What kind of interesting things are iOS developers doing with iOS 8's App Extensions?

iOS 8 introduced App Extensions, allowing developers to extend the functionality of their apps and contribute to other parts of the iOS system. App Extensions opened up new possibilities for iOS developers to enhance user experiences across the platform. Here are some interesting things that iOS developers started doing with iOS 8's App Extensions:

1. Today Widgets:

   • Developers created Today Widgets to provide users with quick access to app-specific information in the Today view of the Notification Center. This allowed users to glance at relevant data without opening the full app.

2. Custom Keyboards:

   • iOS 8 introduced the ability for developers to create custom keyboards. Developers took advantage of this to offer keyboards with unique features, themes, and functionalities beyond the standard iOS keyboard.

3. Share Extensions:

   • Share Extensions allowed users to share content from one app to another seamlessly. Developers implemented share extensions to enable users to share content, such as images or links, directly from their apps to other social media platforms, messaging apps, or cloud services.

4. Photo Editing Extensions:

   • Developers created photo editing extensions that allowed users to apply filters, enhance images, and perform edits without leaving the Photos app. This streamlined the photo editing process and provided a more integrated experience.

5. Document Providers:

   • Document Providers allowed apps to expose their document repositories to other apps. This facilitated better collaboration and document management as users could access and edit documents from different apps within a centralized location.

6. Action Extensions:

   • Action Extensions enabled users to perform actions on content directly from within other apps. Developers implemented action extensions to allow users to translate text, perform currency conversions, or access app-specific functionalities without switching between apps.

7. Custom Sharing Options:

   • Apps started offering custom sharing options in the share sheet, allowing users to share content to specific destinations or services provided by the app.

8. Today Extensions for Health and Fitness Apps:

   • Health and fitness apps utilized Today Extensions to display summary information, progress, or quick actions related to users' health and fitness goals directly in the Today view.

9. Web Browsing Extensions:

   • Developers integrated web browsing extensions into apps, enabling users to view web content within the app without launching Safari. This was particularly useful for apps that needed to display web-based content without switching contexts.

10. Custom Actions in Safari:

    • Safari extensions allowed developers to create custom actions for Safari. This enabled users to perform specific tasks or access app features directly from the Safari browser.

These are just a few examples of the innovative ways iOS developers leveraged App Extensions in iOS 8. The introduction of App Extensions significantly expanded the capabilities of iOS apps and provided users with a more interconnected and streamlined experience across the iOS ecosystem.