iOS 15 is coming soon: a bunch of new features

iOS 15 release date: September 2021

Apple released iOS 15 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7. The new operating system was first released as a developer version, and a public beta version was made available for download on June 30.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the final version of iOS 15 will be launched in the fall. This will most likely be released in September at the same time as the iPhone 13. As usual, Apple will provide the latest version of iOS within a week after the iPhone conference. This means that we can upgrade to iOS 15 within a week after September 14.

Many new features

FaceTime updates: spatial audio, Android and Windows support

FaceTime will offer spatial audio, so people's voices sound like they are coming from the screen. This will make your video chat experience more natural and realistic. FaceTime will allow you to see all participants in a grid view, schedule calls and share call links, which can be accessed through browsers on Google Android and Microsoft Windows devices. This means that Android users can also use the FaceTime feature.

iMessage Sharing

The new iMessage sharing feature allows sharing of photos, news articles, and playlists. When a friend sends you multiple photos via iMessage, they appear as a dynamic collage, allowing you to swipe or tap to view the entire group of photos in the Photos app. If you want to access them later, you'll find them stored in a new shared folder, mixed with your own featured photos and memories. You can also find news articles and playlists shared via iMessage in the new Shared With You tab in the News and Apple Music apps.

Apple Maps updates: 3D street data, AR walking directions, and weather warnings

Apple Maps will get more elevation data, road colors and driving directions, rich labels, 3D placemarks, and an improved Night Mode.

For public transportation, you can also pin nearby public transportation stops and stations to your iPhone and Apple Watch devices, and receive automatic updates and notifications when you’re riding and approaching stations. When traveling on foot, the new augmented reality feature uses the iPhone’s camera to scan nearby buildings in the area to get their precise location and walking directions.

Maps also incorporates weather warnings. Redditor ChrisSDreiling, who discovered the update in iOS 15 beta 3, says Maps will notify you if there are flash floods on your way and suggest alternative routes to avoid extreme weather. Although ChrisSDreiling's post doesn't mention other types of weather alerts, it will be interesting to see if more are added before the full release of iOS 15 in the fall.

Apple could use facial recognition to authenticate digital IDs in the Wallet app in iOS 15.

Facial recognition selfie to verify digital ID in e-wallet app

At WWDC this spring, Apple announced that it would add ID card support to the Wallet app in iOS 15. This allows you to carry a digital version of a government-issued ID, such as a driver's license, on your iPhone. But it's not clear exactly how the new feature will work. According to code discovered by 9to5Mac in the latest iOS 15 beta 4 for developers, Apple may use facial recognition selfies to verify your digital ID when adding it to your Wallet.

Some banking apps already use this selfie verification feature to authenticate users when logging in with a new device.