Apple WWDC 2021, broadcasted on the Apple YouTube channel the previous night, was not live like last year due to the pandemic. The event included many innovations that excited the developers and users.
Many new features like iOS 15, watchOS 8, new FaceTime features, and iPad OS 15 were announced at the conference. While Apple CEO Tim Cook gave his speech on the stage, Memoji audiences were on the seats instead of a real audience.
Some of the most important things announced at the 1h 46m long conference were:
iOS 15.
watchOS 8
macOS Monterey
Airpods Pro
iPadOS 15
and many more...
Here are the innovations that come with iOS 15:
Standing upon pandemic-oriented innovations since last year, Apple introduced many new or improved features in WWDC 2021, that will connect people remotely and ease communication. The company, which focuses on making life easier and creating a safe and private environment in the digital world, offered very useful and safe features to iOS users in this update. The first thing that stood out among these innovations was the new FaceTime features announced at the beginning of the conference.
FaceTime rooms via URL:
FaceTime, which has been actively used since 2010, offered video and audio communication over the internet between iOS and macOS operating systems devices, which are only available in the Apple ecosystem. Considering the social distance problem that has shaken our lives with the pandemic, Apple has removed this requirement with a new FaceTime feature announced at the WWDC 2021 conference, offering the opportunity to create meeting rooms that can be done through browsers on Android and Windows platforms.
SharePlay:
SharePlay, a brand new feature offered with FaceTime rooms, provides users with interactive video conferencing, such as listening to the same music, watching the same movie, or looking at the same photos, at the same time, with a synchronized media playback system just like Tele Party we know before. In the middle of the conversation, you can show a photo that comes to your mind and watch your favorite TV series at the same time.
Moreover, SharePlay will be able to work not only with Apple Music or Apple TV but also with other third-party applications. Many third-party applications will be able to take advantage of this feature with the SharePlay API. Apple, which has already started working with Disney +, Hulu, and many platforms, will release the SharePlay feature with many other platforms such as Netflix in the future.
Live Text:
Another new feature introduced at the conference was Live Text, which converts handwriting or any other physical text into digital text with the help of the camera. From now on, iOS users will be able to digitalize the text written on a sign directly from the camera application and share the handwritten notes as a digital message. In addition, they will be able to translate the signs they see abroad directly using the camera.
Apple Wallet:
The update to Apple Wallet can be regarded as an investment for the future. With the rise of smart homes, workplaces, and hotel systems, Apple combines your wallet, phone, house key, or car key only in an application; In other words, they’re up to integrating every essential piece in your pocket into your iPhone.
Apple Wallet connects to your smart home system and encrypts your card house key to your phone, thus putting an end to the trouble of forgetting keys at home. It provides you with great convenience by integrating all the essentials that you use in daily life, such as credit card, debit card, or public transport card on your phone, all encrypted. Even your car keys will be encrypted in Apple Wallet!
Another remarkable thing about iOS 15 and Apple Wallet is that you can enter important cards such as ID cards and driver's licenses in Apple Wallet. This feature is only available in the USA only for now.
There is more on iOS 15:
Apple Maps: AR (Augmented Reality) technology and three-dimensional navigation system that came to Apple Maps is another big improvement. AR that shows the name of the street when you hold your phone's camera in the direction you're going to, and the new design of the navigation system, which is a total visual feast, are among the newest features of Apple Maps coming to iOS 15.
Notification Screen and Focus: iOS 15 offers users a refreshed and simplified notification center. Now, the profile picture of the message sender or the icon of the app on the incoming notification will appear on the left with a bigger text.
The Focus can be seen as an expansion to the Sleep Mode in iOS 14, which adapts to different times and places of the day, such as Work and Home situations. For example, while your iPhone is focused on Work Mode, it only delivers the notifications of work-related applications.
Safari: Bringing a breath of fresh air to mobile internet browsing, Safari provides an easy transition between tabs with a single gesture with the tab bar at the bottom of the screen, while providing great comfort to users in terms of one-handed use.
Weather and Notes: Weather and Notes apps are redesigned for easy use. New features coming to the Notes application that allows you to format the text in more detail. Weather, on the other hand, is presented with a more stable and simple design.
Privacy: The Privacy features that came with iOS 14.5 are reinforced with iOS 15. If allowed, the shared information can be monitored in detail. You can now see what information is fetched for what purpose on iOS 15.
You can access iOS 15, with all these great features on open beta as of July 2021, and its stable version as of September 2021.
Compatible devices that will receive the iOS 15 update:
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPod touch (7th generation)
Source: Apple Newsroom