Summertime is here, and that means barbecues, fishing trips, vacations, and iOS beta season. iOS 15 was unveiled at WWDC 2021. With it, Apple brings some more “quality of life” improvements. But as is the case with every new iOS release, you might be wondering what iPhones will get the next version.
During the Keynote, it really didn’t seem like iOS 15 was getting much love, after seeing the major additions last year. And that’s largely still the case. However, it’s clear that Apple is cleaning things up a bit with iOS 15, and offering one of those “fine-tuning” years. There is still a slew of new features arriving, and here are some of our favorites:
Focus Mode – Create different Do Not Disturb profiles based on what you’re doing. But instead of having all notifications silenced, you can select what apps and contacts can send notifications based on those profiles. Apple has even made it possible to have certain home screens appear and removed when Focus mode is enabled.
Redesigned Notifications – Apple is continuing to try and get its notifications problem sorted. With iOS 15, your notifications will be arranged based on priority. Meaning that if you have a text message arrive, it will be pushed to the top, even if other apps send notifications.
Live Text – Think Google Lens for iOS, but integrated into the Camera app. Point your camera at a business card and then add that info right into a new contact. Or figure out exactly what breed of dog that is that you’re looking at.
Safari redesign – In an effort to make one-handed usage easier, Safari for iOS has been redesigned completely. The address bar is now at the bottom, and you can simply swipe left or right to switch between tabs.
Dark Sky comes to Weather – Apple acquired the popular Dark Sky weather app in early 2020, but iOS 14 didn’t bring many of those features over. That’s beginning to change with iOS 15, as the stock Weather app is starting to integrate more features and a slight redesign.
Notes and Reminders improvements – Even though there are quite a few great third-party options, many people still rely on the stock Notes and Reminders app. In iOS 15, both are seeing enhancements including the ability to use Tags.
What iPhones will get iOS 15?
It’s no secret that Apple is at the top of the mountain when it comes to keeping its older devices updated. And this trend continues with iOS 15, as Apple is bringing iOS 15 to the iPhone 6s series from 2015. Apple did state that some features won’t be coming to those older devices, but we’ll have to wait and see what those features are.
iPhone 12 / 12 Mini / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS / XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone SE 1st Gen / 2nd Gen
iPod Touch 7th Gen
When will iOS 15 be released?
The first iOS 15 Developer Beta is available to download and install now. Provided that you have an Apple Developer account, that is. During the WWDC 2021 Keynote, Apple stated that the first Public Beta version of iOS 15 should be coming in July. Outside of that, we aren’t sure exactly when that will be, as it could always be pushed back if there are issues with the software.
Apple also confirmed that the final version of iOS 15 will arrive this Fall. This is in line with Apple’s schedule over the past few years. It’s also likely that we’ll see iOS 15 launch just ahead of Apple’s announcement of its next iPhone.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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