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I wish Android would let me make UPI payments like iOS 15 does
Apple just beat Google in a localized feature for India!
Apple’s increased focus on the Indian market lately is evident through various avenues, be it local manufacturing to mitigate exorbitant pricing or opening its own online store. A more recent indication comes from the iOS 15 update that brings along a list of improvements specifically designed for Indian users. But the one that caught our attention is a new camera feature that deeply integrates India’s uber-popular UPI payment system.
Google is updating its iOS apps to take advantage of some features Apple 'borrowed' from Android
Customizable do-not-disturb notifications and new widgets inbound
We're all eagerly awaiting the release of Android 12, but it's not the only mobile OS update launching this fall. iOS 15 went live for iPhone and iPad users yesterday, complete with improved notifications, a new customizable "Focus" mode, and more. Google has been spending its time getting apps ready for Material You, but it's also bringing some changes to its services on Apple devices, taking advantage of all the new capabilities brought forth by iOS 15.
With WWDC officially in the rearview mirror, it's obvious that iOS 15 is more about polishing up last year's features than it is boldly treading new paths. That shouldn't be too much of a surprise for anyone paying attention to Apple's software — the company usually follows a tick-tock release for hardware and software alike. iOS 15 brings along some nice enhancements, especially for anyone deep inside the Apple ecosystem, but there's always room for improvement. As someone who cycles back and forth between Android and iOS, there's plenty of things I wish had changed in this year's version.
Apple's new Hide My Email feature puts a stop to endless spam in your inbox
Generate and delete as many addresses as you need
How many times have you given out your email to an online storefront or service, only to come to regret the decision? Some companies abuse your inbox with countless promotions, coupon codes, newsletters, and spam multiple times per day. With iOS 15, Apple is adding a new method to its devices to make it easy to gain back control of your incoming emails.
Android did it first: Siri won't be dumb as a rock when you're offline in iOS 15
Offline voice recognition meet offline commands
In yet more "Android did it first" news, Apple has announced that Siri for iPhones will support on-device speech recognition, like recent Google's Pixels have supported since the "next-gen" Assistant landed with the Pixel 4, though Apple is making its offline recognition the default setting in the name of user privacy. On top of that, though, Siri will support offline commands for basic functions, too — you know, like Google's had since before the Assistant even existed.
iOS gets the same system-wide translation powers as Android
iOS 15 adds some familiar tools with a great UI, but Apple's language selection is lacking
Google's long been the king of machine translation, but Apple appears to have designs upon its throne. The company revealed that its next release of iOS would feature "Live Text," a feature that's more or less a straight copy of the image processing Google has been doing in Lens for years. But as part of that, it's going to add rapid language translation pretty much everywhere in the operating system, including selectable text.
Apple is going to let you stay on older versions of iOS longer
Not ready to upgrade to iOS 15 yet? Not a problem!
One of Apple's biggest strengths has always been the long-term software support offered for its family of devices. Case in point: the iPhone 6s that was released back all the way back in 2015 will still get the latest version of iOS later this year. But more than just bringing so many users access to the latest software, Apple's decided to start offering a meaningful choice, and all devices receiving iOS 15 will soon have the option to stay on iOS 14 without skipping important security patches.
Apple can't highlight every change to iOS during its annual WWDC keynote, and that means some really cool features often get left out of the spotlight. If you're a power user with an iPhone handy, a popular iPad-exclusive feature is finally coming to your device. Apple is adding drag-and-drop support for files and photos to iOS 15, so you can quickly move content across all of your apps.
Revamped iOS 15 Weather app shows off a whole lot of Dark Sky
Just in case you needed another reason to be pissed off
It's been a little over a year since Apple bought up user-favorite weather app Dark Sky, shuttering its entries for Android and Wear OS. Today we're seeing the fruits of that acquisition in a revamped Weather app for the iPhone, which will debut with iOS 15. It's pretty blatantly incorporating a lot of the visual flair from Dark Sky into Apple's official app.
Apple's Private Relay keeps your browsing so secret even Apple can't track you
Available to all paying iCloud subscribers at no extra cost
Security is on everyone's mind these days, with more people than ever looking to keep their browsing data hidden from prying eyes. Apple is introducing a new way to use your iPhone without having to worry about your information leaking to unknown forces.
iMessage in iOS 15 wants to be a hub for everything you share with friends
From photos and articles to your next binge watch
iMessage is one of the best messaging clients available today — as long as you and your friends are deeply invested in Apple's ecosystem. As part of iOS 15, iMessage is getting several new features, including photo collages, new ways to share content with your friends, and full support for SharePlay.
iOS 15 brings spatial audio, SharePlay, and grid view to FaceTime
Making virtual hangouts feel a little more real
For many of us, video calls have become a daily part of our lives. Anyone who owns any Apple devices can tell you how fantastic FaceTime is for reaching out to friends and family. As part of iOS 15, Apple is adding a ton of changes to FaceTime, including spatial audio for more natural-sounding conversations, an all-new grid view, and a SharePlay API that makes it easy to watch videos, share your screen, and more.