For a few months now, Apple have been beta testing iOS 15, but now the full update has been released! Apple have introduced a variety of different features into the new update ranging from camera features through to new privacy updates.
iOS 15 is available to more iPhone models than previously expected. Models ranging from the iPhone 6s and original iPhone SE through to recently released iPhone 13 are all able to upgrade to the newest iOS. The older models are now the longest-supported iPhones ever.
So, what's included in the latest update? Let's take a look.
There are a huge amount of different features introduced by Apple. Here are a few of the most exciting and important ones to look out for when you update your iPhone!
Many of us often get in the habit of letting notifications build up and ignore them on a day-to-day basis. With iOS 15, Apple have introduced a new Notification Summary which will clean up your lock screen. Many of you may be thinking "What if I miss an important notification?" - thankfully Apple have already thought about that and have incorporated in-device intelligence into this feature to determine what apps you interact with most and prioritise these notifications so you won't miss anything important at all.
The new Focus feature also enhances the Notification Summary even further. You can choose from among the preset Focus modes — Work, Personal, Sleep, and Do Not Disturb — or create up to 10 Focuses, so iOS 15 can prioritize notifications based on your circumstance. Focus modes can even be set to a location, and once you set your status, it automatically transfers across all your Apple devices.
There are new notification settings and new widgets for the home screen that let you see the notifications in your Focus mode. Throughout the notification system in iOS 15, icons for apps are larger and text is clearer, making it easy to catch up with everything at a glance.
iOS 15 comes with new camera features that are bound to make Apple user's lives easier. Your iPhone will now be able to text scan which unlocks text-based information from photos, including screenshots. When you take a photo, the new software update will allow your phone to recognise text within that photo and make it available to copy and paste into messages or an email. You will also be able to transfer the text into your web browser to search online. It will also recognise phone numbers within photos and allow you to call them directly from the photo.
As well as a general expansion in Maps coverage, iOS 15 will also introduce augmented reality (AR) view for some cities before the end of the year (available only to iPhones with the A12 Bionic chip or newer). Cities with AR will support walking directions, allowing people to scan their surroundings using the Camera app. From this, Maps will determine your location, and then produce walking directions on the camera app to allow you to see a real-life view of where you need to head based on your current surroundings.
The new Maps will have an interactive globe overview. There are lots of new details, including custom-designed landmark icons, distances, elevation, and a night mode with a moonlight look.
Driving directions have been updated in iOS 15 with more granular details on the map, including bus lanes, crosswalks, bike lanes, and better guidance for complex junctions and turning lanes.
Apple have now integrated Apple Music into your Photo Memories, where iOS 15 will allow you to build more exciting personal collages of photos and videos based on different activities and locations. With iOS 15, your Memories will collate short collages with Apple Music tracks selected from your most popular songs and genres that are most appropriate to the setting of your photos and videos. Images will be all timed to the beat.
You can choose to edit these and adjust songs and timing of different images and videos if you want to. Memories will help to suggest alternatives and create the most personalised and desired collage for you.
With iOS 15, you will soon be able to FaceTime with people who have Windows or Android phones! This is a huge update that many people will benefit from, especially in the current world where connecting with people is becoming more and more virtual.
You will also be able to schedule FaceTime calls in advance (which can sync with your Calendar app), or invite people to FaceTime calls instantly with a link that they can open in Edge or Chrome. Once all your friends are in the call, you can use the new Grid view to see them all at the same time.
As would be expected, Apple are continuing to step up their privacy controls in order to continue to keep their users safe while using their iOS software. One of the major updates that comes with iOS 15 is Mail Privacy Protection. This prevents senders from learning whether or not you’ve opened their emails.
Another feature introduced is that and traffic leaving your device via the Safari or Mail app will automatically remove most personal information. This is information such as your IP address and location, removing any chance for someone to build a profile around that information.
In a further update coming under iOS 15, Apple plans to introduce an App Privacy Report. This report will give you an overview of how apps use the information they’ve been granted access to (like camera, microphone, and location), and which other domains they are sharing and connecting with. This is a huge step that many people will be looking forward to accessing in order to control their privacy better.
Although the new operating system has gone through months of beta testing, there still seem to be a few bugs floating around after the first full release of iOS 15. Because of this, there is no urgency to update your iPhone. However, as iOS 15 was released on September 20, all bug fixes should be available by the end of September.
We recommend updating your phone once this update has become available in order to ensure your phone is running at its full potential!
If you have any questions about the latest iOS, feel free to get in touch with our team here at DeXTech. We would love to try and help you out!
Here at DeXTech, we are here to help you with your technology requirements. We stock a wide range of Apple products, from the iPhone 4s all the way through to the iPhone XS, plus the iPad range. Along with this, we carry a huge range of Android smartphones and tablets, including Samsung, Pixel and LG. With these devices on hand we are able to offer technical support every step of the way from assisting to get your device setup to dealing with issues such as network issues or software troubleshooting. We have a helpful team who can lend a hand via our tech support email address: support@dextech.co.nz. Do not hesitate to reach out!