How To Download iOS 15, iPadOS 15 – New Features, Compatible Devices

Apple launched a few new devices on its California Streaming Event on Sept 14. These products include iPad, iPad Mini, Apple Watch Series 7, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The tech giant has announced that the new iPad and iPad mini will run on iPadOS 15, which was announced on WWDC 2021. Similarly, the iPhone 13 series models will also run on the upcoming iOS 15. Apple says it will release both iPadOS 15 and iOS 15 to its users today (September 20).

iOS 15, iPadOS 15: How to Download

You will soon see a prompt for the iOS 15 update on your compatible iPhone. If you don’t, you can manually go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap “Download and Install”. Make sure you have more than 80 percent battery or your phone is charged before installing the update. It is also a safe practice to back up your data before installing a new update.

Apple iOS 15, iPadOS 15: Compatible Devices

The new iOS 15 is compatible with iPhone 6s and later models. On the other hand, the new iPadOS 15 is compatible with iPad mini 4 and newer, iPad Air 2 and newer, iPad 5th generation and newer, and all iPad Pro models.

Apple iOS 15 Features

The new iOS 15 is compatible with iPhone 6s and above and introduces Spatial Audio for FaceTime to make it sound more “natural and comfortable”. It also adds new microphone modes that can separate the user’s voice from background noise. A new grid view also allows users to see more faces at once during Group FaceTime.

Apple also has ‘SharePlay’ for FaceTime that allows users to listen to songs on Apple Music, watch movies and shows together. The feature also makes it possible to share the screen. SharePlay will be available on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Next to this, FaceTime also gets an option to create links so you can use it cross-platform on the web and non-iOS devices.

iOS 15 also comes with a new ‘Focus’ feature to customize what you want to pay attention to. The new iOS 15 brings a new look to notifications. Profile icons on notifications are now larger. A new ‘Notification Summary’ provides an overview of all “non-time critical” notifications at the chosen time of day.

The new software update also gets a new Live Text feature that automatically recognizes text in images, including handwritten ones, and makes it selectable, and you can even copy and paste it. With the new update, the Apple Cards app now has more details like zebra crossings and bike lanes. A few US cities will also see a 3D city experience on the app.

The AirPods Pro get a new talk mode, which automatically increases the call volume. AirPods also get ambient Find My features even when in the case. The weather app has also received a design overhaul.

Apple has also announced new features for iCloud called iCloud+. This cloud storage offers a “new internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay, at no additional cost”. All iCloud members are upgraded to iCloud+ and the plans can be shared with the Family Sharing Group. According to Apple, users also get unlimited free iCloud+ storage for a new temporary backup of a device for up to three weeks, even if they don’t have storage in their iCloud account.

Apple Emails get email privacy protection that hides your IP address and location and disables trackers. iOS 15 introduces three new features for the Health app. Users can now share their health data with family, caregivers or a healthcare team. The new ‘Trends’ feature shows users’ health stats and the ‘Walking Steadiness’ feature shows a new metric to manage fall risk more efficiently.

The Apple TV app now shows ‘For all of you’ row with ‘a collection of shows and movies based on the interests of selected people or an entire household’.

Apple iPadOS 15 Features

With iPadOS 15, iPad finally gets home screen widgets and an ‘App Library’ that can hide and rearrange pages. The new software update also brings a multitasking shortcut that allows you to easily switch between apps in split view. There will also be a ‘Shelf’ at the bottom showing you all open apps. iPadOS 15 also adds quick notes that you can use in parallel with third-party apps and sites, and you can easily drag and jot links and text. Users also get ‘Tags’ that allow users to categorize notes of their choice.

Apple is also announcing a new ‘Universal Control’ feature that allows users to use a single mouse and keyboard between iPad and Mac. According to Apple, “Users can even drag and drop content back and forth between devices — great for drawing with Apple Pencil on iPad and placing it in a Keynote slide on Mac.”

The new iPadOS 15 is compatible with iPad mini 4 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and all iPad Pro models.