Samuel Axon
Yearly, Apple releases a serious replace to its working techniques for the iPhone and iPad that units the stage for a 12 months of modifications to return. This 12 months, iOS 15 brings new FaceTime and Messages options, tweaks to current apps and notifications, and most notably, a brand new approach of managing apps and notifications known as Focus.
Frankly, it is a comparatively modest replace in comparison with what we noticed final 12 months. That is amplified by the truth that some key options that Apple initially introduced in June have not made it into the preliminary launch of iOS 15. However at present we’ll be exploring whether or not a modest replace means a nasty one. Must you trouble to improve to the brand new model of iOS when it is largely a tune-up and a recent coat of paint?
As all the time, let’s begin with a take a look at which gadgets are nonetheless supported.
Supported gadgets
Typically Apple cuts assist for an older iPhone mannequin or two with the discharge of a brand new model of iOS. However that is not occurring this time; iOS 15 helps all the identical telephones as iOS 14 did final 12 months. The identical goes for iPadOS and its supported tablets.
This is the complete listing of supported gadgets for each iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. (We’re specializing in the iPhone on this article, however we’ll publish a brief addendum that turns to the iPad within the subsequent few days.)
Supported iPhone fashions
- iPhone 13 Professional and iPhone 13 Professional Max
- iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 12 Professional and iPhone 12 Professional Max
- iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Professional and iPhone 11 Professional Max
- iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone SE (1st and 2nd era)
Supported iPad fashions
- iPad Professional 12.9-inch (1st, 2nd, third, and 4th era)
- iPad Professional 11-inch (1st and 2nd era)
- iPad Professional 10.5-inch
- iPad Professional 9.7-inch
- iPad (fifth, sixth, and seventh era)
- iPad mini (4th and fifth era)
- iPad Air (2nd and third era)
Supported iPod fashions
- iPod contact (seventh era)
Function limitations
Whereas iOS 15 may be put in on the entire above gadgets, a handful of particular new options and enhancements solely work on sure iPhones. This is the listing.
iPhones with A12 chip and later
- FaceTime: Portrait mode
- FaceTime: Voice isolation
- FaceTime: Spatial audio
- FaceTime: Extensive spectrum mode
- Maps: Interactive globe
- Maps: Detailed new metropolis expertise
- Maps: Immersive strolling instructions
- Climate: Animated backgrounds
- LiveText
- Siri: On-device speech processing, personalization, and efficiency enhancements
- Siri: Offline assist
- Keyboard: On-device and steady dictation
iPhone 8 and later
- Well being: Strolling steadiness
iPhone 7 and later
- Music: Spatial audio with dynamic head monitoring
Units used for this evaluation
The screenshots, data, and impressions contained on this evaluation have been based mostly on utilizing iOS 15 RC and iPadOS 15 RC, in addition to the general public releases for each. Units used included iPhone XS, iPhone 12 Professional, iPhone 12 Professional Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Professional, iPhone 13 Professional Max, and the 2021 11-inch iPad Professional. We didn’t check iOS 15 on an iPod contact.
