iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Beta 8 Download Available Now

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 31 Aug 2021

ios 15 tips and tricks

Apple has released the eighth beta of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to developers. iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Beta 7 did not pack any major changes, and it is unlikely that iOS 15 beta 8 will bring too many changes as well. Apple is now focusing on improving the overall stability and usability of the OS ahead of its public release.

Apple has now switched to a weekly release schedule for iOS 15 betas ahead of its public release next month.

If you have not yet installed the iOS 15 developer beta on your iPhone, you can join Apple’s public beta program to try out the latest OS. iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are scheduled for release to the public sometime in September this year. Apart from iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 beta 5, Apple also released a new beta build of watchOS 8, and tvOS 15 to registered developers.

A new public beta of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 should also be released within the next day or so. You can follow our guide to install the iOS 15 public beta on your iPhone right away.

There are plenty of new features in iOS 15. Check out some of the key ones below.

iOS 15 Features

FaceTime Improvements

FaceTime is getting a major upgrade in iOS 15. With video calls surging in popularity over the last year due to COVID-19, Apple is making some important changes to make FaceTime calls more natural. FaceTime calls will now support spatial audio to make it sound like they are sitting in the room with you. Voice isolation uses machine learning to block all ambient noise and focus on just your voice.

FaceTime is getting grid view support to make group video calls easier, making it easier to view multiple callers at once. To make the video calling experience better, FaceTime is getting a portrait mode as well, which will blur the background. You can also schedule FaceTime calls using FaceTime links, which you can share with your friends or family ahead of time. Apple is also allowing Android and Windows users to join FaceTime calls using the web browser.

iOS 15 also brings SharePlay to FaceTime. This allows you to listen to the same music or video while on a FaceTime call. Apple is also introducing a SharePlay API so that other apps and streaming services can also hook into it. However, Apple has confirmed SharePlay won’t be available in the initial releases of iOS 15.

You can get an overview of all the new FaceTime features in iOS 15 here.

iOS 15 FaceTime

Sharing Becomes Easier in Messages

The updated Messages app in iOS 15 now has a new design for group photos. Any links shared with you in the Messages app will also show up in the Shared With You section of Apple News. This allows you to read any content at a later date easily.

You can also pick up on the conversation right from within the Apple News app. Similar functionality will also be making its way to Apple Music, Safari, Podcast, Apple TV, Photos, and more. You can find everything that’s new in the Messages app in iOS 15 here.

Redesigned Notifications and Focus

Apple is redesigning notifications in iOS 15, with contact photos and icons now visible in the notifications. It is also adding a Notification Summary that gives you a summary of all your unread notifications. Impressively, if you have Do Not Disturb enabled, the other party sending you a message will inform you about this.

iOS 15 also debuts Focus profiles so that you can set different profiles for app notifications and home screen layout. For example, you can select the work apps from which you want notification alerts when at work. You can also set different home screen layouts for each profile. Any Focus profile you set will also be synced to your other devices.

Here’s a roundup of everything that’s new with notifications in iOS 15.

Messages in iOS 15

iPadOS 15 Features

Widgets on Home Screen

The redesigned home screen experience on iPadOS 15 is similar to what Apple introduced in iOS 14 for the iPhone last year. To make better use of the large display, Apple is introducing a new 4×4 widget size.

App Library is also coming to the iPad with iPadOS 15. The App Library feature is built into the dock itself, and you can hide home screen pages as well.

iPadOS 15 home screen widgets

Improved Multitasking

Apple is improving the multitasking experience in iPadOS 15. You can now easily run apps in Split View mode using the new multitasking bar. You can also minimize an app window to the Shelf.

You can now run apps Split View right from the multitasking view by dragging one app on top of another.

QuickNote

The Notes app is getting mentions and activity view support in iPadOS 15. You can also add tags in Notes to make it easier to find.

Apple is also debuting QuickNote in iPadOS 15. You can swipe from the corner of the display using your Apple Pencil to open a new QuickNote. This shortcut will work from anywhere in the OS, so you can easily create quick notes when browsing a page in Safari or reading an email. You can also swipe between Quick Notes.


If you find any major new changes in iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 beta 8, drop a comment and let us know about it!