Apple releases iOS 15 – these are the new gadgets we can’t wait for

The new tools in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are largely dedicated to (better) communication. For example, a lot of work has been done on FaceTime, the Messages app, and the audio quality of conversations. In the rest of this article we will mainly talk about iOS update; Apple’s tablet operating system, iPadOS, includes pretty much the same novelties.

SharePlay

We know FaceTime as a WhatsApp-like application that allows Apple users to make video calls with family and friends. In iOS 15, Apple is adding several options to the app, including more fun and business features. Think of the ability to schedule and share FaceTime calls over a single web link, filtering out annoying ambient noise and spatial audio, as sounds seem to come from the direction of the respective people on the screen. But perhaps most importantly, Apple followers can too Face With Windows and Android users, through the web interface. These conversations also remain fully encrypted. This makes FaceTime not a complete competitor to Zoom or Microsoft Teams, but the app makes up for some of the backlog.

Another group of users will be happy with SharePlay. With this, you can, for example, watch a movie or series with friends, listen to a new music album with friends or share your screen, for example to browse a photo album together.

So the Messages app has been expanded with the extension shared with youFunctionality: Everything people share with you will automatically appear in the appropriate apps. For example: Pictures in Pictures, Links in Safari browser, Songs in Music. Another useful feature: Photos in a specific conversation can now be viewed as a group or stacked, so you can find them faster.

always focused

Everyone now knows that you shouldn’t mess with your cell phone in the car. But there are many conceivable scenarios in which you don’t want to be distracted. With the new Focus feature in iOS 15, you can now set which notifications you want and don’t want to receive for each Activity. In addition to driving, think about fitness, games, reading, or awareness…

These notifications look different in iOS 15 than in the previous operating system. For example, it now also has contact avatars or larger icons for the main app, making it easier to see exactly what kind of notifications are. Also new is the Notifications Overview, which provides updates multiple times a day on less urgent messages. This way you avoid looking at your smartphone all day, even when it’s not really necessary.

Browse differently

In Safari, the tab bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen. This makes it easy to access tabs (usually with your thumb), and you can quickly switch between tabs with a swipe. Tabs can now also be grouped, and if you have multiple Apple devices, they will automatically sync across all devices.

Two other new features in Safari for iPhone and iPad are support for extensions to expand browser functionality at will, and the ability to search the Internet with your voice.

The new camera feature with great potential is Live Text. In short, if you point your iPhone target at text, text recognition allows you to copy and paste that information. It’s easy to quickly store a phone number, for example. The feature also works without the camera, as does photos with text on the site. Live text can also be used for “system-wide” text translation. The only disappointment is that the Dutch language is not yet supported: at the moment, the feature only works with English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

More privacy

Apple also introduced several new privacy features in iOS 15. For example, there is now a privacy report that gives you more information about whether certain apps can access your data. In addition, you are more protected from unwanted data collection and have more control over what you do or do not share.

For example, Privacy Protection in Mail ensures that your IP address remains invisible, so that senders cannot connect to your other online activities. Moreover, they will not be able to know when their email was opened thanks to this protection.

The new tools in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are largely dedicated to (better) communication. For example, a lot of work has been done on FaceTime, the Messages app, and the audio quality of conversations. In the rest of this article we will mainly talk about iOS update; The operating system for Apple tablets, iPadOS, contains essentially the same novelties: We know FaceTime as an app similar to WhatsApp that allows Apple users to make video calls with family and friends among themselves. In iOS 15, Apple is adding several options to the app, including more fun and business features. Think of the ability to schedule and share FaceTime calls over a single web link, filtering out annoying ambient noise and spatial audio, as sounds seem to come from the direction of the respective people on the screen. But perhaps most importantly, Apple followers can now interact with Windows and Android users via the web interface. These conversations also remain fully encrypted. This makes FaceTime not a complete competitor to Zoom or Microsoft Teams, but the app makes up for some of the backlog. Another group of users will be happy with SharePlay. With this, you can, for example, watch a movie or series with friends, listen to a new music album with friends or share your screen, for example to browse a photo album together. So the Messages app has been expanded with an option shared with you – functionality: anything people share with you will automatically appear in the appropriate apps. For example: Pictures in Pictures, Links in Safari browser, Songs in Music. Another useful feature: Photos from a specific conversation can now be displayed as collages or groups, so you can find them faster, and now everyone knows that you don’t have to play with your mobile in the car. But there are many conceivable scenarios in which you don’t want to be distracted. With the new Focus feature in iOS 15, you can now set which notifications you want and don’t want to receive for each Activity. In addition to driving, think about fitness, gaming, reading, or when you’re awake… These notifications look different in iOS 15 than in the previous operating system. For example, it now also has contact avatars or larger icons for the main app, making it easier to see exactly what kind of notifications are. Also new is the Notifications Overview, which provides updates multiple times a day on less urgent messages. This prevents you from looking at your smartphone all day, even when you don’t need it, because in Safari, the tab bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen. This makes it easy to access tabs (usually with your thumb), and you can quickly switch between tabs with a swipe. Tabs can now also be divided into groups, and if you have multiple Apple devices it will automatically sync across all of them and be able to search online with your voice. The new camera feature with great potential is Live Text. In short, if you point your iPhone target at text, text recognition allows you to copy and paste that information. It’s easy to quickly store a phone number, for example. The feature also works without the camera, as does photos with text on the site. Live text can also be used for “system-wide” text translation. The only hitch in the celebration is that the Dutch language isn’t supported yet — at the moment, the feature only works with English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, and Apple has also introduced several new privacy features in iOS.15. For example, there is now a privacy report that gives you more ideas about how certain apps access your data. In addition, you are more protected from unwanted data collection and have more control over what you share or do not share. For example, Privacy Protection in Mail ensures that your IP address remains invisible, so that senders cannot connect to your other online activities. Moreover, they will not be able to know when their email was opened thanks to this protection.