Throughout the years, we have seen numerous changes and developments from the products of the tech giant Apple. We have seen how the first iPhone and iPad evolve with our own eyes, and change appears constant and consistent in this tech behemoth. Indeed, Apple is yet again launching their newest software update for this year, the iOS 15. The new operating system will be announced at the WWDC 2021 in early summer, while the final version will be released around September of this year. That said, how does the system differ from its predecessors?
What is iOS 15? 🤔
The iOS 15 is the company’s mobile operating system for 2021. While there are no official announcements as to what features this new Apple OS will be sporting, a report from Bloomberg claims that this update will introduce more notification controls, widgets for the iPad’s home screen, and an updated privacy menu. ✔️✔️✔️
The expanded privacy and notification settings take the cake as the most notable parts of this update, especially since it puts more control of the device in the hands of its users. As it is, however, the report remains unconfirmed and what information we have at the moment is nothing more than a rumor. Nonetheless, these rumored new features keep many Apple users on their toes, and there likely is more in store for them given the trends set up by the previous iOS updates.
Although the final version has not been out yet, a leaked report showed a list of Apple devices that will support the iOS 15, as well as those that will not be able to support this new mobile operating system.
Devices that will be supported by iOS 15
That being said, iOS 15 and iPad OS 15 are likely to support other devices that were not mentioned in the above list. What we can easily infer from this list, though, is that this new iOS update will only be able to support the iPhone 7 and every other device that comes after it. It is also presumed that both operating systems will continue to share a core codebase so we can expect a simultaneous release of future updates and bug fixes across the iPad and iPhone with minimal complications. ⭐⭐⭐
That being said, the iOS 15 is expected to support the following mobile devices:
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone Xs
- iPhone Xs Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPadOS 15 will also support the following iPads:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2015 and later)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (2018 and later)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad Air 4
- iPad Air 3
- iPad (Eighth generation)
- iPad (Seventh generation)
- iPad (Sixth generation)
- iPad mini 5
The iPhone 13 series, which is going to be launched in the near future, is expected to roll out with iOS 15 as its default operating system.
Devices that will not be supported by iOS 15 ☝️
This report indicates that devices with the A9 chip are not going to be able to support the iOS 15, which authenticates the rumor circulated before about its compatibility. According to this source, three iPhone sets will lose their compatibility with the new operating system, namely the following:
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE
Aside from these three iPhone models, the following iPads are also said to lose support from the iOS 15:
- iPad Mini 4
- iPad Air 2
- Fifth-generation iPad (2017)
While these older devices are very unlikely to get the iOS 15 update, there is a hint in the recent iOS 14.5 update that these will still get security updates that pretty much any Apple device needs. The 14.5 update introduced a feature that lets users opt for either regular updates or security updates, so it is not so much of a stretch to assume that the security features — at the very least — of devices that will not receive the iOS 15 update will be kept up-to-date for the foreseeable future.
Rumored and expected features 😍😍😍
Again, there are no official details on the iOS 15, but there are plenty of rumors on its upcoming features. Here is a quick list from the Bloomberg report that we have mentioned earlier in this piece:
- More user control over notifications. Users are expected to have a little extra control over how they see their notifications and how it is delivered to them. There will be notification filters based on the user’s status. To illustrate, users get a different set of notifications when they are at work from the ones that they get when they are driving. Users can also set how these notifications are displayed and whether or not they make sounds, among others, in every status update.
- iPad home screen widgets. This feature is something that many iPad users have been anticipating for a long time now. A long overdue update, this is going to be the biggest update that the iPad will receive to date, at least with regards to its home screen and overall user interface.
- New privacy menu. A welcome development, this rumored update is said to let you see exactly what sort of information your apps are gathering from you. This essentially takes you a step further to getting significant control over your private data. Late last year, the App Store introduced so-called privacy labels to its apps, and this upcoming update will likely tap on this data.
- iMessage updated and expanded. Apple’s messaging app is rumored to include more social features, among other upgrades. The company appears poised to take on WhatsApp, and revamping iMessage is a logical step in this particular direction. However, likely, this update will not show up once the iOS 15 rolls out but it is something that we will be seeing in the near future, regardless.
- Updated design. This is to be expected from any iOS update, and we should expect more than just new app icons. The lock screen is likely going to get an update, for one, and it is rumored that users will be able to access the new privacy options from it.
- The Macbook, tvOS, and watchOS, are also reported to get minor updates alongside the iOS 15 launch.
We are still weeks away from WWDC 2021 yet more and more purported leaks and rumors about iOS 15 are coming to the surface. These rumored new features seem exciting enough, but be sure to temper your expectations while there are no official announcements that would confirm any of these.
Get in touch with us if you want more information about iOS 15!
In our next blog, we’ll talk about widgets for iOS 15 and how you can customize them for your iPad and iPhone Homescreen and Lockscreen.
Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
👇👇FREE DOWNLOAD SCREENKIT APP (PRESS BLACK BUTTON BELOW) 👇👇
