This iOS 8 Feature Will Make Accessing Apps You Need So Much Easier

So I installed iOS 8 on my iPhone 5s last night and the strangest thing happened to me this morning as I walked into my office and sat down at my desk.  I whip out my iPhone and notice a little something on the bottom left hand corner of the lock screen — to my surprise it’s the Starbucks app icon.  I swipe up on the screen and the Starbucks app opens up, prompting me to login with my Starbucks account.  So where did this mysterious iOS lock screen icon come from?

I thought about it for a minute and then it clicked.  There’s a Starbucks across the street (well, actually there are two Starbucks across the street — this is NYC after all). iOS now recommends apps to you based on your location.

As MacRumors points out, it’s unclear right now which apps will be supported.  But hopefully it will not be limited to just big companies or Apple-related apps.

This type of quick access will be great for apps that allow you to pay for stuff or act as a ticket.  Apple mentions in its release notes that the feature uses Location Services to recommend relevant apps: “When Location Services is turned on, the device’s current location is used to recommend relevant apps on the lock screen.”

It also appears to be tied to the App Store. Apple will suggest apps for you to install, based on your proximity to a location, according to MacRumors.

Another iOS 8 user noticed that when he arrived at the train station his train app appeared on the lock screen. Overall, this seems very nifty and useful. Hopefully it even speeds up the Starbucks line a bit.  

So I'm at the train station and #iOS8 shows me my most(?) use app! #nearby #app pic.twitter.com/kPLnYvr7xo

— Cyril Gabathuler (@gabac) June 3, 2014