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The New iOS 15 Features Apple Didn't Have Time to Mention
No feature left unturned
By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 10, 2021 03:25PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Software & Apps Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
iOS 15 is big on small tweaks to everything from playback to apps, and photos to audio.These small tweaks make it a big year for iOS updates.Apple has included so many updates it couldn't cover them all in the keynote and we can't cover them all here. Apple iOS 15 is packed with big features and small tweaks that Apple didn’t have time to show off in the WWDC keynote last Monday. Let’s take a look. For the headline iOS 15 features, either take a look at Apple’s overviews or check out Lifewire’s own posts on the new OS. There’s a lot there, but there’s even more under the hood, from a huge revamp of keyboard shortcuts, to translations everywhere, to the amazing Siri Knowledge. “Almost all iOS 15 features that didn’t get any stage time during the keynote were mostly about polishing the rough edges. Probably that’s why they’ve stayed behind the curtain,” San Byn Nguyen, iOS software engineer at Gemini Photos by MacPaw, told Lifewire via direct message. Instant Replay
Apple calls this feature "Game highlights." If you’re playing a game on your iPhone using a Bluetooth game controller, you can press a button to capture the previous 15 seconds of gameplay as video, ready to share. This works using a rolling buffer that always keeps the previous 15 seconds available. And is available on Xbox Series X and S Wireless Controllers or the Sony PS5 DulaSense Wireless Controller. iPhone Apps in Landscape Mode
If you open an iPhone app on your iPad, and your iPad is in landscape orientation, then the iPhone app will appear upright, rather than sideways. You still cannot use an iPhone app in slide over or split view. Universal Translate
You’ll find the new translate feature everywhere on iOS. Any time you select text, and that familiar black bubble appears with copy/paste, and other options, you’ll now see an option to translate. This pops open a new panel with the text in your own language. It even works with Live Text that your iPhone finds in photos. “Almost all iOS 15 features that didn’t get any stage time during the keynote were mostly about polishing the rough edges. Find My Separation Alerts
You can choose to have Find My alert you if you leave one of your gadgets behind. For example, if you leave the office without your iPhone, your Apple Watch can ping you to let you know. Or you could have an alert to never, ever leave your AirPods at home. There’s an option to exclude certain locations. You might want this alert when leaving your iPad at the office, but not at home. Find My can also track your AirPods, just like it tracks AirTags. The AirPods ping out a Bluetooth blip that passing iDevices can pick up. This is pretty great. Also, when the battery on your iPhone is about to die, it switches into an AirTag-style mod, and you can still find it if a thief powers it off. Sad Safari
On the iPhone, iOS 15’s Safari appears to be an improvement. Much of the UI is easier and quicker to reach. But when you start to use it, things get bad, fast. For instance, many previously exposed controls are now hidden. The translation, Reader View, and every other toolbar button are now hidden behind yet another button. If you want to share anything, then it takes two carefully aimed taps to even show the share menu. A page can be reloaded by pulling to refresh, but that also makes it possible to reload a page (and lose anything you’ve typed into it) just by scrolling too enthusiastically. If you’re running iPadOS 15, then it’s even worse, with jiggling tabs that never stay still. This is beta 1 though, so hopefully Apple will fix it. Siri Knowledge in Photos
This is a killer feature. Any time you’re looking at a photo in Photos app, Siri can recognize what’s in the picture. Just tap the Information button (lowercase, circled i), and little icons appear on the photo. A leaf may appear over a plant or a paw print over a dog. Tap these icons, and Siri will show you what kind of dog or flower it is. Perfect for identifying plants, and fun for applying to cat photos from Twitter. So Much More
There’s plenty more, but we’re running out of space. Wallet now auto-expires outdated passes. Your device can "spatialize" audio to sound more 3D, even if it was never created that way. Voice Memos can strip silence from recordings. Reminders gets tags and smart lists, and on and on. With the rest of the summer to fix bugs and add polish, iOS 15 is shaping up to be the best iOS update in years. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire iOS 15: Release Date, Features, and Supported Devices The 12 Best Hidden Features in iOS 15 iPadOS 15: Release Date, Features, and Supported Devices iPadOS 16: Release Date, Features, News, and Price The 15 Best Hidden Features in iOS 16 What Is macOS? iOS 16: News, Price, Release Date, and Features How to Use Google Lens on iPhone How to Fix It When One AirPod Is Not Working How to Use Live Text on iOS 15 How to Use Visual Lookup in Photos in iOS 15 How to Find My Apple Watch How to Use Sign In With Apple How to Fix the Most Common iOS 15 Problems How to Change Your AirDrop Name Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2023: Announcements, News, and More Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies