Apple’s latest update to iOS – the operating platform for its line of phones and tablets – was released in October 2021. Apple has packed the latest version with tons of features and improvements that makes using their devices even more enjoyable and has made life easier for several iOS application development services. Let’s look at some of the most important updates and what they bring to the table.
Improved FaceTime
Apple has given FaceTime some major upgrades that bridge the gap with other competitors in the market such as Zoom and Google Meet. FaceTime now supports grid view for multi-person calls that also has a portrait mode, which works similar to a camera and keeps the speaker’s face in focus, while camouflaging the background – especially useful if you wish to hide messy surroundings.
You can now also send links to invite your friends and colleagues to FaceTime meetings which can be added to your calendar. One of the most talked-about updates is that users can now use these links to join FaceTime calls even if they don’t have the app installed. They can paste these links on Chrome or any other browser on Android and Windows. However, it seems only users with the FaceTime app can create these links.
Apple has provided end-to-end encryption to all FaceTime calls across platform users and also improved sound and video quality.
SharePlay
An extension of the improvements made to FaceTime, SharePlay allows users to share their screens with friends and family over FaceTime – be it during a workout, while listening to a song that’s a family favorite. You can AirPlay a movie on your TV and watch it with family and friends over a FaceTime call.
With streaming platforms like HBOMax, ESPN+ and Disney+ already on the platform, other platforms can also utilize iOS mobile app development to help iPhone users stream content on their respective devices, provided they have the necessary subscriptions. If one of the users has a subscription, streaming companies like Disney+ can activate the free trial and deny services if neither user has a valid subscription.
Notifications
With iOS 15, notifications have a new look and Apple has given users novel ways to manage them. These include larger icons for app notifications, a notification summary function that allows users to scroll through unimportant notifications at specific times in the day. Users can choose which notifications fall under this category.
iOS 15 also gives users a Do Not Disturb mode that is similar to other apps such as Slack. With this, friends and family can still send you messages but will receive a notification that you have activated the Do Not Disturb mode and will understand if you don’t reply immediately.
Live Text and Better Safari
A very handy feature in iOS 15 is live text that allows users to point their camera at anything with text, highlight it and copy the text to be pasted elsewhere. This also works with text within images in your Photos as well as phone numbers that you may want to copy. Apple’s Photos App automatically creates memories from your photos and better still, uses an apt background score from Apple Music – provided you have a subscription to this service.
iOS also has some improvements for Safari making it easier to type addresses into the URL bar which is now placed at the bottom of the screen and gets hidden when you scroll to maximize your viewing area – which is amazing! You can now make use of Safari extensions that you use on your Apple laptop or desktop on your mobile – which is a first – although not all extensions may be available immediately.
Other Important Updates
Apple also released other new updates, the most noteworthy of which are:
- Visual Look Up
You can now get information on objects such as landmarks, books, etc., by pointing your camera at them.
- Mail Privacy Protection
With the latest version, users are now prevented from seeing if you opened an email and also masks your IP address and location.
- Siri
iOS 15 has improved security when you use Siri as your audio is now stored locally on your device.
- Find My App
iOS 15 now helps you find your AirPods Pro and AirPods Max through the Find My app.
- Messages
Photos that are sent in bulk are organized into a neat stack by iMessage so that you can swipe through them. Alternatively, you can also choose to view them all at once like a collage.
