iOS 15 is officially here…with some promised features being delayed

After a lengthy beta period, the newest version of iOS is out now, though with some of the biggest promised features missing. Even so, those with an iPhone or iPad can look forward to a plethora of improvements and additions (and perhaps a few downgrades too), including a new Safari layout; live text; new focus modes and more.

Available now to all those with an iPhone 6s or newer, iOS 15 brings with it a long list of refinements, as well as some bigger improvements and features (though some of them are not available at launch).

Some of the biggest and most notable features include the new focus modes, which allows you to change your homescreen layout, available apps, notifications and more all with the tap of a button. It expands upon the previously available driving mode, now letting you make as many different modes as you want, all the while tailoring it to your needs.

Facetime gets a number of new conveniences, including a Zoom-like invite feature allowing you to communicate with non iOS users; new sound options letting you focus on voices, or isolate certain sounds; and a new bokeh depth of field effect which blurs the background of your live video feed.

Live text is one of the most impressive features added, allowing you to easily extract text from any photo thanks to new recognition technology, enabling you to highlight and copy text, numbers and more from a photo or screenshot. The Photos app as a whole has been enhanced, with more detailed metadata being made available to the user and more options available for memories – to name a few.

Other miscellaneous additions and improvements include: changes to imessage; a redesign of the notification panel; improvements to spotlight search; a new layout for Safari (though thanks to negative feedback, users can switch to the older layout); improvements to maps, notes, wallet, weather and more; and of course more privacy features.

There are also some other larger features that have been pushed back to later in the year, including Share Play (letting you watch content online with friends); find my Airpods; app privacy report, and more. Even with these missing features, iOS 15 offers plenty for you to dig into, and does just about enough to keep Apple’s operating system feeling fresh for one more year.

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KitGuru says: what do you think of iOS 15? What is your favourite feature? What missing feature do you want to see added in iOS 16? Let us know down below.

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