Along with the release of the iPhone 13, Apple recently dropped its newest operating system, iOS 15. This system will run on any iPhone dating back to the 6S, and the new 13 comes with it standard.
Because iOS 15 introduces so many new features that can help people use their phones more efficiently and conscientiously, there’s been a lot of buzz about this new operating system. Some of the great new features included with iOS 15 that you should know about include:
1. Smart notifications
Notification overload can be a huge annoyance for anyone with a smartphone. While you have always been able to adjust notifications on the iPhone within the Settings menu, sometimes you do not want to disable them entirely.
The new iOS 15 helps minimize distractions by sorting notifications in order of importance. All conversations go straight to the top of the list with other notifications coming after. Plus, you can temporarily mute any app if you feel like it has been sending you too many notifications lately.
The operating system also lets you set up a Notification Summary to deliver notifications from certain apps on a customized schedule. For example, you can have all social media notifications appear at one time each day.
2. Health trends
Many people use the Health app to track their fitness as they attempt to get healthier. iOS 15 now has a new section for health trends that lets you view more of your progress over time. At a quick glance, you can see if you are exercising more or less than you were, while also viewing your other vital signs, such as shifts in heart rate and oxygen levels. You can even set up notifications if the app notices certain shifts or trends in your data that you want to be aware of. Plus, the new Health app makes it easier than ever to send data to other people and includes a checklist feature to help ensure you take advantage of all the features offered.
3. Universal FaceTime
The iPhone’s FaceTime app has become especially important in the past year because of social distancing. Now, with iOS 15, people can use FaceTime to talk to anyone through video chat, not just people who also have an iPhone. The new FaceTime creates a link for calls that can be shared with Android or Windows devices, which makes FaceTime a rival to Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.
In addition, FaceTime now has a grid view so you can see all call participants at once and a portrait mode that blurs your background in the call. Another change is the introduction of Spatial Audio, a noise cancellation feature that uses machine learning. With this feature, the sound quality is much more natural.
4. Focus mode
Smartphones are incredibly useful, but they can also be major distractions. With iOS 15, you can now use Focus mode if you need to concentrate on a task. Focus mode expands on iPhone’s Do Not Disturb feature with some new settings you can custom-tailor. Plus, Focus mode can be employed across all your Apple devices at once.
With Focus, you can choose the specific contacts and apps that can generate notifications, and set up profiles for work, sleep, and personal time, although you can also customize your own. In addition, you can create parameters to ensure you always receive emergency notifications even when other apps are all quiet. Importantly, the Messages app will show others when you’re in Focus mode to discourage people from contacting you unless it’s really important.
5. Enhanced Wallet
Apple Wallet has been around for a while as a convenient way to store tickets and loyalty cards, as well as payment methods. Apple is rethinking Wallet with iOS 15 to expand its utility even further. In the new operating system, you can store your government-issued identification. At launch, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accepts this identification as valid for travel in eight U.S. states, with more joining soon.
In addition to personal identification, Wallet also now has the capability of opening certain brands of car doors and holding room keys for some hotel chains. Plus, Wallet can store corporate identification badges. Of course, much of this functionality relies on third parties to take advantage of the technology, but with the popularity of iPhones, plenty of brands and companies should be on board.
6. Live Text
The new operating system allows the iPhone to recognize text within photos and then copy and paste it to other locations. The Live Text feature works with photos you have taken or anything you come across while browsing on your phone. Unfortunately, the feature only works with phones that have an A12 Bionic chip or newer technology, so any model older than the iPhone XR or XS cannot use it.
Nevertheless, this feature has a wide range of potential uses and helps Apple inch closer to the Google Lens technology already available on Android phones. Another feature that does something similar for the iPhone is Visual Look Up, which allows you to conduct a visual search for items.