Apple opens up FaceTime, digs even deeper into security, and beefs up its Weather and Maps apps.
Just when you thought there was little Apple could do to improve upon the huge changes it implemented in iOS 14, Cupertino this week announced several impressive updates and new features coming to its mobile OS in iOS 15. FaceTime updates lead the news here, but accessibility, privacy, web browsing, translation, home automation, Maps, and Weather improvements are also on tap. Many of the features will arrive across Apple’s various platforms—including the new macOS Monterey, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8—in the fall. Until then, here are some of the top features we’re excited to try out. FaceTime in iOS 15 (Image: Apple) Many of the new features coming to FaceTime have long been available from competing video chat offerings like Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom —things like background blur, grid view, and background noise reduction. What’s most astounding, coming from Apple, is that you’ll be able to use FaceTime on Android and Windows. This is an unheard of move from the company, which favors a proprietary, walled-garden approach. Sadly, Apple still refuses to open up iMessage to other platforms. Apple SharePlay in iOS 15 (Image: Apple) Also coming to FaceTime is SharePlay, which takes a page from Facebook’s Watch Together to let those on FaceTime simultaneously take in a flick on video-streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu or listen to music on Apple Music. Apple TV users can also partake in the fun. Focus in iOS 15 (Image: Apple) You’ve long been able to set quiet time for your iPhone with the Do Not Disturb feature, which stops notifications, calls, and message dings. With iOS 15, Apple expands on this, with Focus, which offers not just one but four ways to step away from your phone. It will use AI to suggest one of four modes: Do Not Disturb, Personal, Work, and Sleep. The middle two let you use designated apps (for which you can create a special home screen) just for work or family time. Notifications in iOS 15 (Image: Apple) Apple has tweaked notifications on the iPhone often over the years, and for iOS 15, the company goes so far as to claim a “New Notification Experience.” But don’t worry, they don’t look that different.
