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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.
With better search on iOS, Apple keeps beating Google at its own game
Hey Google, what about universal search on Android?
I'm a little angry. No, scratch that, I'm very angry. Whenever Apple introduces improvements to Spotlight on iPhones and iPads, I have vivid PPSSD (post-personal-search stress disorder) and remember the glorious years when we had a decent on-device search solution on Android. Then it was gone and Google, the search company to end all search companies, pretended nothing happened, that it was never there, and whoever really wanted a central search solution on their phone?
As a Mac user, it's getting harder and harder to stick with Android
Apple's luring us with its tight ecosystem approach
I've been a Mac user since early 2008, months before the first Android device was announced and three years before I bought my first Android phone. I felt like an outlier for a while, until I started meeting more like-minded people: Mac users who couldn't fathom the idea of iOS on their phone and chose Android instead. Just here on Android Police, six other colleagues straddle the ecosystem barrier and strive for a cross-platform digital existence like me. But every year at WWDC, Apple takes it upon itself to lure us in, and it's getting harder and harder to resist the temptation.
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.
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.
Siri voice commands come to third-party smart home gadgets later this year
The WWDC showed off an Ecobee thermostat responding to Siri commands
Apple's WWDC 2021 keynote is nearly two hours long, because Apple has a lot in common with Zack Snyder. Nestled in the presentation on HomeKit was an interesting nugget of information: Siri will be available on third-party devices later this year. That's a little less exciting than it sounds. It's not as if you'll be able to install a Siri app on Windows or Android: Apple's only extending this functionality to devices that are compatible with its HomeKit smart home technology. During the keynote, Apple demonstrated a Siri voice command working with an Ecobee thermostat (which indeed, includes its own microphone for voice commands).Third-party smart home appliance manufacturers will be able to integrate Siri commands into their HomeKit functionality later this year, assuming they have the hardware to support it. But you may need a HomePod or HomePod Mini in order to use it: the presenter said that commands go to your HomePod over your home's network without going to a third-party server. Based on the demo, it looks like it should be possible to add Siri voice command functionality via a software update, so those who want it won't necessarily have to buy all-new smart home gadgets.
iCloud won't try to charge you for switching to a new iPhone anymore
Apple will give you temporary space for your iCloud backups when buying a new device
Switching to a new phone is challenging enough, and that's before you're prompted to pay upfront for cloud storage to move your files over. Thankfully, Apple is making a big change to its setup process. Starting with iOS 15, you no longer have to pay for extra storage to upload your iPhone's backup to the cloud.According to the complete list of iOS 15 details on Apple's website, you'll now be granted a temporary amount of iCloud storage space after you buy a new device to allow your backup to move freely from one phone or tablet to the next. This storage space is only meant to be used for backups, and it'll disappear after three weeks, but that's plenty of time to get all of your apps, photos, contacts, and messages onto your new iPhone. Considering the cost of a brand new iPhone, some temporary free storage to transfer a backup is a pretty nice gesture of goodwill.Apple is also improving the experience of moving from Android to iOS with its latest software. The setup process in iOS 15 will include a QR code that leads directly to the Move to iOS app in the Play Store for easy downloading. The Android app has also gained the ability to move photo albums, files and folders, and even accessibility settings to iPhone.This update continues Apple's quest to make switching to iOS easier than ever, but whether it'll be enough to win over anyone who hasn't already invested in its ecosystem remains to be seen.
Time is relative. Sometimes 10 minutes can seem like forever, but other times it's the blink of an eye and that pot you have in the kitchen is boiling over. Setting timers can prevent that, but what if you need more than one? That wasn't an option on the Apple Watch until now. At WWDC, Apple casually mentioned that multiple timers are coming to its wearable.
Apple steals not one, but two Chrome features for the iPhone's iOS 15 Safari redesign
Swipe to switch tabs plus a very familiar tab switcher
Apple claimed at WWDC this year that Safari is the "world's fastest browser" — note that not everyone agrees with that, and if the company's claim is true, it's at the cost of not supporting the modern internet and PWA-hostile policies, but you do you Apple. Separately from speed-ranking titles, Safari is also stealing two pretty handy features from Chrome on mobile platforms. As part of a cross-platform redesign that includes iOS 15, Safari will pick up Chrome's swipe-to-switch-tabs feature, plus Chrome's grid tab view. Safari is also getting tab grouping like Chrome, but it sounds like the iPhone will skip that party.
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.
Apple's iOS 15 Wallet app will get you through TSA checkpoints with digital IDs
That much closer to replacing your real wallet
Apple Wallet started out with support for credit cards, but it's been expanding to support things like airline tickets and transit passes. In iOS 15, Apple is aiming to finally make your wallet obsolete. You'll be able to store your credit cards, keys, and even your ID all in the Wallet app. Apple says the ID scanning feature is even going to be supported by the TSA.
Nobody wants redundant home audio equipment. Speakers take up space, but in the age of near-ubiquitous smart speakers, a lot of them just sit around in our homes doing a whole lot of nothing. Damn lazy speakers. With an upcoming update, your HomePod mini will finally be able to start pulling its weight around the house. Maybe it'll even get a job.Provided you have an Apple TV 4K, you'll be able to set your HomePod minis (HomePods mini?) up as your television's speakers. It's not clear how many HomePods will be supported for output simultaneously, but at least two, obviously.This is pretty cool stuff, and I'd hope to see Google follow suit with its Nest Audio speakers and Chromecast with Google TV.
Your AirPods are about to get a lot smarter
Siri notification alerts, conversation boost, and new spatial audio support on TVOS and M1 Macs
Apple's signature headphone series isn't getting any new hardware announced today, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing to talk about. With the advent of iOS 15 and iPad OS 15, AirPods are getting handy new features that more fully integrate them with Apple's ecosystem, and new onboard features that make them work better all on their own.
iPhones start playing catch-up with Android's notifications in iOS 15 redesign
Plus new Focus do-not-disturb modes that rein them in based on what you're doing
Among the biggest complaints Android converts to iOS have (apart from the platform's lack of an intents system... and file management... and the price) is how Apple handles notifications. For a modern software system, they feel right out of 2011 in a lot of bad ways. Thankfully for anyone on team green considering the switch, Apple is making a handful of changes that should make them better — though probably still not quite as good as Android.
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.
iPadOS 15 adds Android-style homescreen widgets and powerful multitasking tools
The new collection of tools should make working with more complex apps even easier on iPads
iPad users get some of the best exclusive features for Apple's touchscreen interfaces in iPadOS. That's remaining true with version 15, announced today at Apple's WWDC event. iPads are belatedly getting support for homescreen widgets, which were previously limited to a sidebar, and now work more or less the same as they do on iPhones and Android devices. But it's the large screen multitasking tools that really steal the show.