iOS 15 features and release date – the best upgrades in Apple’s new iPhone update

APPLE'S latest iOS 15 software could be released as soon as next month and it's set to bring some great upgrades to iPhone.

The tech giant announced iOS 15 back in June and said it would be released sometime during "fall 2021".

Apple already revealed a handful of the headline features coming to iOS 15 during a presentation at its WWDC 2021 conference.

The update will introduce a redesigned home screen and some big changes to Apple's messaging app, iMessage.

It will also include an updated Lock Screen and a suite of new privacy and notification features.

FaceTime fans will also be able to access a useful blurred background feature.

Some people have already been testing out the features via the iOS 15 public beta programme.

When is iOS 15 release date?

If you want to try iOS 15 beta then you can sign up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.

Apple hasn't given an exact date of when iOS 15 is launching for all users but it's expected to drop sometime in September.

What's new in iOS 15?

One new iOS 15 tool called Focus will let users set different notification preferences depending on what they're doing.

For instance, you will have the option to select if the phone makes a sound or not, or whether it vibrates, depending on your current status.

You’ll be able to use a new menu to select if you’re driving, working, sleeping or a custom status of your choosing.

The menu will be shown on the updated lock screen and in Control Centre, the iPhone and iPad’s menu for quickly getting to settings.

Focus will even notify your iMessage contacts of your status to let them know why you're not responding to their texts.

Major iMessage updates

Apple is also working on major updates to iMessage that will make it more like a social media platform, like WhatsApp.

One way it's doing this is by making it easier to manage and engage with the photos and news articles that your friends share through the app.

The Apple Photos and Apple news apps will have new areas that only store the content shared by your friends.

A number of the company’s other apps, such as Wallet, Safari, Apple Maps and Health, are also getting minor improvements.

FaceTime, for instance, will let you blur the background of your videos.

It'll give your video feed a similar effect to the Portrait mode available on the cameras of recent iPhones.

You'll also be able to upload your passport or drivers license to Apple Wallet, letting you check in at, for instance, airports using your phone.

Another new feature unveiled by Apple is designed to make it easier to show your friends what you're listening to or watching.

Called “Share Play”, it allows you to listen to music or watch a streaming app with members of a call, with the video synced up for all users.

Notifications are getting a new look, and will now be grouped into a helpful collection called Notification Summary.

Apple will use AI to figure out which notifications are most important to you. You can set which time of day you’d like to be reminded to read them.

Apple periodically releases software updates for iOS, the operating system that powers the iPhone.

As well as bug fixes and the patching of security holes, the downloads add new features that Apple's engineers have been working on.

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In other news, Elon Musk is working on a Tesla robot that looks like a human – and will perform "boring or dangerous tasks".

WhatsApp is working on a feature that could see your messages disappear after 90 days.

And, Twitter is having to make changes to its redesign of the app after users complained about headaches and migraines.

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