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iOS 15: New features, compatibility, release date

235 'iOS 15' stories November 2020 - October 2021
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iOS 15 guide

Apple has officially taken the wraps off iOS 15, the next version of its operating system for iPhone users. The company says it designed iOS 15 with four different things in mind. The update was presented by Apple VP Craig Federighi. Here’s what’s new.

Table of contents

FaceTime updates:

iOS 15 includes a handful of new features for FaceTime, including new features to help it compete with services like Zoom.

  • Spatial Audio support
  • Grid view for videos
  • Portrait mode for videos
  • FaceTime links
  • Join FaceTime calls from the web on Android and Windows
  • SharePlay for sharing content during FaceTime, including screen sharing, music, and more

SharePlay can work with third-party apps and streaming services using an API available to developers. Apple is already working with Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, TikTok, NBA, Twitch, and more.

Messages

Apple has also announced new features for Messages, including new ways to easily access content that people send you. Shared Stacks will bring over content from Messages to the News app and Photos app.

Notifications

  • Notification summary can be delivered anytime you choose.
  • When you enable Do Not Disturb, your status will be shown to other people via the Messages app
  • Notification design has been revamped with larger icons for improved glanceability
  • You can set different “Focus” statuses that change your Home Screen, notification preferences, and more.

Photos

  • The Photos app now includes a new OCR feature for recognizing text. Apple says the feature uses AI to detect text images automatically.
  • Photos also now appear in Spotlight search.
  • New interactive memories feature.

Wallet

  • Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey is here to talk us through new features in the Wallet app.
  • iOS 15 includes new keys for your home and work in the Wallet app, as well as automatic hotel keys, Hyatt to roll out Apple Wallet support to hotels later this year.
  • Identify cards are coming to Apple Wallet later this year, encrypted and safely stored in the Secure Enclave.

Weather

  • The Weather app has been redesigned with a ton of new data.
  • Layout design of the Weather app changes based on the weather in your current location.

Maps

  • New Apple Maps interface coming to Spain and Portugal today and to Australia and Italy later this year.
  • A variety of design updates for Apple Maps to bring a ton more details for cities in commercial districts, buildings, and more.
  • New Nearby Transit features for Apple Maps as well, notifications for when to disembark.

Devices compatible with iOS 15

Here’s the full list with every iPhone and iPod touch model supported by iOS 15:

  • iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
  • iPhone SE (1st gen)
  • iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
  • iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone XS and XS Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone SE (2nd gen)
  • iPod touch (7th gen)

Hands-on with iOS 15

Release date

iOS 15 is available now to developers and public beta users. It will be released to the general public in the fall.

Apple seeds iOS 15.1 beta 4 to developers ahead of public release

Avatar for Chance Miller Oct 13 2021 - 10:12 am PT
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iOS 15

Update: iOS 15.1 beta 4 is now available to public beta testers as well.

The iOS 15.1 beta process continues today as Apple is now rolling out iOS 15.1 beta 4 to developers. This comes one week after the last update, which added ProRes support and a new Auto Macro toggle for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max users.

With Apple having scheduled a special event for next week on October 18, we could be just days away from the official public release of iOS 15.1…

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iOS 15.1 brings back option to disable Apple TV and Apple Watch Keyboard notifications

Avatar for Chance Miller Oct 11 2021 - 8:03 am PT
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When iOS 15 was released to the public last month, a common complaint quickly emerged about notifications. In previous versions of iOS, Apple offered a dedicated way to disable Apple Watch Keyboard and Apple TV Keyboard notifications on your iPhone, but this option was removed in iOS 15 without reason.

iOS 15.1 is currently in beta testing with developers and public beta users, and as it turns out, this update restores the ability to disable Apple TV and Apple Watch Keyboard notifications…

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Apple says Safari Bookmarks are now end-to-end encrypted [U]

Avatar for Staff Writer Oct 5 2021 - 5:06 am PT
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How to change iOS 15 Safari address/search bar on iPhone

Update 10/05: After the press started reporting that Safari Bookmarks were end-to-end encrypted, Apple updated its iCloud security overview page once again saying Bookmarks are currently “in transit & or server.”

It has been almost a month since iOS 15 was released, and there are still things we are discovering about the system. For example, recently, 9to5Mac covered that you can review Apple’s own apps. Now, it appears that Safari Bookmarks are finally end-to-end encrypted.

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Some iPhone 13 and iOS 15 users affected by touch screen responsiveness bugs

Avatar for Chance Miller Sep 29 2021 - 9:08 am PT
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Apple released iOS 15 and the iPhone 13 to the public last week, and a handful of early bugs have emerged since then. Now, users of the iPhone 13 are taking to Reddit and Twitter to report touch screen responsiveness issues on their new devices. Interestingly, however, the problem also seems to extend back to older iPhones with iOS 15 as well.

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