Apple iOS 15 leak summary: In addition to new icons, new lock screen, new notifications, there are 3 major changes

If you are a qualified Apple fan, even if there are many blockbuster products released, you will only smile at the 2021 Apple Spring Conference that just ended, and then focus your attention on WWDC which will be held on June 8.

If the product launch conference represents the best Apple products today, then WWDC is the tomorrow that will affect all Apple users for a year-hardware is the basis of experience, and experience relies on excellent systems. If nothing unexpected happens, WWDC 2021 will announce iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12, and watchOS 8, and iOS 15 on the iPhone will undoubtedly receive the most attention.

Before the system is officially released, we can only obtain various features of the new system through whistleblowers. These whistleblowers either have information sources on the upstream supply chain or have close contact with Apple insiders, and can often get some relatively accurate information.

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Of course, before iOS 15 is officially released, these rumors cannot be said to be accurate information. Today, let's take a look at what "god" predictions the whistleblower has brought us!

Lazy Directory

• iPhone 6s can’t last another year
• The new design: flatter, but not completely flat
• New notifications: different states, different forms
• New lock screen: finally an always-on display!
• New information: iMessage is about to be updated
• New components: more interactions, more sizes
• New permissions: Your phone, your control

iPhone 6s can’t last another year

When iOS 14 was updated, the biggest surprise for me was not the stackable widgets, but the support for iPhone 6s - a phone that has been on sale for 5 years can still be updated to the latest system. This is certainly not the only one in the industry, but it is indeed rare.

According to predictions from Israeli website The Verifier and French website iPhoneSoft, iOS 15 will require an iPhone 7 or later. As a result, the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE (2016), which are equipped with the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6s, will also miss out on the iOS 15 update.

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We can also make the following inference: iPhone 7 and subsequent models, iPod touch (2019) and other devices equipped with A10 and above processors should be able to update to iOS 15.

The new design: flatter, but not completely flat

After the macOS Big Sur update, the flat app icons, wider status bar spacing, and the control center that looks very suitable for touch have made many people wonder, "Will future Apple computers have touch functions?" Before the question was answered, iPadOS was the first to support trackpads, and iOS seemed to be changing the icons to the macOS style.

As early as October 2020, Apple updated the App Store Connect icon. This icon, which is between flat and realistic styles, is somewhat inconsistent with the design of iOS 14.

Recently, Apple Music for Artists, which is aimed at music creators, has also updated its icon to match the style of App Store Connect.

The same rounded rectangle, the same frame, plus a simple design and concave texture, will this be a new style for iOS 15 icons?

The control center is also rumored to change. Apple whistleblower McGure Wood said on Twitter that iOS 15 is likely to adopt a new control center design that will be more compact - a design similar to macOS BigSur.

If iOS adopts a completely new design, the difference in appearance between macOS and iOS (iPadOS) will be smaller, and the user experience will be more unified. Although Apple Vice President John Ternus clarified that there are no plans to merge iPad and Mac, MacBooks with M1 chips can already run iOS apps, so we might as well look forward to Apple's new moves.

New notifications: different states, different forms

In iOS 14, we can quickly set various mobile phone modes such as Do Not Disturb and Silent. According to Bloomberg, iOS 15 will bring a new notification management function, which can customize whether incoming calls ring and notifications are displayed according to your status.

For example, emails in driving mode will automatically reply "driving", all notifications in work mode will be muted and details will not be displayed, and sleep mode will be completely do not disturb, etc. Although similar functions can now be achieved through the "Shortcuts" app, this system-level operation is the first time that Apple has changed the form of notifications based on the user's status.

New lock screen: finally an always-on display!

Now that Android manufacturers have made great use of the screen-off display function, iOS 15 is finally going to add the screen-off display function.

Whistleblower Max Weinbach said on the YouTube channel EverythingApplePro that the iPhone 13 series will borrow the always-on screen technology of the Apple Watch to achieve an off-screen display.

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However, all iPhones with notch screens use OLED screens, so they should all support the always-on display in terms of hardware. It would be a bit disappointing if only the latest iPhones can support it. Could it be because the always-on display will affect the battery life of previous models?

New information: iMessage is about to be updated

Bloomberg reported on April 22 that Apple is updating iMessage and adding more social features to it, which will allow iMessage to compete with Facebook and WhatsApp and become a social app.

However, these changes are still in the early stages of development and it’s unclear whether they will arrive at the same time as iOS 15.

New components: more interactions, more sizes

As the biggest update in the appearance of iOS 14, widgets have made iPhone users have a lot of fun. However, the setting that widgets can only be viewed but not operated makes the widgets look good, but they are still a little weak in functionality.

Technology website PhoneArena predicts that iOS 15 will make widgets interactive, such as switching music and adjusting volume on the Apple Music widget, and it is possible to see widgets of more sizes.

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There are also new revelations about the iPad, which also adds widgets. Bloomberg reported: "The home screen of the device (iPad) has undergone the most significant update." In iPadOS 15, widgets can be freed from the "Today" view and arranged freely like the iPhone, and even the entire app interface can be replaced with full-featured widgets.

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New permissions: Your phone, your control

From being able to customize the default music player and email app to requiring apps in iOS 14.5 to obtain user permission before accessing phone information, we can see that Apple is gradually relaxing user permissions and paying attention to privacy. In iOS 15, permissions and privacy will definitely be important upgrade projects.

Also from PhoneArena, in its March report, it said that iOS 15 may allow you to modify more default apps. Just like in iOS 14 you can replace the default Safari and Mail with other browsers and email apps.

The above are some of the revelations we have collected about iOS 15. If iOS 15 is consistent with the revelations and brings us a more unified UI design, more user-friendly notification prompts, and more complete privacy permissions, then it is more like a supplementary upgrade to iOS 14. Compared with a simple system update, I am more looking forward to what kind of sparks the new system will create with the iPad Pro equipped with the M1 chip.

As WWDC 2021 is getting closer, what different experiences will iOS 15 bring us? Will there be any hardware released at the conference? Let us look forward to it together.