Apple released its first operating system iOS 1 in 2007 which was introduced in the very first iPhone. The launch of the new iPhone took the technological world by storm as smartphones, by then, did not have touchscreens or used a resistive touch. The iPhone changed this trend with the capacitive touchscreen, but more importantly, Apple carefully wedded the new hardware capability to a new user interaction model that was simultaneously simpler and more powerful than the systems previously available. At the time of the launch, the iOS may have been simpler and powerful but lacked many necessities and to name a few it did not support 3G, multitasking, and 3rd party apps. Moreover, the users could not copy or paste and were also not allowed to customize the home screen or the lock screen.
Apple believed that instead of competing on the specifications, they should focus on getting the core experience right. It focused on speed, consistency between the applications, and making a few features radically better than other operating systems available in 2007. Moving fast forward to 2021, Apple launched the new version of iOS which is called iOS 15 making it the 15th version of the operating system in 15 years. By the numbers we can easily evaluate that a newer version of iOS was launched each year after its first introduction, making it better and more user-friendly every year. With the latest launch, iOS 15 brings a lot of new features and also enhances the already existing attributes.
7 Useful iOS 15 Features
Here are 7 features in the new iOS that an iPhone user must know.
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Augmented Reality (AR) Maps
It is no brainer that Apple Maps has always been playing catch-up with Google Maps, but with the latest update, we can fairly say that Apple Map has leapfrogged ahead in many ways. The most intrigued update is that you can get directions in augmented reality. As you walk, hold the phone up so it can see nearby buildings, and Maps will overlay street names and your walking instructions over live video of your route.
To get your AR walking directions, plan a route in the usual way and select walking instructions after you tap the route button. Tap Go and then tap the AR cube button on the right side of the map.
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Find which apps are using your information
Privacy is the most important aspect of a phone as people tend to keep highly confidential information on their phones. Apple cares about the privacy of their users and that is why they are doubling the privacy protection. You can now access the application privacy report which will show how the apps on your phone are using your information.
You need to opt into the App Privacy Report. To do that, start the Settings app and tap Privacy, then scroll to the bottom and tap App Privacy Report. Tap Turn on App Privacy Report and it’ll start collecting information about your apps.
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Copy text from the pictures using Live Text
You need to copy down a text from a picture or have to note down your lectures that are available in a picture format, worry no more as the iOS 15 got it covered. Typing every word from a picture can be a lengthy process that takes up a lot of our time but with the new feature in the latest update, you can copy the text from the pictures and paste it where you want the text placed.
You can simply open any image in your Photos app with text, tap on text in the image, drag the highlighted field to encompass all the text you need, tap the highlighted field then tap Copy in the pop-up menu.
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Share your screen on FaceTime
There are times when you need to show a document or a picture on your phone to the person you are video chatting with and if you have an older version of the iOS, you will not be able to do so. In the latest update, you can share the screen while video chatting through FaceTime which is the most compelling new feature of the iOS 15. Everyone on the call will be able to see the screen you are sharing and you can also play videos or music while sharing the screen.
To do that, start a FaceTime call and then tap the SharePlay button at the top right of the screen and it will start sharing. In the pop-up, tap Share My Screen.
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Android and Windows users can also join a FaceTime call
For the first time in 15 years history of iOS, a non-iOS user can take part in FaceTime calls. In the previous versions of the operating system, a non-iOS user was not able to join a FaceTime call which was disappointing as friends or family members who used other operating systems were left out. Family members or friends, non-iOS users, will now never be left out of the all-important video calls as iOS 15 allows the non-iOS users to join the FaceTime calls.
To add the non-iOS users in a FaceTime call start FaceTime and then tap Create Link at the top of the page. When the Share pop-up appears, send the link to your recipients any way you like.
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Drag and Drop between Apps
You can now drag content from one app to another with ease. For example, you can drag a photo from the Photos app and drop it into a message in the messaging app. Though there is a minor complexity in doing this as it will require a lot of practice and finger dexterity.
To drag and drop a picture in the messaging app, you need to hold a picture until it starts to move, now without lifting the finger, use a different finger to go back to the home page and open the messaging app. Now open the chat while holding the picture with one finger and then finally release the picture in the message.
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Put the safari address bar back at the top
The iOS 15 update moved the Safari’s address bar and the menu at the bottom of the screen to make it easier to reach. As the Max versions of the iPhones are quite large, it is impossible to reach the address bar with one hand, so Apple made it easier to reach the address bar by putting it at the bottom of the screen. However, some users did not like this change and wanted to simply restore it to the way it was before the update.
So, to restore it, you have to tap the AA button at the left side of the address bar and then, in the menu, tap Show Top Address Bar.
