Apple’s next big update for a billion-plus iPhones is iOS 15. A beta for developers was made available on the first day of WWDC, June 7, 2021. The beta was then expended to public beta testers in its second release, on June 30, 2021. We expect the final release in the fall, probably in September.
This page collects all our major articles about iOS 15: FAQs and feature guides, how-tos, tips, updates, and news. It’s your one-stop-shop for all the iOS 15 related content on Macworld. We’ll continue to update this page as we post more iOS 15-related articles.
iOS 15 FAQ
What’s new in iOS 15? As usual, the big new iPhone operating system update comes with lots of new features, design changes, and improvements. We’ve compiled a list of all the big new features in iOS 15.
How to install the iOS 15 beta
Want to give iOS 15 a try before it’s finished? Maybe help find (and report!) some bugs? Anyone with a supported device can sign up for the public beta and try it out. It’s not always easy to go back to iOS 14, though, so be careful! Here’s how to sign up for the iOS 15 beta and install it.
iOS 15’s delayed features
A number of iOS 15 features will not be ready yet when iOS 15 first rolls out to the general public. SharePlay, Legacy Contacts, CSAM scanning, and Universal Control are all rolling out in an update later this year. We have a guide on iOS 15’s delayed features to keep you up to speed.
iOS 15: How to scan text almost anywhere
With iOS 15 you can use your camera to scan and copy text into almost any text input field! It’s essentially a new option to go along with cut and paste…now it’s cut, paste, and scan. Our guide to scanning text in iOS 15 shows you how.
iOS 15 features: Safari
Apple constantly improves its Safari browser, but iOS 15 is the first time in a long time that it will actually have a substantially new interface. When you first visit a website after upgrading to iOS 15, it’s going to be a shock (and a lot of people aren’t going to like it). Learn how to use the radically new Safari browser in iOS 15. Fortunately, if you want to move the address bar back to the top like it used to be, you can do that. Follow our guide to learn how.
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iOS 15 features: Notification Summary
New to iOS 15 are some great new features meant to reduce distractions and keep your phone from always nagging you to pick it up. One of the best is a new Notification Summary tool that bundles up notifications that aren’t time-sensitive and delivers them at the time of your choosing. Learn how to use the new Notification Summary feature here.
iOS 15: Translate text in almost any app
Apple has finally built translation right into the operating system, which means you can translate text in almost any app that lets you select text. You can even download language packs and do the translation entirely offline, if you want. Check out our feature on how to translate text with iOS 15.
iOS 15 features: FaceTime links
Once limited to Apple only devices, you’ll have the ability to share links to FaceTime calls with Android or Windows users, who can join on the web. FaceTime links can be used to get everyone on board at a future date, too. Learn all about the new FaceTime Links and how to talk to Android or Windows users.
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iOS 15 features: Focus modes
Another great tool to help you avoid unwanted distractions is Focus. With Focus you can set your iPhone (and iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch) into a customized “mode” that silences interruptions from all but the people and apps you determine, and can even display or hide specific home screens. Set up Focus modes for working, driving, sleeping, gaming, whatever… you can even set triggers to turn them on or off automatically. Learn all about how to use Focus here.
iOS 15: Siri offline
One of the great annoyances of the iPhone is that you need an internet connection to use Siri. With iOS 15, that’s finally changing! Siri will process your voice and do many of your requests entirely offline. Launching apps, changing settings, turning on the flashlight, setting timers, adjusting music playback, and much more will work even in airplane mode. This on-device processing also makes Siri much faster. Learn more about Siri offline processing here.
iOS 15 features: Live Text
With iOS 15 you can select text in pictures, and interact with it the way you do throughout the system: copy and paste, look up definitions, call phone numbers, look up addresses in Maps, and so on. In works in the Camera app, Photos, and even on images in Safari. Learn how to use Live Text here.
iOS 15 features: Shared with You
In iOS 15, the links and content that people send you in Messages will automatically appear in the associated apps in a new “Shared with You” section. So instead of having to go to Messages, find the thread, and scroll back to find that link someone sent you, you’ll find web links right in Safari, images in Photos, Apple Music links will be in Music, TV app content in the TV app, and so on. Here’s how Shared with You works.
What’s next?
Of course, iOS 15 brings a ton of great features to the iPhone. But a lot of them aren’t just about the iPhone. They’re features and services that lay the groundwork for a distant future where the iPhone is no longer Apple’s most important device. Read about how Apple is preparing for the post-iPhone future.