Let others know when your notifications are disabled. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
It’s possible to share your Focus status with select contacts in iOS and iPadOS 15, so that friends and family members don’t think you’re just ignoring their calls and texts.
Here’s how you pick and choose who sees that your notifications are disabled while you’re busy.
Keep your iPhone quiet when you're busy. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
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.
Improvements are nice, but just not enough. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple somehow created the world’s greatest and most disappointing tablet operating system. iPadOS is by far the best you’ll find for larger touchscreens, and yet, it leaves us wanting so much more.
This year’s iPadOS 15 release is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It improves upon the split-screen multitasking system, adds some new features like Focus mode, and finally allows us to put widgets anywhere.
But it’s still iPadOS as we know it, and it’s still holding back iPad Pro. We could be doing so much more with the hardware, especially now that the newest models pack even-speedier M1 chips. But Apple won’t let us.
Here’s our full iPadOS 15 review. It lays out what’s good about the new operating system — and explains why we think it’s time for a little more ambition.
Do Not Disturb is still available inside iOS and iPadOS 15, despite the introduction of a brand-new and infinitely more powerful Focus mode. But the feature is now missing a key settings option that didn’t carry over from iOS 14.
Users have quickly discovered that Apple’s newest update kills the ability to activate Do Not Disturb only when a device is locked — one of its best features for many iPhone and iPad users.
We already gave you some ideas on how to work from home, and how to stop yourself from going insane while you’re stuck in COVID-19 lockdown. Today we’re going to take a look at some great iOS apps to use while you’re working from home.
Block out distracting websites and apps to create the optimal work environment in one click. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Macs are powerful tools, but they’re also weapons of mass distraction. It’s just so easy to endlessly scroll Twitter or putz around on Fortnite instead of working. This app will help you stay on task and productive.
The new Home screen widget panel on iPadOS 13. Photo: Apple
In iPadOS, the old Today View has shuffled over a little, and now lives right on the Home screen. You can pin widgets there, and they will be permanently shown on the left edge of the Home screen (in landscape, at least — in portrait they will act more like a temporary Slide Over panel).
This changes how we use widgets. Instead of being temporary, quick-info panels, or shortcuts for app functions, widgets are now always visible, and always available to tap. A weather widget can be checked with a single glance, for instance. Ditto countdown timers. And — best of all — Shortcuts can be triggered with a single tap.
Let’s take a look at some great widgets for the iPadOS Home screen.
Let these shortcuts take care of your morning routine, so you can focus more on important things, like breakfast. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Every morning, after I park my iPad in its desk stand, I start writing the same way: I play the same music playlist; I start the Focus app, which reminds me to take breaks; and I create a new Ulysses sheet to start typing in. And I do all of these almost without touching the screen.
You’d be surprised at how much you can do on the iPad with just the keyboard. Today we’re going to see some cool examples, plus a bonus Good Morning shortcut.
Check out this week’s amazing apps, you lucky people. Photo: Cult of Mac
This week we check out Feedly’s amazing new iOS app, remember to take breaks with Focus, and write shortcuts from scratch, in code (!), with the Shortcuts Cub compiler. Woah, right?
'Focus' is just like Portrait Mode, except it works on video too. Photo: Apple
Getting perfect Portrait Mode photos no longer requires an iPhone with two camera lenses.
Instagram revealed a new feature today that mimics the blurry depth of field on Portrait Mode photos, only it works on older iPhones and even Android smartphones.