It’s finally here. The new iOS 15, just arrived. And it’s loaded with the most interesting features. The new system focuses on several specific applications, such as FaceTime, iMessage, Weather, or Safari, to name a few examples and, at the same time, brings some other new features that extend to the remotest places of the operating system. Let’s talk about the 5 most useful features inside the new iOS 15.
The Top 5 New Features
Focus
With focus, it radically changes the way we use our iPhones on a daily basis. Currently, we use our iPhones for everything, work, relax, go to the gym, even many times also for leisure. And what happens is that the lines between leisure and work were quite mixed, which is why Apple has brought us the solution through Focus. What Focus proposes is that we have a selection of applications and access to notifications that we have decided for that specific focus.
For example, imagine that you put the training focus. The applications that would send you notifications would be those related to training. You can also even select the people who can access you during that focus area that you have activated.
I think this is quite useful for the work. You can place your work contacts and also the closest relatives in case there is an emergency in your work area and you leave your friends out because you do not want to know about the weekend plans that they are planning in another application such as WhatsApp or iMessage.
Source: Apple
In this way, when you put your focus on work, you will only see notifications of the work contacts that you have chosen and also the applications that you have established as important for your work.
You can even select a screen that you have selected with widgets and with apps that are working so that it is the only screen you can access.
By the way, you do not have to manually activate and deactivate focus, but you can set it to activate automatically at a certain time.
New Facetime
With the launch of iOS 15 yesterday, Apple opens one of its key services: FaceTime. With this new version, we can have a FaceTime video call with any Android or Windows user. Of course, we must start it on an Apple device.
During the last WWDC 2021, Apple showed this function to the public that has just landed with the update. The company also ensured that all FaceTime calls are end-to-end encrypted. Including those made with devices from other companies.
To have a FaceTime call with Android or Windows, just follow these steps:
- Open the FaceTime app from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Click on create a link, you will see that some options are displayed.
- Where it says FaceTime Link, you can change the name.
From here, you have the usual options to share the link with Android or Windows: copy, AirDrop, Messages, email, etc. - From here, just press the name of the call from the FaceTime app itself to join it. And the rest of the summoned people only have to follow the steps.
How to join a FaceTime call from Android or Windows
Once an Android or Windows user has received the link, all they have to do is click on it. According to Apple, it is necessary to have the latest version of Chrome or Edge browsers, as well as H.264 video support. Make sure you meet these requirements before entering the call and following these steps:
- Open the link to the FaceTime call, it will open in your default browser.
- Before entering the call, it is necessary that you put your name. Choose one that the person who invited you knows you with.
- By clicking on Continue, you will enter a “waiting room”.
- The person who invited you must give you permission to access the call.
And done! With these measures, you make sure that only the people you want to access the call. Remember that FaceTime supports a maximum of 32 users per call, so you will have space to spare. You can also link to the FaceTime call from the Calendar app. This way, everyone who is invited to the event will know when and how to connect to it.
SharePlay
SharePlay is based on sharing content. Imagine that you are watching a tv show, for example, Ted Lasso, and you want to watch it in sync with another friend who is not in the same room as you. But you want to share the reactions you have in those precise moments of the series.
What you have to do is share the series and watch it together in a synchronized way. The way this works is: what each one does is access the content of the application, that is, both of you need to have an active account either on Apple TV + or on another service like Netflix. The content will appear large and the face of the person with whom you are sharing the content will appear small at the bottom of your screen. When one of the two interacts, it will also be reflected in the other.
So, be careful because if you pause the movie because you want to go to the bathroom, the other will also be paused!
Safari and email
What the new safari design has done is to move the search bar from the top to the bottom of the screen so that way it is much easier to perform a search or even dictate to Siri the web we want to visit, and also to pass between the different websites that we have open and all this with one hand.
By the way, we also have safari extensions available on the iPhone just as we usually have it on the mac.
Regarding email, if you currently have iCloud, the payment service to store your data on the internet will be updated automatically without you having to do anything extra.
iCloud + improves your security mainly in two things. The first one, using the mail app that will block all those trackers out there, to know if you have opened an email, how long you have been in the mail, how far you have reached in the mail. Everything is blocking it.
And about the searches that you do on safari, it also does something similar. From now on, they will not be able to track the websites you are looking for, because the moment you perform a search, it will be encrypted, keeping the IP and the location from where you are searching safely.
Live Text
Last but not least, let’s talk about Live Text. To do this Apple needs a powerful processor. That is, an A12 onwards. That means if you have an iPhone Xs or iPhone XR or later, perfect.
Imagine that you take a photo of a sign, you can directly select the text that appears with your finger and it will highlight them. The phone will understand that the text that we have marked is a few letters, or we can copy it to a note or we can do a search if it is a location or we can even make a translation of the text.
This translation is done by the device itself, that is, without having to send anything to any external server, it is done by the processor itself.
Imagine being a student! You take a photo of the text that is on the board and that text goes directly to clean. Just by taking a photo! That is the dream come true of every student.
