Paul Morris·

iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 Features, Release Date Announced, Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Apple iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 features, release date information and more details have been announced. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s latest mobile firmware for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

As per expectations, Cupertino-based Apple Inc. has used this year’s virtual WWDC event to give an initial glimpse and insight into the next generation of firmware that will power iPhone and iPad hardware.

Behind the scenes, the company and its internal engineers have been beavering away getting iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 into a position whereby it can be shared with the enthusiastic development community.

As expected, Apple has used the huge WWDC platform to make this firmware announcement, which, in turn, has given us our first official glimpse into what’s coming over the next few months. Let’s take a look at what was announced.

iOS 15 Features:

FaceTime Improvements

FaceTime video calls now support spatial audio, along with a new Grid View for a better video conferencing experience.

A new portrait mode now keeps the subject in focus by blurring the background during a call.

Not only can you now create and share a FaceTime link to join a conference, Apple’s added a new feature to it as well, called SharePlay. This new feature lets you share Apple Music, movies, and even brings screen sharing to FaceTime which works across all Apple platforms.

When watching a video, a video thumbnail of the FaceTime contact will continue showing on your phone.

Shared With You

Links to Photos, Apple Music, Safari URLs, Podcasts and even Apple TV content can now be found in the ‘For You’ section.

Revamped Notifications

To start off you will notice bigger icons in Notifications. All present is a new Notification summary feature, which is basically an easy-to-read summary that will be presented to you at a time of your choosing.

Focus

Think of this as a profile manager for your iPhone. You can set it up for work, personal, home etc. iOS 15 will use AI to learn and adapt to how you use your phone through the day and prioritize certain notifications and even reorganize your Home screen.

Live Text

OCR right in the camera app! Not just that, OCR now works across any picture on your phone, from the web, or Camera Roll, and using the deep neural network, can detect scenes, objects etc, kind of like Google.

Spotlight improvements

A universal search in Spotlight will also pull up photos from the Photos app.

You also get new cards for movies, actors etc.

Wallet improvements

While we have support for BMW digital keys coming up with UWB keys to wallet later this year, support for home keys as well as hotel keys is also coming up.

Digital ID is also going to be arriving and will be fully supported by the TSA.

Updated Weather app

The existing Weather app has gotten a major overhaul, with more current conditions and new full-screen maps showing precipitation, air quality, and more.

Apple Maps

The new app now includes much more detail than before. Commercial districts and building are now more detailed with elevation, road colors are distinct, and all of this is applicable in the Driving Mode as well in 3D.

This is something that will come in very handy when your route has interchanges and overpasses etc.

Maps also supports AR directions now if you’re out and about walking in the streets of a supported region.

AirPods and Find My

The Find My app has improved support for the AirPods lineup, including a proximity view, as well as a seperation alert.

Dolby Atmos for Apple Music

Apple Music now supports Dolby Atmos, as had been rumored for a while now.

iPadOS 15 Features

Widgets

The iPads widgets can now finally be placed ‘anywhere’. Hallelujah! The widget gallery is expansive and features a new ‘Find My’ widget as well.

App Library

Like the long-awaited ability to place widgets anywhere, the App Library has also managed to crawl onto the iPad, and can be accessed from the dock.

Improved Multitasking

Any opened window now uses a contextual menu on the top that can be accessed to interact with different windowing options.

Now when you slide over a window, a new Home screen automatically shows up under it to help you pick the second app and proceed.

And all these new window options are also supported by keyboard shortcuts now.

Auto Translate

This brilliant feature will listen to the audio, detect the language and then translate it then and there, without the need to tap a button. In addition to this, there’s also support for text translation on a system-wide level.

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