In just a few months Apple is due to make its major software announcements. The world waits for official details on iOS 8, until then we will have to make our peace with rumors. Over the past few weeks there have been quite a few rumors about the next major platform update. The latest suggests that iOS 8 is going to make Notification Center a lot easier, and that it would do away with the standalone Game Center app.
Apparently the company is also working on improving inter-app communication. Known as the “XPC” service in the developer community, the API would allow apps to share data. Meaning that a photo editing app will be able to publish a finished photo through Facebook or Instagram apps, without the user having to launch them separately. Some of the controls in the Voice Memos apps might be moved around as well, since a lot of users have complained about not being able to correctly figure out the updated controls.
As far as the Notification Center is concerned, it may be simplified by reducing panels to just “Today” and “Notification” views. Currently there are three panels, “Today,” “All,” and “Missed.” Game Center functionality might get baked directly into the games, thus eliminating the need for a seldom used standalone app. The rumor also suggests that CarPlay, a feature that depends upon the Lightning cable right now, could work over Wi-Fi as well.
It is likely that further changes might be made since iOS 8 is quite far off now. Details rumored about it don’t hint at major user interface changes, so its possible that Apple may look towards making the user experience as simple as it possibly can.