iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 ship with a brand-new feature called Focus mode that lets you set up different notification profiles based on your activities. You can have one for work, one for play, one for sleep, and more.
Here’s how to create and customize new Focus modes on iPhone and iPad.
Live Text in iOS and iPadOS 15 is a terrific new feature that makes the text in your photos interactive. You can use it to copy and paste quotes, call phone numbers, find addresses and more.
Here’s how to use Live Text on your iPhone or iPad to translate signs, posters, and other things written in a foreign language.
Apple is more aggressively encouraging users to update to iOS 15 by stopping security updates for those who don’t.
Cupertino previously made security improvements available as a separate release — and vowed to keep delivering them for those who stick with iOS 14 “until you’re ready to upgrade.” Just a few months later, that’s changed.
iPhone users got small “bug fix” update on Wednesday. iOS 15.2.1 takes care of problems with Messages and CarPlay. And a HomeKit bug that made the news recently. In addition, iPadOS 15.2.1 is also out to take care of the same Messages bug.
Both updates are available for all, and are ready to be installed immediately.
iOS and iPadOS 15 introduce a brilliant new feature called Live Text, which not only identifies text in your photos, but also allows you to interact with it. You can use it for all kinds of things, like making a call, sending an email, or looking up directions to an address.
Here’s how to use the feature to copy and paste text from your images on iPhone and iPad.
European are joining forces in a bid to block iCloud Private Relay — a feature Apple introduced in iOS and iPadOS 15 to bolster its privacy protections. It seems some have already begun disabling it on cellular plans.
A group, which include Vodafone and T-Mobile, has signed an open letter that says Private Relay prevents them from obtaining “vital network data,” and will impact their ability to “efficiently manage telecommunication networks.”
Some iPhone and iPad users are being plagued by a Messages bug that causes read receipts to be sent even when they are disabled. The problem seems to affect devices running iOS 15 or later.
There is no permanent fix for the issue yet, but there is one thing you can do that may eliminate the problem for a short time.
A future WhatsApp update will bring contact photos to your notifications on iPhone. The feature, which requires iOS 15 or later, is already being tested among beta users in version 2.22.1.1 of the app.
This is just one of many improvements WhatsApp has started working on for its iPhone app. Others include revamped contact pages, and a Community feature that gives admins more control over their groups.
Schlage introduced the first smart lock in North America to support Apple Home Key — the Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt — on Tuesday at CES 2022.
So first there was an app for that … key. And now there’s a lock for that key.
Three months after launch, a lower percentage of iPhone users have adopted iOS 15 than they did its predecessors in previous years. Cult of Mac asked readers to explain their hesitancy.
Turns out there’s not one single reason.
In the three months since iOS 15 launched, 65% of iPhone users have installed it. That’s well below the percentage of users who’d installed iOS 14 the same amount of time after its debut in 2020.
There are several possible reasons why the iOS 15 adoption rate might be slower than that of its predecessor.
Searching for a new house with someone who’s not right next to you just got a lot easier. The Zillow app on iPhone or iPad now supports SharePlay, so multiple people can look at the same home listings simultaneously on different devices.
Use it with loved ones or your real estate agent.
The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that it will start accepting Apple Wallet’s new digital IDs starting in February 2022. It looks set to be the first agency to support the new feature, which Apple announced in June.
Two airports will be part of the pilot program initially, but the TSA plans to add another two in March 2022 before a wider rollout next year.
Apple Maps’ “detailed city experience” has landed in Philadelphia, where you can now see beautiful 3D buildings, landmarks and more.
First spotted by users on Twitter, the upgrade has since been confirmed by Apple’s website. Philadelphia joins London, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., in the 3D experience.
Apple has stopped signing iOS 15.1 and iOS 15.1.1, preventing users from downgrading their iPhone after installing the latest iOS 15.2 update.
If you have encountered bugs and other issues with this release, you’ll now have to stick with it until Apple rolls out iOS 15.3, which this week entered beta testing ahead of an official public rollout.
Disney+ just got a new update that adds SharePlay support on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The feature allows up to 32 people to get together and watch the same TV shows and movies simultaneously over FaceTime.
SharePlay is available across content from all Disney brands, including Marvel, National Geographic, Star Wars, and more. But you’ll need a device running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, or tvOS 15.1 to take advantage of it.
iOS and iPadOS 15.2, which made its official public debut on Monday, makes it easier than ever to reset a locked iPhone or iPad.
You no longer need a Mac or PC to get into a device after forgetting your passcode — so long as you remember your Apple ID and password. Here are the steps you need to follow to perform a reset successfully.
Thanks to a new feature in iOS 15.2, you can designate legacy contacts so your loved ones can gain access to data on your iPhone or iPad after your death without your passcode. The Digital Legacy feature means your personal images, files and other data don’t need to remain locked away after your untimely demise.
It’s easy to specify a Digital Legacy contact. And, like writing a will, it’s a smart move almost everyone should make sooner rather than later. Here’s how.
iPhone users can now upgrade to iOS 15.2. The update adds a cheaper Apple Music option, plus there’s a new App Privacy Report, and parents will be alerted if their children send or receive nudes.
iPadOS 15.2 is also available with these same updates. And there’s overlap with the just-released watchOS 8.3 and macOS Monterey 12.1.
Apple seeded the iOS 15.2 release candidate to developers on Tuesday, along with the iPad equivalent. When released to the public, iPhones will alert parents if their children send or receive nudes, there’s a new App Privacy Report, and users will be able to look for AirTags that might be tracking them.
The macOS 12.1 RC and watchOS 8.3 RC also went to devs on Tuesday.
The newest Twitch update for iPhone and iPad adds SharePlay support on iOS and iPadOS 15.1. The feature allows users to watch synchronized streams together over FaceTime, but all participants must have Twitch installed.
Twitch is one of the first third-party platforms to adopt SharePlay, which made its debut in October after it missed the initial iOS 15 rollout.
Apple noted on its website that a planned iOS 15 and watchOS 8 feature letting users add a driver’s license or state ID to an iPhone and Apple Watch in participating U.S. states is delayed until early 2022. Previously, the Cupertino tech giant pegged late 2021 for the launch.
Users of recent iPhone models can now install iOS 15.1.1. Apple released the update Wednesday to take care of problems with dropped calls on these handsets.
It’s only for iPhone 13 and iPhone 12. And there is not an iPadOS equivalent.
Apple’s latest iOS 15.2 beta lets users search inside Apple Music playlists for the first time. The update makes it easier to quickly locate tracks, which should make it a little quicker to keep your favorite playlists in order.
This was one of the most requested features for Apple Music playlists. As users have noted, however, the service still has a long way to go before it catches up with rivals on playlist features.
Apple’s newest iOS 15.2 beta paves the way for DIY screen replacements on iPhone 13. Earlier versions of the firmware inexplicably disabled Face ID when a display was replaced by anyone other than Apple. But that’s no longer the case.
The change came just a day before Apple revealed its new Self Service Program, which will offer customers the parts and tools they need to carry out hardware fixes themselves — if they feel competent enough to do so.