Upgrading to iOS 8? Avoid the iCloud Drive bugs.

The new iPhone 6 is here! As usual, with a new iPhone comes a new operating system release. For those of you downloading iOS 8, you may want to avoid using iCloud Drive. After you download iOS 8 and you begin the setup process, at some point you're going to be given the option of signing into iCloud Drive. We recommend you do not do it, as it's not meant to work properly until Apple releases the new Mac operating system.

If you use iCloud to sync documents and other things between your phone and your computer (as most people do) you will lose that sync ability if you activate iCloud Drive today. You can wait on it until October 21st - the date Mac's new operating system, Yosemite, is released. It is important to know that iCloud Drive, once activated, can't be reversed - you can't turn it off and go back.

Over all, iOS 8 is without question the most comprehensive, detailed upgrade that Apple has ever offered to its iPhone / iPad software. You are probably going to need to find somebody that can give you a tutorial on this. There are things throughout this operating system that, if you just wait to discover them, could take you six months to go through them all or find them all.

3 things to consider before you install iOS 8 on your iPhone.

Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 8, is live and available for download & installation now. All you have to do is go to Settings > General > Software Update to make it happen. But wait!

1) Make sure you back up your phone before updating.
This is really important and something most people ignore. Then you start crying when the install freezes and suddenly you lost all of the pictures of your cat with that cute little vest on. Forever. You'll never see those pictures of Mr. Tinkle again. You don't know how your phone is going to act during the installation and you don't know what kind of hidden glitches may be in the new operating system. It's likely ok, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Always back up your phone!

2) Don't put iOS 8 on your iPhone 4 / 4S.
The update is available for you, but don't do it. (Frankly, you shouldn't have installed iOS 7 either). The older phone just doesn't fill the hardware requirements of the new OS and the performance suffers significantly because of that.
If you like your 4S, keep it. But don't expect any changes coming your way. It will be just like it is today - forever

3) Realize that install of iOS 8 needs 5.8GB of space.
Delete whatever music, videos, pictures, or applications you need to in order to make the switch.

If you're planning on buying the iPhone 6 tomorrow, you should keep this in mind as you make your selection of which version to purchase. Those of you going the cheaper route and getting the 16GB model are only going to have a little over 10GB of space available to play around with, which isn't a whole lot when all your photos, videos, and music are restored.

Big changes are coming to the iPhone messaging platform.

Apple's next mobile operating system means significant changes for how iPhone users send and receive messages.

If you're an Apple user, this is a big deal. Messages is the most frequently used app in iOS, and is how most users share texts, photos and videos with each other.

With iOS 8, coming this fall, Apple is borrowing features from popular messaging platforms like Snapchat and WhatsApp while unveiling some new tricks of its own.

Here's a quick look at the new messaging features announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference...

Audio and video messages

The text window in the next version of iMessage will contain a little microphone button. Users hold a finger down on the button, record a short audio or video message, and send it with the swipe of a finger, all without leaving the app.

In this way, Apple is taking a page from WhatsApp, which also allows audio and video messages. Facebook bought that startup, which has a huge user base overseas, in February for $19 billion.

Audio files will appear in your Messages stream as jagged lines. Simply tap on them to listen to the message. Apple did not say Monday whether there will be a limit on the length of the messages.

Self-destructing messages

Photo and video messages that disappear after a few seconds have been popularized by Snapchat, the mobile messaging app that reportedly spurned multibillion takeover offers from Facebook and Google last year.

This ephemeral format has been especially popular with teens and young adults who like to exchange silly or racy messages without fear they'll be haunted by them later.

Now Apple is getting into the game. Audio and video messages within iOS 8 will automatically vanish within a few minutes unless you adjust your settings.

"You don't want to have to clean these up. Audio and video messages can take up space," said Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing. "So they're set to self-destruct unless you choose to keep them."

Do not disturb

Sure, group messaging threads among friends can be fun. But sometimes all the back-and-forth chatter gets out of hand.

This feature lets you mute a thread for a while while reserving the option to rejoin the conversation later.

If you've ever been on one of those noisy threads that just keeps buzzing in your pocket, now you will be able to choose when to leave.

Lock-screen functions

If you're in a hurry, responding to a message on an iPhone can be a little cumbersome: You have to punch in your passcode and then hit the Messages icon just to get started.

With iOS 8, users can listen and respond to audio messages without leaving the lock screen -- just by holding the phone to their ear. The phone detects when it's next to your face, plays the message and lets you record a brief response. Lower the phone, and the message is sent automatically.

 

Other stuff

If your contacts choose to share them, their locations will pop up in group-messaging threads.

For the first time, users will be able to add or delete someone in the middle of a group-messaging thread.

And message attachments - images and videos mostly - will be collected in one place so you don't have to scroll back through longstanding threads to find them.

Source: CNN Tech