Apple today announced iOS 15 at its 32nd Worldwide Developer Conference, the next-gen iOS experience that includes major updates to FaceTime...
Apple today announced iOS 15 at its 32nd Worldwide Developer Conference, the next-gen iOS experience that includes major updates to FaceTime, new Focus features to reduce distraction, enhanced on-device intelligence to discover information, as well as a set of welcome changes to the Maps, Weather, and Wallet.
“For many customers, iPhone has become indispensable, and this year we’ve created even more ways it can enhance our daily lives,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “iOS 15 helps users stay connected while sharing experiences in real time, gives them new tools to help reduce distraction and find focus, uses intelligence to enhance the photos experience, and, with huge upgrades to Maps, brings new ways to explore the world. We can’t wait for customers to experience it.”
FaceTime
- Portrait mode is now available for FaceTime
- When using Group FaceTime, a new grid view will appear
- The New SharePlay feature allows you and your friends to listen to songs together with Apple Music, watching a TV show or movie in sync, or sharing their screen to view apps together
- FaceTime calls also extend beyond Apple devices with the ability to create a link from iPhone, iPad, or Mac, so anyone can join a FaceTime call from their web browser on Android and Windows devices
Focus
- A new feature that filters notifications and apps based on what a user wants to focus on
- Focus suggestions are based on users’ context, like during their work hours
- When a user’s Focus is blocking incoming notifications, their status is automatically displayed to others in Messages
Notifications
- Added contact photos for people and larger icons for apps that make them even easier to identify
- There is a new notification summary that collects non-time-critical notifications for delivery at a more opportune time, for example, in the morning
- With on-device intelligence, notifications are arranged by priority, so the most relevant notifications rising to the top
On-Device Intelligence
- Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in a photo and allow users to take action
- Using Live Text, Spotlight can find text and handwriting in photos
- Spotlight now offers web image search and all-new rich results for actors, musicians, and movies
- Photos app's Memories tab, has a fresh new look, an interactive interface, and Apple Music integration
Safari
- A new design that makes controls easier to reach with one hand and puts content front and center
- The new tab bar now floats at the bottom of the screen, so users can easily swipe between tabs
- Tab Groups allow users to save tabs and easily access them at any time across Apple devices
- Additional new features include a customizable start page and web extensions on iOS
Apple Maps
- Users will experience significantly enhanced details in cities for neighborhoods, commercial districts, elevation, and buildings, new road colors and labels, custom-designed landmarks, and a new night-time mode with a moonlit glow
- When navigating, Maps features a 3D city-driving experience with new road details that help users better see and understand important details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks
- Maps will generate a highly accurate position to deliver detailed walking directions in augmented reality.
Other than all these major new features, iOS 15 will also let you add home keys and State IDs/Driver's Licenses to Apple Wallet. Weather includes more graphical displays of weather data, full-screen maps, and dynamic layouts that change based on conditions. Notes add user-created tags that make it easy to quickly categorize notes.
Here are the additional features on iOS 15
- Siri adds Announce Notifications on AirPods, the ability for users to share what’s on their screen just by asking, and more
- iCloud+, a service for iCloud users with new premium features, including Hide My Email, expanded HomeKit Secure Video support, and an innovative new internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay
- The Health app gets a new sharing tab that lets users share their health data with family, caregivers, or a care team, Trends offers users insight on meaningful changes in personal health metrics, and Walking Steadiness is a new metric that empowers people to proactively manage their fall risk
- HomeKit accessory makers can now enable “Hey Siri” in their products
- Find My introduces new capabilities to help locate a device that has been turned off or erased
- Translate adds a new Live Translate feature, and Systemwide translation allows users to translate text anywhere on iPhone
iOS 15 developer beta is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available to iOS users next month at beta.apple.com. This fall, iOS 15 will be available for users with iPhone 6s and later for free.
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