iOS 15 Features and Supported iPhone List

iPhone compatible with iOS 15

With every update to iOS 15 there is always the risk that Apple will stop updating certain devices. Due to their age, for example, some processors cannot finish moving the features that are included. But this has not happened with iOS 15. Apple has kept in this new update all the devices that already supported iOS 14 . That is why the list of compatible devices is as follows:

• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone SE (1st generation)
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max

It is noteworthy that the seventh-generation iPod touch is also compatible with this version. To the surprises of many, the first generation iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and SE also stand out, which did not appear in any pool like those planned to update to this version. And it would not have been unreasonable, since they were launched in 2015 and early 2016, being one of the longest-lived Apple devices to update their software.

Main aesthetic changes

iOS 15 has been a version where there are not many aesthetic changes except in the notification system . They have managed to stylize the banners that appear at the top with each of the notifications that are received on the iPhone. It is committed to a banner design with completely rounded corners and showing more information in these without being as ‘flat’ as in previous versions of the operating system. In the notification center we also see how the icon of the application in question that has sent the notification has more weight, especially in the intelligent grouping. In addition to the application icons, it is also displayed

On the lock screen when the ‘Concentration’ mode is activated you can see relevant information, especially related to the Apple Watch . Now when you have the company’s smart watch on the charging base and you are with this active mode, you can check the charging status at a glance on this same screen. In this way, they take a further step towards enriching this space that is currently wasted when other companies include different sources of device information.

What’s new in native applications

Apple’s native applications play an important role in the daily lives of users and now with iOS 15 they have undergone some important changes. We are talking about novelties both in the aesthetic and functional sections. We detail the most important ones below.

FaceTime is now much more efficient

Apple’s video calling application, FaceTime, with iOS 15 has undergone a great visual and functional change. In previous versions, users complained of some important shortcomings that have been completely solved. The first of these is the ability to share screen while making video calls, which is essential for meetings. This is something that may seem common in other counterpart services but in FaceTime it was not like that. Now this option has been activated so that anyone can view the content of your screen to simply give a conference or help with a problem you have on your iPhone.

To further enhance the experience of making a FaceTime call, new audio technologies have been included. Specifically, environmental noise cancellation has been added with the aim that while you are on a call and around you there is a very loud noise such as that of a vacuum cleaner does not reach the person with whom you are speaking. But it doesn’t stop here as spatial audio technology has also been added for a more natural experience.

In addition, Apple has decided to open FaceTime to other platforms in a very timid way. With iOS 15 contacting a person with FaceTime who is on a Windows PC or an Android will be possible . In the application itself, a link to a group meeting can be generated and can be opened by anyone in their browser regardless of the operating system. Group call features among others will remain intact in this case.

Time shows much more information

The Weather application is consulted practically daily to have the necessary information in order to make the best possible plans. Now all this information is much richer by having a much more complete interface and above all clearer for any user. Specifically, all the information that was had in previous versions on humidity, UV index or air quality, among others, was represented in text and in lines. Now each one of these climatological values has a dedicated space in a square to be able to carry out the query quickly and in a more comfortable way.

But the most remarkable thing of all is undoubtedly the integration of new maps with climatological information. Specifically, it includes maps of temperature, precipitation and also air quality. Through a color pattern you will be able to know the air quality in specific points of the geography of your country, moving beyond your city by location. In the case of the precipitation map, you will be able to visualize how the storms will evolve throughout the geography in specific hours. The query can be made both in the next few days and in previous days. This can become a more precise system, and above all visual, to know exactly how a storm is evolving in your area and where it is going.

Safari radically changes its design

Apple’s native browser is undoubtedly the most used by all users within the ecosystem. With this new generation of operating system, it has undergone a radical change in terms of design, being something shared with iPadOS and macOS. As soon as we enter we can clearly see how the search bar has become at the bottom of the screen when it was at the top of the screen before. At first it is true that it may seem like an uncomfortable decision because we have been used to a totally different interface for many years both in Safari and in third-party browsers. But the truth is that this new location makes the search bar much more accessible to the fingers when using the iPhone. Before with a bar at the top you were forced to make a movement that could be annoying to make a query.

The organization of all the tabs that you have open is also a fundamental point of iOS 15. The tabs can now be grouped by different ones that can be differentiated for example between ‘Work’ and ‘Personal’. In this way you will have two different spaces depending on what you are doing at that moment. The objective of course is to be able to separate the professional life of the person or make the organization that most interests each of the users. Added to this is the arrival of extensions, something that was intended exclusively for Macs. Now through the App Store you can install extra tools that will allow you to navigate in a more productive way.

