Apple announced both iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 yesterday. Here’s my thoughts on a few of the new features.

Topics

• Focus
• Shared With You
• Safari
• Weather
• Visual Lookup
• Multitasking
• Widgets
• App Library
• Quick Note
• Final Thoughts

iOS 15

Focus

A new way to control my time and what I see in each moment. Right now I have my focus set to “Create”: It blacks out my lock screen, silences all notifications, and changes my home screen to all my creative apps. This will match my devices with my current context, allowing me to be more efficient.

Shared With You

This feature sounded good when they revealed it. It wasn’t until I witnessed it first hand that it really clicked for me. When I opened Apple Music and Safari, every link and song that was sent to me was right there, ready for me to check out. When it was originally sent to me, I never got around to it, and before it was lost forever as the conversation went on. Now I got all those recommendations back.

Safari

The new safari has a more minimal look, while giving me more power and control over the start page and tab groups.

Weather

I’ve been using third-party weather apps for a decade now, but there’s something nice about this new built-in weather app. Maybe it’s because they acquired Dark Sky that they finally have a combination of minimal and power. It’s refreshing to to be able to delete the three third-party apps I had on my phone, and to now only use the one that comes with the phone. It’s beautiful.

Visual Lookup

I didn’t think of this announcement at first. And then last night, when taking a picture of Jedi, my husky, that something new popped up on the screen:

It not only recognized that there was a dog in the photo, but it also knew what kind of dog. I was shocked by this. So many details in that one photo. I knew what kind of dog, but let’s say I didn’t, it would’ve told me. I’m fascinated by this.

iPadOS 15

Multitasking

A more fluid way to open multiple apps. The three dots on top of each app gives you control what size and shape you want the app to take, while also choosing what you want to go onside of that app. No more having to memorize gestures.

Widgets

Widgets will now fill the entire home-screen. I’ll remove all apps from this screen and only have widgets in every spot. At a glance I’ll be able to check so many areas of my life. A true status board.

App Library

The App Library will hide all the apps from needing to be on the screen or in folders. Now they will live in the App Library, a little pocket in the dock. Now I can have just my main apps on the dock, with no apps on the home-screen or dock. Widgets on the home-screen, essentials in the dock. The rest in the App Library. Very tidy.

Quick Note

The quickest way to capture something. A Quick Note, keyboard shortcut or swiping up from right corner. Doing this while looking at something on the screen and it’ll capture that link as well. Perfect way to gather information for later.

Final Thoughts

Overall I’m very happy with what’s new in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. As you look around at all the new features, you see how it makes sense and how everything is tying together better than ever. Something simple in one place opens up so many layers throughout the entire operating system. It all connects.