![ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE iOS 15](https://dreamworksdirect.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ios-mac.png)
Apple in June 2021 introduced the latest version of its iOS operating system, iOS 15, which is set to be released in the fall. The iOS 15 introduces tons of new features for FaceTime calls, tools to reduce distractions, a new notifications experience, added privacy features, complete redesigns for Safari, Weather, and Maps, and more.
But should you update from iOS 14 to 15?
Here’s what to know.
Which iPhones can run on iOS 15?
- iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE (2016)
- iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS & iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 12 & iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro & iPhone 12 Pro Max
What has changed from the iOS 14?
The bulk of the improvements in iOS 15 come in the updates to many of Apple’s own apps. There are also some new features that work across multiple apps, such as Shared With You and Focus, which should make life much easier when the new version arrives later this year. For now, here’s what you can look forward to.
Focus Mode
Focus is a brand new feature that encourages you to reduce distraction. With Focus, Users can filter notifications and apps based on what a user wishes to focus on at a certain time. The iOS will suggest a Focus for different occasions, such as work hours or winding down for bed, using on-device intelligence, but users can also create a custom Focus. When a Focus is set on one Apple device, it automatically applies to other Apple devices.
Notifications
Another notable change is Notifications. First up, there are now contact photos for people that send you messages, and app icons have been enlarged so you can easily tell at a glance where the notification is coming from.
To help reduce distraction, a new notification summary collects non-time-critical notifications for delivery at a more opportune time, such as in the morning and evening. Using on-device intelligence, notifications are arranged by priority, with the most relevant notifications rising to the top, and based on a user’s interactions with apps.
Live Text
Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in a photo and allow users to take action. For example, users can search for and locate the picture of a handwritten family recipe, or capture a phone number from a storefront with the option to place a call. With the power of the Apple Neural Engine, the Camera app can also quickly recognize and copy text in the moment, such as the Wi-Fi password displayed at a local coffee shop.
Photos
Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in a photo and allow users to take action. For example, users can search for and locate the picture of a handwritten family recipe, or capture a phone number from a storefront with the option to place a call. With the power of the Apple Neural Engine, the Camera app can also quickly recognize and copy text in the moment, such as the Wi-Fi password displayed at a local coffee shop.
Messages
Another area of improvement over iOS 14 is in Messages. The new Shared With You feature means that when people send you links to music, articles on the web, podcasts or photos from a trip you’ve taken together, these will automatically be stored in the new Shared With You section that appears in Apple Music, Podcasts, Photos, Safari and Apple News, depending on which is the most relevant.
This means you won’t have to go looking though old message threads to find that track that your mate said you should listen to. Instead, open Apple Music, look in the Shared With You folder, and the track will be there, accompanied with a note indicating who sent it to you.
As part of iOS’s new Focus mode, you can also turn on a Do Not Disturb setting for Messages that shows anyone writing to you that you are not available at that time.
Maps
Maps on iOS 15 has introduced a whole new way of looking at the world with more detailed renderings of road layouts, replete with colors for buildings and lane markings. With iOS 15, users can simply hold up iPhone, and Maps generates a highly accurate position to deliver detailed walking directions in augmented reality. There’s also a feature where you scan the buildings in an area if you’re lost, and Maps will tell you where you are and guide you to your destination.
Other new features:
The iOS 15 includes other upgrades like upgraded weather maps, support for identity cards in Wallet, upgrades to privacy, including Siri now working locally rather than on Apple’s servers, with the new iCloud+ service providing secure chat, disposable emails address that forward to your main account so you don’t have to sign up to things online and be forever fending off spam, tags for the Notes app that make it easy to find and group notes together, plus more powerful Find My tools and upgrades to Translate.
You can have a look at the comprehensive list of features here: Apple iOS 15 Update