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Many of the features Apple announced during its WWDC keynote have made it through the beta testing phase of iOS 15. The biggest unreleased features are SharePlay and Universal Controls, but those are still expected to arrive at a later date. Apple heavily emphasized social features during its 2021 WWDC keynote, however, the feature won’t be launching today and SharePlay has been delayed to a later iOS 15 release to further improve the work behind the scenes. During the testing cycle, a working version of SharePlay was available, but for an unknown reason it was held back from being released to the public. Once it rolls out, users will be able to share their music, movies, or other media during FaceTime calls. Grid view, portrait mode, and listening options will be available with the release of iOS 15 for a better video calling experience. In addition, users will be able to schedule FaceTime calls and share invite links, similar to other apps like Zoom. A new SharePlay feature was added at Apple's iPhone 13 launch event - SharePlay with Apple Fitness+. Once launched, up to 32 people can do the same Fitness+ workout together in a FaceTime call and sync body metrics across devices. Another part of iOS 15's social push is "Shared with You." Now, when friends and family send you something in iMessage, it will surface elsewhere in iOS. For example, if your friend shares an Apple News article, it will appear in the "Shared with You" section of the Apple News app. The same goes for Apple TV+ shows, Apple Music albums, and even photos, and the experience is designed to help users keep track of incoming content. Do Not Disturb is a new feature in iOS 15 that lets users control who can contact them and which apps notify them at any given moment. It's an expansion of the Do Not Disturb mode in previous iOS versions. For example, users can set a "Work" focus that only allows work-centric apps to notify them. Other iOS 15 users can see your Focus status in iMessage, so they know their messages may not cause an iOS device to notify them. The feature has a lot of customization potential because it relies heavily on the home screen functionality. Users can add widgets and apps to a specific home screen and then have that screen appear only during certain focus periods. Apple has also improved the intelligence capabilities throughout iOS to take advantage of the Neural Engine in its A-series processors. Live Text and Visual Look Up both add powerful features to viewing pictures on iOS. Live Text is a feature available when viewing an image, whether in Photos, Safari, or even a third-party app. Users will be able to select text in an image and copy it out or elsewhere. Photos stored in the Photos app will be scanned as text, so searching for text within images will be possible. For example, a photo might contain an address, which will be displayed in Spotlight. Visual query is another Photos app feature that uses device intelligence to determine what objects, animals, or plants are in a photo. Once a searchable object is found, a glyph appears that, when tapped, opens a web search for similar objects or describes the object. Apple announced a complete redesign of its Safari browser during WWDC, but has since walked back those changes in favor of a more subtle update. Rather than hiding everything behind radio buttons, Apple is putting most UI elements up front for easier navigation. Apple Maps has been overhauled with more detail, 3D views of major cities, a global view, improved traffic, a close-up driving view when navigating complex routes, and AR walking guides. Throughout the OS, there's a new Live Text feature that detects text in any image and lets you copy, paste, and translate it, plus there's a system-wide translation feature that goes hand in hand with Live Text. Plants, pets, landmarks, and more can all be recognized in photos, plus there's a system-wide translation feature that goes hand in hand with Live Text. iCloud+ with iCloud Private Relay protects your IP address and masks your location to prevent websites from tracking you, while the Hide My Email feature lets you create temporary email addresses. You can even use your personal domain name with iCloud in iOS 15. Safari's address bar is now located at the bottom of the display. This means better access when using only one hand, and the UI is less obstructed by content. Those who prefer the old top bar style can switch it back by tapping the "Aa" button, then selecting "Show top address bar." When navigating a page, the address bar and navigation buttons disappear from view. The user simply clicks the URL at the bottom or scrolls up to make the address bar appear again. A new swipe gesture has been introduced to switch between active tabs or open a new tab. Simply place your thumb on the address bar and swipe left or right depending on the location of the open tab in the tab switcher. Full list of updates: FaceTime- Spatial audio makes the voices of people speaking in Group FaceTime sound as if they are coming from where they are on the screen (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Voice Highlight blocks out background noise to make your voice clearer (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Wide spectrum mode includes all background sound in your calls (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Portrait mode blurs the background so the focus is on you (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Grid view can display up to six people in a FaceTime group chat at the same time as squares of the same size, and highlight the current speaker