Apple Maps now if it is a browser

Another of the great changes that have been seen in iOS 15 is related to its road navigation application. For years many shortcomings have been found in cartography and also in aesthetics. Now this has completely changed. In the first place, the map of Spain has been updated including a different view thanks to the work that has been done over months to be able to have improved maps. But what is really interesting is the inclusion of the 3D view of the maps, which is fundamental especially when you go on the highway. When a detour with many different exits arrives, a simple indication of ‘Exit at exit 5’ may not be enough. That is why Apple will clearly show you on the screen of your iPhone where you should come out with a 3D representation.

In addition to these 3D representations now while you are driving Apple Maps will permanently show you the speed limit of the road on the screen . The only shortcoming that can be found is that it does not integrate a speedometer that allows you to give an audible warning when you are going beyond the limit established on the road. Visually there are also changes that you will notice while you are driving, such as the presence of radars on the road. This is achieved thanks to the connection with the databases of the different government agencies that regulate road traffic control systems.

Messages keep trying to stand out

Apple’s native messaging app, Messages, doesn’t have a very high market share outside of the United States. That is why they try to reinforce it with new features in order to have a place in the rest of the world markets. This new update includes the possibility of easily sharing any type of content through the applications, such as photographs, songs, podcasts … All the links sent to your conversation will end up being transferred quickly to the specific applications. The clearest example is when a photo is shared with you and a new section called ‘Shared with you’ will appear in the Photos app.

And if they usually send you many photographs throughout the day and together the design will end up adapting to this. They will be stacked in several stacks and with a simple slide to the left or right you will be able to view all these photographs that have been sent to you. This reduces clutter in an iMessage conversation. And if you appreciate aesthetics right now you can also find new Memojis to share with all your contacts.

The new possibilities of iOS 15

In addition to the changes that can be seen in the different native applications that are used on a daily basis, there are other relevant changes to maintain concentration at work or detect text in images, among others.

New ‘Concentration’ mode

The ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode has now evolved with iOS 15 to be much more efficient adapting to all the phases that a whole day has. What Apple has done is basically reel it in different ways that you can customize yourself at will. By default, iOS 15 includes a work-focused mode and a personal one. The objective of these modes is that you can customize the applications from which you want to receive notifications or the contacts that will be able to contact you. All these parameters are fully customizable and are individualized in these blocks.

For example, with the work mode you can have active all applications are silenced except for email and the communication application such as Slack. Added to this are the options to determine which contacts can call you or even send you a message through Telegram or WhatsApp by choosing the specific number from your contact list. This makes you totally focused on the task you are doing in case you are working or disconnect from all these applications when you are in your free time.

This ‘concentration’ mode can be activated manually through the control center. But the really important thing is that it can be activated depending on the time of day or the location itself . The latter is important to be able to have this mode active when you enter the office or to activate the personal mode when you enter the home. But we repeat, these modes that we discuss are those established natively by Apple itself but at any time you can create others with your custom names.

Text in pictures detector

The fact of writing down a text by hand of an image or a poster that you can find on the street, is something that ends up consuming time from day to day. That is why Apple has finally integrated into the camera application a system to be able to detect the text that is on paper or on a poster to be able to copy it comfortably. In this way you can transfer it to a blank note to always have it collected and stored there. But they go further, since it is able to recognize phone numbers or emails to immediately make a call or send an email.

But it is not a feature that is limited only to the iPhone camera but it also applies to photographs. This is a tool that this context can be really useful for students. With a simple photograph on the screen or a few notes in text you can copy and paste the text only in an editable blank document. It must be borne in mind that artificial intelligence comes into play here above all when it comes to being able to recognize the text. The only negative is that this is a feature that is limited to iPhones that integrate an A12 processor onwards. This is because it makes use of the Neural Engine that is only integrated in the iPhone XS onwards.

Share series and movies with your friends

If you are a true fan of series and movies, now you can enjoy them with friends or family thanks to iOS 15. Apple has reached agreements with some relevant companies such as Disney to be able to integrate the broadcasting of content with the system operational. In this way you can be watching a series or a movie remotely with anyone without there being any kind of delay since you will be in rhythm. And to comment on it, a voice communication system integrated with FaceTime is enabled as it cannot be otherwise.

