As expected, Apple introduced iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 at WWDC 2021. You can find out what features the new updates bring below.
As with Apple's developer conference As is tradition, the company used its WWDC 2021 keynote to unveil its next generation operating system. iOS 15 is scheduled to launch this fall, alongside new hardware like the iPhone 13, and will bring a host of new features and other improvements. As expected from a milestone release, the changes are far-reaching, encompassing everything from the home screen to the apps within the mobile operating system. Apple continues its push to protect user privacy and security in the latest version.
Apple redesigns FaceTime
The first set of changes unveiled at WWDC relate to FaceTime, Apple's video calling app that has become extremely important over the past year. The addition of Spatial Audio support to FaceTime will make it easier to determine who is speaking in a group call by making the sound appear to be coming from the portrait of the person who is speaking. Improvements to voice isolation will help block out background noise while a wide-spectrum audio mode will also be available. Grid view will help reorganize the call and make it easier to see everyone on a call at once.
FaceTime: SharePlay and screen sharing are coming
A big feature for FaceTime is cross-platform calling, where a FaceTime link can be created and shared with others. This link can be used on Android devices and Windows desktops, expanding the service for the first time in its history - crazy, right? SharePlay allows users to share media within a FaceTime call, including shows, movies and music from different providers. Apple Music support is also included, complete with synchronization of playback across multiple users. A screen sharing option is also available.
iMessage
Continuing the theme of communication, iMessage users benefit from new options for collaging and stacking photos for sharing, providing more ways to visually display shared images with others. When sharing content such as Apple News articles or playlists, they now appear as an embed within Messages rather than a link. A new "Shared with You" section in Apple Music, Safari, Podcasts, Photos, Apple News, and the Apple TV app aggregates shared content for later listening or viewing.
iOS 15 helps users focus
To help users stay focused while completing other tasks, Apple is adding a number of features to minimize distractions. Notifications are getting a facelift and now have a notification summary. Instead of a stack of notifications, the user can see a single large summary notification at any time, consolidating all the important items into one message. If the user has Do Not Disturb mode enabled on their device, the status will be displayed in Notifications with a note indicating that the user has "muted notifications with Focus." Under Focus, modes can be set up for different situations, which can also be activated or offered depending on where the user is. For example, a configured fitness mode could be suggested when the user shows up at their gym.
Live Text
Live Text is automatic optical character recognition in the Camera app designed to make it easier to deal with large amounts of written information. Users can point the camera at text on a board, sign, or page, and Live Text makes it selectable and can be copied and pasted elsewhere. It lets you scan photos from virtually anywhere in the operating system, including previously captured photos and web images. It also offers support for seven languages and can recognize objects and scenes.
Spotlight search
Spotlight has been updated with the ability to search for photos within the user's library. Searching for contacts has also been improved, complete with an indication of whether they have DND mode enabled. A wealth of new cards have been integrated, displaying information about actors, movies, and other content types.
New AirPod features
Apple AirPods headphones are getting new features as part of iOS 15. Users can amplify other people's sound when they're in a crowded environment. There are also improvements to Find My integration to make it easier to find lost buds. AirPods now get a precise search interface in the Find My app, and other iPhone users can now help find your lost AirPods via the Find My network. Spatial audio functionality is also making its way to Apple TV and Mac, after originally being an iOS-exclusive feature.
iOS 15 improves Apple Wallet
Apple is significantly expanding the types of cards and documents that can be added to Wallet, including IDs and driver's licenses in certain states and more types of keys. The Cupertino tech giant also unveiled an update to Wallet. The biggest addition is the ability to add information from an ID card in certain supported U.S. states to Wallet on iPhone. Apple says it is working with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to support digital identities at airports. All information in Wallet is stored securely and encrypted.
keys for hotel rooms and more
Like a Real ID, Wallet will include a person's legal name, ancestry data, a photo, and Real ID status. In addition to supporting IDs, Apple is also expanding the types of keys that can be added to Wallet. These include keys for a smart lock at home, hotel room keys, and work IDs that can be scanned to gain access to a workplace. Hyatt, for example, will roll out its support for digital keys in Wallet to more than 1,000 properties later in 2021.
Apple Maps
Apple has said that an expansion of the more detailed Apple Maps app is rolling out to Spain and Portugal today, followed by Italy and Australia by the end of the year. The redesigned Maps app offers richer landscape details, including roads, parking lots, parks, buildings, airports, and more. Apple uses its own vehicles equipped with LiDAR sensors and cameras to obtain map data. Apple has been working on the launch of the new Maps app in the US for over a year, which was completed in January 2020 with the expansion to the Southeast and Central US.
Weather app
The Weather app's new interface includes redesigned layouts that change based on real-time conditions. There are new graphics designed to make it easier to understand conditions like wind, UV, and barometric pressure. There are also thousands of variations of backgrounds reflecting sun positions, clouds, weather, and more.
iPadOS 15
In addition to introducing iOS 15, Apple used its 2021 WWDC keynote to unveil iPadOS 15, complete with the new ability to apply widgets to the home screen and more. As expected from a WWDC keynote, Apple unveiled the upcoming changes to its iPadOS operating system. While it includes many of the feature changes from iOS, it also has some changes that are aimed only at tablet users. The changes range from support for new widgets on the home screen to major improvements in how apps handle multi-tasking.
widgets
After debuting on the iPhone with iOS 14, Apple now allows widgets to be placed freely on the iPad's home screen. This includes a new extra-large widget size that takes advantage of the iPad's larger display. Apple also brings some new widgets, including ones for Find My, Contacts and GameCenter.
multitasking
Multitasking has also been redesigned. Many of the previous gestures have been replaced by a less intimidating multitasking menu that allows users to choose between full-screen and split-screen interfaces. Also new to multitasking is what Apple has dubbed "the shelf." The shelf displays all open windows for each app. Other changes include the ability to create split-screen views directly from the multitasking interface, as well as entirely new keyboard shortcuts. Apple also highlighted changes to notes in its Keynote presentation. Shared notes support tagging other users, as well as an activity feed to track changes between uses. Tags can be used to make your notes easier to sort and find.
Quick Note and more
Quick Note is available system-wide by swiping up from the bottom right corner. You can type or write with Apple Pencil. Quick Notes is also context-aware. For example, if you create a Quick Note in Safari, it will include a link to the webpage you are currently visiting. With iPadOS 15, Apple is bringing the Translate app to the iPad. It supports split-screen and a new feature called Auto Translate, which detects when you are speaking and in which language. It then translates instantly in real time to facilitate multicultural communication. Users can also translate anything in the OS by highlighting it and tapping "Translate." A major update to Switch Playgrounds lets users build apps entirely on their iPad. While it doesn't have the full feature set of Xcode, it's a first step in mobile app development.
Swift Playgrounds
So, Swift Playgrounds for iPadOS 15 will let users code apps and submit them to the App Store. While it's not quite the full-fledged Xcode on the iPad that some developers have been asking for, Apple announced on Monday that Swift Playgrounds will be greatly improved in iPadOS 15, teaching users how to create iPad apps and even submit them to the App Store. The improvements to Swift Playgrounds are a big change, as for the first time, developers will be able to create and submit iPad apps entirely from an iPad without the need for a Mac. Apple's Swift Playgrounds originally debuted on the Mac in 2014 and was ported to the iPad in 2016. The goal of the app is to help users learn Swift, Apple's compiled general-purpose programming language. (Image: Apple)