- FaceTime Link allows you to invite friends to join a FaceTime call, even friends using Android or Windows devices can join through their browser
Messages and Memoji- Shared with You is a new section in Photos, Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, or the Videos app that shows content that friends have sent you in a Messages conversation
- Pin content prioritizes content you choose to share and makes it more visible in Shared With You, Messages search, and the Details view of a conversation
- Multiple photos sent in Messages can be displayed as an easy-to-read collage or as a flip-through stack
- Provide notification options for unknown senders, transactional information, and promotional information
- More than 40 Memoji costumes and up to three different colors are available, allowing you to customize the clothes and headwear of Memoji stickers
Focus Mode- Focus mode automatically filters notifications based on current activity including fitness, sleep, gaming, reading, driving, work or personal time
- Use on-device intelligence during Focus Mode setup to suggest apps and contacts to allow notifications from in Focus Mode
- Home screen pages can be customized to match apps and widgets to specific focus modes
- Contextual suggestions use signals like location or time of day to provide smart suggestions for focus mode tailored to your situation
- Show your status to contacts in Messages conversations that notifications are muted using Focus mode
notify- A new look with contact photos and larger app icons
- Notification Summary sends a collection of useful notifications every day based on the time period you set
- Mute notifications from any app or message thread for the next hour or day
map- Detailed city maps of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and London show additional details such as elevation differences, trees, buildings, landmarks, sidewalks and turn lanes, and 3D views to help navigate complex intersections; more cities coming soon (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- New driving features include an all-new map that highlights details such as traffic conditions and unusual events; a route planner that lets you select a future departure or arrival time to see upcoming journeys
- Immersive Walking Navigation with turn-by-turn directions in augmented reality (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- The updated public transportation experience allows you to view information about nearby trips with just a tap, easily view and interact with routes using just one hand, and notify you when you are about to arrive at your stop
- Interactive 3D globe shows greater detail of mountains, deserts, forests, oceans, and more (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Redesigned place cards make it easy to learn about and interact with places; a new Guide base curates the best places for you
Safari- The bottom tab bar is easier to reach and allows you to move between tabs by swiping left or right
- Tab Groups helps you store and organize your tabs and easily access them across devices
- Tab overview grid view showing your open tabs
- Customize your start page with a background image and new sections like Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, and Shared With You
- Web extensions on iOS let you personalize your browsing experience and are available for download through the App Store
- Voice Search allows you to search the web using your voice
wallet- Home Key lets you tap to unlock supported home or apartment doors (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Hotel Key allows you to open room door locks at partner hotels with a single tap
- Office Key allows you to open the office door lock of the partner company's office with a single tap
- Car Key uses Ultra Wideband technology to allow you to unlock, lock, and start supported cars without removing your iPhone from your bag or pocket (iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models)
- Remote keyless entry from your vehicle key lets you lock or unlock supported vehicles, honk the horn, preheat the vehicle, or open the trunk
Live Text- Live Text lets you interact with text in photos to copy and paste, look up, and translate in live preview in Photos, screenshots, Quick Look, Safari, and Camera (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Live Text's data detector recognizes phone numbers, emails, dates, street addresses, and more in photos so you can take action
- Live Text is now available on the keyboard, allowing you to insert text from the camera viewfinder directly into any text field
Focus- Detailed search results bring together all the information you need about the contacts, actors, musicians, movies and TV shows in one place
- Search your photo library for photos by location, people, scenes, text in the photo, or other things like dogs or cars
- Web Image Search lets you search for images of people, animals, monuments, etc.
