In case you haven’t noticed yet, Apple came out with a new iOS last week–iOS14, the biggest update Apple has unveiled in some time.

I would encourage you to watch one of the many videos about the update–like this one below–for your personal use. Lots of updates that are pretty darn useful.

But, today I wanted to talk about some of the updates I thought would be useful to you, as a communicator or social media marketer–because, there are a number that could impact your day job, in addition to your personal use.

In my initial research, here are just a few of the updates that I think communicators and social media marketers should be paying attention, and how it impacts your job:

Widgets for your home screen

You’ve probably heard the most buzz so far about widgets. These are small boxes you can add to your home screen to make it easier to get to important information. Now, there aren’t all that many widgets to choose from–yet. But, for communicators I like the “News” widget (keep on top of news as it happens); the calendar/deadline widget (see your to-dos and deadlines right on your home screen!) and the reminder widget (for lists, of course!). Find what works best for you–I’m sure Apple will be adding more in future updates.

Pinned messages

Another big feature you’ve probably heard about. Not a game-changer, but think about the people at work you text most often–your boss, your teammates, your clients, even. Wouldn’t it make sense to pin some of those folks right to the top of your text app so they’re easy to find at a moment’s notice? (Also: If anyone can help me figure out how to get these damn spam messages from Republican PACs off my phone, I will pay you a lot of money!)

Audio messages via Siri

I know, I know. Audio messages aren’t new. But, this particular functionality is–and it’s a very cool add for any communicator or social media marketer. I’m already thinking about all the texts I’ll be sending when I’m in the car now! Think of all that dead time in the car–now you can be sending audio text messages to teammates, clients and others within your organizations. This one is a big deal for me–I just hope people like receiving the audio messages!

Faster shooting on the Apple camera

iOS14 had a very different changes to the camera functionality. But, the biggest one for communicators and social media marketers is definitely the ability to shoot faster. As in, 90% faster than all previous updates! Just go into Settings-Camera and click “Prioritize Faster Shooting.” The camera, apparently, will “intelligently adapt image quality when rapidly pressing the shutter.” For as many pics as we take for our clients and companies on our phones, this one seems like a potentially big deal.

New ways to filter photos

Another change to your photos–the ability to filter by favorites. Might not seem like a big deal, but I see this as a great way to favorite client/company photos and make them much more accessible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve went digging through the pics on my phone to find that one client photo I took three months ago. That process can take me 10 minutes! By favoriting these client/company photos, you can get to them in seconds–not 10-15 minutes.

Those are just my initial reactions. I’m sure I’ll find more features in this update that are useful for my professional life. What have you found so far that’s helpful for you as a communicator in the iOS14 update?