iOS 15 is the major iPhone update of 2021. The new software can be downloaded this fall and brings all kinds of new functions to your iPhone. Can you update soon? And what’s new? You can read it on this iOS 15 overview page.
iOS 15 Preview
iOS 15 is an evolution, not a revolution. The 2021 iPhone update mainly puts dots on the i and does not introduce groundbreaking new functions, but improves existing possibilities.
The iOS 15 preview does a lot of good in the area of healthy handling of your phone via the Focus mode and better notifications. Your privacy will also improve and important Apple apps have been given a fresh look.
Release Date: When will iOS 15 be released?
iOS 15 will be available for everyone to download from this fall. Apple releases the new iPhone update simultaneously with their latest devices. The iPhone 13 will be in September (maybe October) and from then on you can also download iOS 15.
- iOS 15 unveiling: June 7 at the WWDC keynote
- First iOS 15 beta: June for developers, July for public testers
- iOS 15 Final Release: September 2021
Do you want to be the first to get started with the new functions? The public test version of iOS 15 will roll out in July 2021. This version may contain bugs and teething problems, so don’t install this software on an iPhone that you use every day. App developers can download iOS 15 as early as June 8.
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Which iPhones can Download iOS 15?
Apple is known for the long-term software support of its devices. Usually, iPhones get updates for about five years. With iOS 15, Apple stretches this ‘promise’ further, because you can even install the new update on the iPhone 6S (Plus) from 2015.
The support for iOS 15 is therefore excellent. The update is available for all devices that support iOS 14.
iOS 15 Features
The 2021 iPhone update builds on the foundation of its predecessor. The successor to iOS 14 is therefore not a revolution, but an evolution.
Apple is adding many small functions with iOS 15, which is why we mainly discuss the most important innovations in this overview.
FaceTime is Getting Much Better
2020 was the year when ‘Zooming’ became a verb. Due to the consequences of the coronavirus, the world was forced to make a lot of video calls and the popularity of services such as Google Meet and Zoom has not gone unnoticed by Apple.
With iOS 15, people are therefore fully committed to FaceTime, the free video calling app that can be found on all Apple devices.
Among other things, the quality of video calls is being improved. For example, a smart technique that makes use of artificial intelligence suppresses background noise. This way you can understand your conversation partner(s) better.
Also nice: FaceTime now has a portrait mode. This focuses on your face during video calls, so that you look smoother. You can also enjoy Spatial Audio from now on. If someone is sitting on the left side of your screen during video calls, the sound seems to come from there too.
Coming to Android
FaceTime is also spreading its wings. The video calling app also works from iOS 15 on Android devices and via the browser.
This is, for example, nice for groups of friends where both Apple and Android phones are used. You can now ‘just’ video call each other. Back in the day, FaceTime was exclusively reserved for Apple.
Another new FaceTime feature is SharePlay. This allows you to share all kinds of media with others during video calling. Think of music or a movie, but you can also share the iPhone screen, for example.
Extra cool is that SharePlay synchronizes what you play. So when you watch a movie together, no one is ahead or behind: everyone sees exactly the same thing.
Messaging App is Coming of Age
The Messages app also gets the necessary attention with iOS 15. Above all, the standard texting app is getting a lot smarter. From now on, he will be able to recognize interesting ‘content’, for example, and to add this music, films or animations to the relevant apps.
For example, do you get a photo forwarded from a friend? Then the Messages app can automatically place this snapshot in the Photos app of your iPhone. The same goes for fun videos or music.
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iPhone Helps Focus
Do you ever get mad about all the notifications that come in on your iPhone? You’re not the only one. Apple has come up with something for this: Focus. This function will bundle notifications based on the time they arrive and the subject.
For example, promotional e-mails are grouped together, as are news items on a particular topic. Messages from friends and loved ones are not bundled, because you probably want to know immediately what they have to tell you.
So iOS 15 puts more emphasis on what really matters. Speaking of which, the new iPhone update extends Do Not Disturb mode. From now on, this option takes your work schedule into account, for example.
For example, you can create a special schedule for when you are at work. Colleagues can then reach you, for example, but other numbers cannot. It also works the other way. So you can create a special iPhone schedule for when you are at home. In this scenario, your partner can reach you effortlessly, but your colleagues cannot.
iPhone Camera Can Read Text
Smart, smarter, smartest. iOS 15 makes your iPhone’s Camera app a lot more intelligent. Apple probably took a good look at Google Lens here, as a lot of features from this rival app are coming to the iPhone.
For example, you will soon be able to automatically copy written text by simply pointing your iPhone at the notes, blackboard or spreadsheet. And see a cute dog walk by, but don’t know the breed? With iOS 15, you can simply point your iPhone camera at the furry four-legged friend and Siri will immediately tell you what breed it is.
