With WWDC 2021 less than a month away, now is the ideal time to look at all the potential new features that Apple could debut in iOS 15. Last year’s iOS 14 was a major release that added a number of new features, including widget support for the home screen. With iOS 15 this year, the expectations are even higher. Thanks to leaks, we have a fair idea of what new features to expect from iOS 15. Below is a roundup of all the confirmed iOS 15 features based on leaks.
Going by Apple’s own release schedule, it is likely that iOS 15 will feature more under the hood changes than user-facing ones. Some of the major changes will likely come to iPadOS 15, with iOS 15 getting some UI enhancements, new privacy features, and more.
iOS 15 Features Based on Leaks
1. Improved Notification Management
Apple is going to make improvements to notification management on iOS 15. Reportedly, it will allow you to set different notification preferences and create custom notification categories depending on what one is doing. This will be similar to the Profile feature that Nokia phones had back in the day. For example, one can set their iPhone to automatically mute all notifications when driving or sleeping. There will also be an option to automatically reply to messages depending on the category that’s set.
2. Lock Screen Enhancements
iOS 15 will enhance the lock screen experience on iPhone by allowing you to select the different notification categories. There are likely going to be other improvements, but they have not been detailed yet.
3. New Privacy Features
Apple tends to introduce new privacy features with every major new release of iOS. With iOS 15, the company will reportedly launch a new privacy feature that will show the list of apps silently collecting user data. Such name and shame tactics from Apple have worked wonders in the past and provide one with a clear picture of what apps and developers they should trust.
4. iMessage Updates
Apple is also working on some iMessage updates to ensure it can compete against WhatsApp and Messenger. However, there are no details on what these changes could be. Apple could possibly defer iMessage improvements to a later point release of iOS 15 if the enhancements are not yet ready by WWDC.
5. Widget Support on iPadOS 15 Home Screen
Apple added widget support to the iPhone’s home screen with the release of iOS 14 last year. However, it did not bring the same feature to iPadOS. This year, Apple is going to fix this by adding widget support to the iPad’s home screen with iPadOS 15. This will allow you to place widgets anywhere you like on your iPad’s home screen and stack them on top of each other.
There will be other major improvements to iPadOS 15, but not much has leaked so far about it.
6. Food Tracking in Health app
Apple is planning to add MyFitnessPal’s like food tracking functionality to iOS’s Health app. With the new feature, you’ll be able to log food on the Health app, keeping a track of your calorie intake. Since the Health app can already track your workout, the app might be able to offer some more insights based on your calorie intake.
The ‘source’ also said that we could see an operating system somewhat based on the screenshots that were posted by Apple during the new accessibility features announcement. The new operating system could feature inset cells and merged navigation bars.
7. Notification Profiles
Apple will also add the ability to set different profiles for notifications like sleeping, working, driving, etc., and allow users to customize them as per their liking. For example, when the sleeping profile is activated, all incoming notifications will be muted.
8. New Privacy Features
Apple is going to introduce additional new privacy features in iOS 15. This includes a dedicated control panel to see what data the apps installed on your phone are collecting. Apple has been adding new privacy features to iOS with every major new release, and it looks like iOS 15 will be just another step from the company in that direction.
9. Messages App to Get Massive Update
The Messages app is going to get a massive update with iOS 15. Apple is planning to turn it into a direct competitor to WhatsApp, Messenger, and other messaging services with this upcoming update.
10. Tweaked Dark Mode
Apple may tweak the Dark Mode in iOS 15. There’s no word on what these tweaks will be, but it might be the ability to turn on Dark Mode for specific apps.
11. iPadOS 15 Features
Reports claim that Apple is planning the “most significant update” to the iPad’s home screen since it was first launched in 2010. Similar to iPhone, Apple is planning on letting iPad users place widgets on their Home Screen. It will also be possible to replace the entire app grid with only widgets.
Right now, while iPadOS does support widgets on the Home Screen, the implementation is limited to just a part of the main home screen. This is different from the iPhone’s home screen in iOS 14, where one can place widgets anywhere they like.
iOS 15 Could Drop Support for iPhone 6s and iPhone SE
Multiple leaks have claimed that the iPhone 6s and the original iPhone SE will not support iOS 15. The A9-powered iPhone 6s was released in 2015 with iOS 9, so Apple has provided it with five major OS updates over a span of nearly six years. Since the same A9 chip also powers the original iPhone SE, Apple is also expected to drop support for it as well with iOS 15. Check out the list of all the iPhones that iOS 15 may support.
What improvements would you like to see Apple make in iOS 15? Drop a comment and let us know!
We will find out how many of these features are included in iOS 15 when Apple unveils it at the WWDC 2021. You can find the local start time of the WWDC keynote in your timezone here and the instructions to watch the WWDC 2021 opening keynote live here.