But they are not limited only to series or movie content platforms. Among the agreements that have been reached, you can also find Twitch, so you can watch live broadcasts on this platform simultaneously. It cannot be ruled out that in the future other companies may be included in order to enrich this functionality.

Privacy news

Privacy is an important pillar within Apple as we have been able to verify throughout all these months. The momentum of news related to massive information hacks, pishing or location tracking has made iOS 15 reinforce this facet. The most remarkable thing is a new section within the privacy settings where all the data that the applications have been collecting in relation to privacy will be collected. Specifically the location, access to the camera or microphone among other relevant data. This is information that is stored for 7 days and you can easily export it to a specific chat to files. In this way, you will be able to know exactly how an application has been able to track you or that it has used.

In the case of Mail there are also several privacy ‘problems’, and that is that when you send an email a lot of information is attached such as the IP address. Now this native application will use this IP address to prevent the recipient from linking you to other types of online activity or determining your location, and it even prevents anyone from knowing if you have opened an email. And to this is also added the possibility of hiding the email address when sending with a totally random address. This is something that can also be seen in the ‘Login with Apple’ option where you can choose an email automatically generated by Apple.

iCloud and Safari are now also allied to be able to reinforce privacy while you are browsing the internet. Apple has jointly introduced to iOS 15 the ‘iCloud Private Relay’ tool that basically acts as a VPN. By activating this tool, you will connect to a virtual network to prevent the web pages you visit from knowing your IP address or your own location. All the information that is shared will be encrypted and Apple will never be able to access it.

New Health Features

Health is also one of the fundamental pillars of Apple as we have been able to appreciate year after year with the Apple Watch. Now iOS 15 has added new functionalities to improve the health of users. Basically what they have done is get much more out of the information that can be collected from all the sensors that the iPhone has, such as the gyroscope. Now the device will be able to register the speed of the users or the cadence of treading. In this way, a determination of the stabilization that the user who carries the iPhone can be made. The ultimate goal is to help users with exercises to improve stability. In addition, with the ‘Walking Steadiness’ tool you can warn of the probability of falling.

Added to this is an improvement in the description tables for some metabolic values. For example, when you have an analysis from your doctor, you may not understand some values such as ‘LDL’, ‘HDL’, ‘CRP’ or ‘platelet volume’ among other values. More precise information will be available on what it means to have a high value in an analytic and the recommended margins. In addition, with regard to health activities, notifications will now be received in the event that the pace of steps taken or a new night rest widget is decreased.

Other news of the new iOS

Apart from everything that we have previously commented, we have found other changes that are minor within iOS 15 but that also deserve to be named since they will coexist with all of us during this year. Specifically, the news are the following:

• Drag and Drop in Photos: if you want to share photos in a comfortable way, now the application allows you to press and hold a photo to be able to drag it to another application such as email. This makes it much more comfortable to work with this type of content.
• Wallet now adds the possibility of having the driving license registered through scanning. This is a feature that is initially limited to the United States.
• Spotlight is now much richer in the searches you do. It will show results from artists, TV shows, movies or from your own contacts without having to go to Safari to search.
• Photos adds the possibility of creating a compilation of memory images with background music. This music results from the integration it has with the entire Apple Music library to be able to create an emotional or animated compilation.
• Widgets: Apple adds new native tool widgets such as Game Center, App Store Today, Sleep or Mail.
  
• New tracking functions: it will now be possible to track the location of your iPhone even when it is turned off when it is lost. In addition, you can also configure notifications when you are going to leave the iPhone. In addition, in the ‘Search’ application you can track the devices of the members of ‘En Familia’ in real time.
• ICloud Keychain: this tool is now capable of generating two-factor codes, improving the security with which you log in to different web pages. This makes it possible to detach a bit from third-party applications that fulfill this function.
• Reminders: new organizational tools are added such as labels. In this way you can have everything much more organized between the reminders that you have established and even receive notifications through the AirPods.

Released versions of iOS 15

Currently iOS 15 is in a closed beta process for developers that was released on July 7, 2021 after its presentation. For the public beta open to all beta testers, you have to wait until July without any specific date. But logically, it must be taken into account that a beta version presents instability and does not work at its maximum ‘power’ since there are still many months ahead to polish all the bugs that developers are finding.

If you are not in these groups to be able to test the beta, Apple has announced that the final launch will be throughout the fall. If we look at previous years, it can be determined that the launch date will be very close to the release of the new iPhones on the market, which could occur in the middle of September on those devices that are compatible. But Apple will continue working from here on new versions with small new details, adding in this article.