My brother Steve reminded me of an article about some of the fantastic upgrades on the iOS 8 operating system that is slated to come out in the Fall. Personally, I think some of these improvements are very senior friendly. You’ll see what I mean.

The iOS 8 is going to feature a microphone button in the (message) text window so you can record a short audio or video message and send it without leaving the app. I know that I will use this new feature all the time because of its simplicity. No more three or four steps to get this done. I love sharing on-the-spot news, so I can’t wait to try this out. Apple didn’t reveal the size of the audio and/or video message allowed, but I’ll be happy with whatever it is. Sometimes shorter is better.

Another feature that will be available on the iOS 8 is photo and video messages that will disappear after a few seconds. You may not remember but I wrote about an app called Snapchat that the young folks use to send photos and videos that are only available for a few seconds. Not sure what everyone is sharing and then wants wiped out. Hmmm.

Teens and young adults like to exchange private messages and then want them erased. Now older IPhone users will have the same advantage. The big plus, in my estimation, is that all of my messages will not take up so much space, I am really lazy about cleaning them out. Yes, you can choose to keep whatever you want.

You are going to love the next feature being debuted. Apple is going to give you the ability to opt out of a group text message that goes back and forth. No more constant beeping. The new feature will also let you rejoin the conversation at a later time. How cool is that?

Click here to read a CNN story that has more details about the new features of the upgraded iOS 8.