AirPods are Becoming More Inclusive
AirPods is known as an inclusive company and therefore regularly rolls out features that make people’s lives easier. For example, iOS 15 adds useful features for AirPods wearers.
Apple’s wireless will include a special audio mode for people with mild hearing problems. This mode automatically filters out background noise, emphasizing what the other person is saying to you.
And have you, unfortunately, lost the AirPods? No problem! iOS 15 makes the Find My app on your iPhone much more precise. Lost AirPods can be found up to a few meters away.
iOS 15 Improves Privacy
Apple has made privacy part of its revenue model. For example, since iOS 14.5, trackers are blocked automatically. The advertising industry is not happy about this – because it makes less money – but Apple is actually benefiting from it.
So it’s only logical that iOS 15 continues this privacy-conscious course. iCloud Plus is a particularly good example of this.
This new subscription replaces the ‘regular’ iCloud and hides, for example, your IP address when you surf via Safari. As a result, websites (and advertisers) cannot see your real IP address – which is comparable to the home address of your internet connection – but are presented with a ‘fake’.
A VPN From Apple
Also new in iCloud Plus: Private Relay. Apple itself does not call this service a VPN, but it is one. The Private Relay redirects your internet traffic and secures your data with encryption. As a result, even Apple cannot control which websites you visit. Your privacy is therefore paramount.
It’s also great that Safari blocks pixels from iOS 15 by default. Advertisers put these codes in apps, websites and apps (for example in an image) to track you across the internet. By keeping an eye on your digital footprints, they can serve you very personal (and therefore lucrative) advertisements. iCloud Plus puts a stop to this.
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Safari Gets Extensions
Apple regularly uses iOS updates to refresh its own apps. This time it’s not just Messages and FaceTime’s turn, but Safari as well. Apple’s own browser gets support for Extensions.
You may already be using these Extensions on the Mac version of Safari. The extensions bring important functions of separate apps to your browser.
For example, Grammarly’s extension checks your spelling, and a password manager’s extension lets you automatically fill in credentials for apps and websites. As of iOS 15, you can also use Extensions on the iPhone version of Safari.
Siri Gets Smarter
Apple’s own smart helper should of course not be missing. Siri is therefore getting smarter in iOS 15. This is not very surprising, because this is the case with every iPhone update.
Much more surprising is that Siri will soon also work on devices that are not made by Apple. This allows you to put appointments in your iPhone calendar, for example, by talking to a speaker that is not from Apple.
Between the lines, this means that Apple is attacking Google. That company has brought its own voice assistant, the Google Assistant, to countless smart home devices in recent years.
CarPlay in iOS 15
The new iPhone update adds all kinds of functions to CarPlay, Apple’s platform for on the go. Siri can read messages aloud, for example. The ‘digital butler’ first tells you who has sent you a message, and then reads the content aloud.
The Maps app also looks a lot better from now on. The navigation app is great when you go on holiday, for example in America. Apple has added 3D animations to the Maps app in a few cities. For example, you get to see a neat animation of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
iPhone Replaces Your Driver’s License
We close this overview with iOS 15 functions with a nice but for us little useful addition. With the latest iPhone update, American drivers can add their driver’s license to the Wallet app.
That’s great because this way your driver’s license is just on your phone. In theory, you can therefore omit the physical driver’s license. The technique works the same as adding a payment card via Apple Pay to the Wallet app of your iPhone.
Major hotel chains such as Hyatt are also partnering with Apple to support the Wallet app. So you can check in to your hotel room via your iPhone, and no physical key (or card) is required.
Answers to All Your Questions about iOS 15
When can I download iOS 15?
From the fall of 2021. Apple has yet to announce the exact date. Developers can start working with the first test version from June 8, 2021.Then the public beta, which everyone can download, will be released in July. Apple uses these test versions to put the proverbial dots on the i so that iOS 15 will be available for everyone to download in the fall.
Which iPhones will get iOS 15?
Very much. iOS 15 will soon be available for download on all iPhones that can handle iOS 14.In concrete terms, this means the following. Do you have an iPhone 6s (from 2015) or a newer model? Then you can download iOS 15 without any problems.
Can I download and install iOS 15 for free?
What are the innovations?
There are actually too many to mention. iOS 15, for example, improves your iPhone’s Messages app, and FaceTime, Apple’s video calling app, is also getting a makeover. Apple indirectly opens the attack on other ways of video calling, such as Google Meet and Zoom. FaceTime will soon also be available on Android, for example.iOS 15 also focuses on privacy. For example, your iPhone’s Mail app will hide your IP address. An IP address is best compared with the home address of your iPhone. Also new: incoming notifications are now bundled. That’s great because this reduces the risk of your Notifications screen is overflowing with all kinds of distracting messages.