photo- Memories has a fresh new look, including a new interactive interface, animated cards with smart adaptive titles, new animations and transitions, and multi-image collages
- Apple Music subscribers can add Apple Music to Memories; personalized song suggestions based on expert recommendations, your musical tastes, and the content in your photos and videos
- Mix and Match Memories lets you choose different songs and matching Memory skins to create the right mood
- New memory types include more international holidays, children’s-themed memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories
- The information panel now displays richer photo information, such as camera and lens, shutter speed, and file size
healthy- Share allows you to choose health data, reminders and trends to share with important people or people who care about you
- Trends lets you see how specific health metrics change over time and notifies you when new trends are detected
- New Walking Stability metric assesses fall risk and notifies you if your walking stability is low (iPhone 8 and later)
- Verifiable Health Records allows you to download and store verifiable versions of your COVID-19 vaccination status and test results
weather- The new design shows the most important weather information for the location and also includes a new map module
- The Weather map is viewable full screen and displays precipitation, temperature, and air quality for supported countries
- Next-hour precipitation intensity notifications alert you when rain or snow is about to start or stop (Ireland, UK, and US)
- New animated backgrounds more accurately display the sun’s position, cloud cover, and precipitation intensity (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
Siri- On-device processing means that the audio you speak when you make a request stays only on your device by default, and Siri can handle many requests while offline (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
- Share items with Siri lets you send on-screen items like photos, web pages, and Maps locations to any contact.
- Siri can send messages or make calls to corresponding contacts based on what is shown on the screen.
- On-device personalization to privately improve Siri’s speech recognition and understanding (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later)
privacy- Mail Privacy Protection protects your privacy by preventing email senders from knowing your Mail activity, IP address, or whether you open their emails
- Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention now also blocks known trackers from profiling you via your IP address
iCloud+- iCloud+ is a cloud subscription service that provides you with premium features and additional iCloud storage space.
- iCloud Private Proxy (Beta) sends your request through two separate Internet relays and encrypts Internet traffic leaving your device, making your use of Safari more secure and private
- Hide Email Address allows you to create a unique random email address and forward mail to your own personal inbox so you can send and receive email without sharing your real email address
- HomeKit Secure Video supports connecting more security cameras without taking up your iCloud storage space
- Custom email domains personalize your iCloud mail address and allow you to invite family members to use the same domain
Accessibility- Exploring images with VoiceOver lets you get more details about the people and objects in your photos, as well as understand text and tabular data in your photos
- VoiceOver image descriptions in Markup allow you to add your own VoiceOver readable descriptions of images
- Individual app settings allow you to customize display and text size settings for only the apps you want
- Background sound can play steady, bright or low noise, ocean waves, rain and stream sounds continuously in the background to cover up extraneous ambient or outside noise
- Voice actions for Switch Control let you control your iPhone with simple sounds
- Audiograms can be imported in Settings so you can customize Headphone Adjustment based on your own hearing test results
- New Voice Control languages include Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China), Cantonese (Hong Kong), French (France), and German (Germany)
- New Memoji options include a cochlear implant, oxygen tube or soft helmet
This update also includes other features and improvements: - Tags in Notes and Reminders help you quickly categorize items so they’re easier to find; you can also use custom Smart Folders and Smart Lists to automatically collect notes and reminders based on rules you define.
- Mentions in Notes let you notify others of important updates in a shared note; a new Activity view shows all recent changes to a note in a single list
- Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking in Apple Music delivers a more immersive experience when listening to music in Dolby Atmos with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max
- System-wide translation lets you select text across the system and translate it with a single tap, including content in photos
- New widgets include Find My, Contacts, App Store, Sleep, Game Center, and Mail
- Cross-app drag and drop lets you grab images, documents, and files from one app into another
- Keyboard magnifier enlarges text as you move the cursor
- Apple ID Account Recovery Contacts allows you to choose one or more trusted people to help you reset your password and regain access to your account.
- Temporary iCloud storage space When you purchase a new device, you will be provided with iCloud storage space for a temporary data backup for free, valid for up to three weeks
- Find My's separation alerts notify you when you've left a supported device or item behind, and Find My will provide directions to find it
- When playing games, you can use game controllers such as Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller or Sony PS5 DualSense™ Wireless Controller to store up to 15 seconds of previous game highlights
- In-app events in the App Store help you discover events within apps and games, such as game contests, new movie premieres, or live experiences.
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