Apple iOS 15: What's New With the Upcoming Software Update

Apple has always been about the user's experience and iOS is at the core of it when it comes to iPhones. At WWDC'21, Apple announced the new iOS 15 and its features. How are these different from the previous version of iOS and what new and improved changes are brought for the users? Let's find out.

FaceTime

Apple aims at making the FaceTime experience more natural, comfortable and lifelike. In times of the global pandemic, staying connected face to face with friends and family has become important. Apple iOS 15 brings Spatial Sound to FaceTime. This feature makes users feel that they are sitting face to face in the same room. The sound of the speaker will come from the direction in which they are on the video call. This will add a more natural feel to the call experience.

There are a couple of microphone improvements too. Apple iOS 15 also brings Voice Isolation on FaceTime. While being on a call, the microphone is picking up multiple sounds. Voice Isolation with the help of machine learning blocks out the ambient noises and prioritizes the voice of the speaker, making for clear output.

However, at times you need all the sounds to be audible to you. In that case, you can switch to Wide Spectrum. This allows your mic to pick up an entire symphony's worth of sound, including your voice and everything around you.

Faces are equally important on FaceTime as sounds. Hence, the Grid View on FaceTime. This allows you to see the faces of everyone who is on the call side by side in a grid view as tiles. This will allow users to identify who is speaking and see everyone else's reaction. Another addition is Portrait mode. Apple's portrait mode is stunning and with iOS 15, it comes to FaceTime. This makes the background blur and your face mire prominent on the call.

FaceTime links is another important addition that comes with iOS 15. Now you can create links to your FaceTime calls and share them anywhere. The links can be shared anywhere via email, messages, WhatsApp or even better, you can head to the calendar and make an event of your FaceTime call. The link can be used by Android users to join the call from their browser. The calls are end-to-end encrypted even on the web so privacy is never compromised.

SharePlay

Apple iOS 15 also brings SharePlay to FaceTime. This allows users to listen to music together, watch movies together and even share the screen, all in real-time while being on a FaceTime call. Anyone on the call can add media to the queue and the playback controls can be accessed by everyone. The currently playing media can also be shifted to the TV and you can be on the call without interruptions. SharePlay extends beyond Apple products and services. The feature works with Disney+, Hulu and multiple other platforms allowing users to share content from there as well.

The addition of Screen Sharing is a big plus as now can share your experiences with your friends without recording the screen. This works across all Apple devices.

Live Text

Live Text is one of the most essential features of Apple iOS 15. This feature allows you to convert any text captured through your camera to real notes and typed text. The feature in the camera allows you to highlight and capture the text and then use all the text commands like cut, copy and paste to it. You can then paste it in emails, messages or anywhere in a text form. It also understands 7 languages, including simplified and traditional Chinese and works across platforms like iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Apple Wallet

With iOS 15, Apple brings more features to the Wallet. Now you can unlock your house, flat or residential place with a key on the Apple Wallet. You can also add your corporate badge and punch-in to your building or office. This time around, Apple is also bringing identity cards to the Apple Wallet. You can scan your driver's licence and ID in participating US states. All of this encrypted and secure. The encryption technology in Apple Pay extends to your IDs and wallets.

Maps in iOS 15

The maps see a bunch of changes with the new update. Users can now see buildings and arenas in 3D along with the vegetation and the traffic in the area. On the highway, users will be able to see the overlapping lanes that can give them a better idea about the traffic and road conditions ahead. The lane segregation allows users to know which lane they are in and which lane they want to be in. Maps will also be helpful in knowing which direction to go in when you're in the car. If you have exited a station, you can scan the area and with the help of Augmented Reality, you can know exactly which way you need to go.

The best part about the update is the fact that it will be rolled out to the iPhone 6s as well. The compatibility and performance after the update will be something to look out for but the inclusion of older models and users is a good step by Apple and happy news for its users.