access to.

iOS 8 rumours: Multiple accounts

A sought after iOS feature from Apple is the ability to add additional accounts to iPads and iPhones. For iPads that are shared among a family, this would allow each member to have their own private iOS account, particularly useful for parents with young children for better parental control.

iOS 8 rumours: FaceTime

FaceTime hasn't seen much love from Apple in recent updates, apart from the addition of FaceTime Audio. We'd like to see Apple introduce the ability to call multiple people at once in FaceTime, for group calls. Skype already offers the ability to conduct group calls, so the addition of the feature for FaceTime would be a big plus for Apple users.

iOS 8 rumours: Default apps

We've been saying this for years, but we'd like to delete the annoying Apple default apps that we're not interested in or never use. It's unlikely that Apple will grant this wish, though.

iOS 8 rumours: Subscription service

An interesting idea shared with us by a colleague is the introduction of an iOS iTunes Store and/or App Store subscription service. The service could allow users to pay a set fee per month to get access to unlimited films, TV, books, apps and more (think Netflix or LoveFilm). We think this would be a brilliant idea that we could imagine many Apple users signing up to if it's priced right. It would be a huge blow for competitors, though.

iOS 8 rumours: Default third-party browser

Many of our colleagues use Apple Macs, but almost none of them use Safari as their default web browser; most favour Chrome or Firefox instead. So why does Safari maintain such a stranglehold on iOS? Because you still can't make a third-party browser the default. We'd love to see Apple add the ability to change the default browser to a third-party one in iOS 8.

iOS 8 rumours: Customised autocorrect

Since before iOS 7, we've been asking for the ability to turn off autocorrect on an app-by-app basis, to prevent those embarrassing errors that we so often see.

iOS 8 rumours: Battery life

Battery life issues plague iOS users. We asked our readers what they'd like to see in iOS 8, expecting whizzy features to be the most common answers, but it was battery life that took the top spot.
One of the ways Apple could help preserve battery life is to add a battery emergency feature to devices. How about a set of customisable actions set to kick in when your iOS device reaches 20 per cent power? Instead of just popping up with the warning, the device could be programmed to automatically lower the brightness, switch off 3G, Bluetooth and location services, and generally do everything in its power to stay alive.

iOS 8 leaked images

There are no leaked images of iOS 8 aside from those shown previously in this article yet, but as soon as we see them, we'll share them with you here. We'll also be keeping an eye out for convincing mockups that spark the imagination, such as the two concept videos shown earlier in this article.
Designer Nico Achkasov has come up with a concept he calls 'iOS 8 Infinity', in which he's redesigned the iOS icons to follow a grid system and specific colour palette. He created the new icons after many Apple users said they dislike the designs Apple has come up with for the icons.
Nico has taken away the gradients in many of Apple's icons and replaced them with the shine effect Apple recently ditched, though he's made sure to keep the icons 'flat'.
You can read more about iOS 8 tutorials over in our iOS 8 topic zone including: