When Apple unveiled iOS 7 to the world, we got to see the redesigned user interface for the first time. Apple also showed off some of the key features of iOS 7, but told us there wasn't enough time to demo every new feature of the new operating system. A feature the company didn't show off was a hidden settings option that allows for new gestures, programmable gestures, animations, nested folders, and more.
An iOS 7 developer named Hazma Sood uncovered the hidden settings option and created a video and posted screenshots showing what he found. The hidden settings aren't easily available in the iOS 7 beta and required some tweaking to uncover them.
From the video and screenshots we can see that Apple is testing more features than it had previously let on. There are new gestures that have been uncovered; there is a system-wide edge-swipe and corner-swipe that could be used with the edge-swipe Apple is using in Safari, Messages, and a few other pre-installed apps. The settings indicate that Apple is testing these gestures to be used with quick-app switching, instead of pressing the Home button twice; users would be able to bring up multitasking via a gesture.
Another setting allows users to create nested folders; a user could create folders inside of a folder on the home screen. There is also a pinch to close setting inside the Folders setting, allowing a user to use a gesture to close folders. There are also settings to allow changing the appearance of iOS 7, such as adding blur effects, changing colors, animation speeds, parallax, dock, and the ability to hide default Apple apps.
While these settings were uncovered in the beta, it is highly unlikely that Apple will enable access to these settings when it releases iOS 7 in the fall. The hidden settings appear to be intended for Apple's use only, since developers don't even have access to these settings without tinkering with the beta.
When Apple holds its event to announce the rumored iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone, the company will also likely show off all of the features of iOS 7 it didn't have time to show off when it unveiled the new mobile OS. Hopefully some of these features found in the hidden settings option will also be included. Check out the video below to see these settings in action.
