When the new iPhone 15 was announced last week, it was tranquil regarding updates to Apple’s mobile operating systems. However, you have been able to install it since Monday. We have already considered new iOS and iPadOS 17 features worthwhile.
At the time of writing, the new iOS and iPadOS versions are not yet available, but as usual, Apple will release the software to the general public tonight. Previously, iOS was the umbrella name for the software on all Apple mobile devices, but in 2019, the iPad got its operating system: iPadOS. In practice, iOS and iPadOS are essentially the same, although some functions differ depending on whether they are used on a smartphone or tablet.
Check
This new iPhone feature is ideal for worried parents or those walking home through a busy city late at night. ‘Check’ lets your friends, partner, parents or whoever you designate know when you arrive at a specific location. Similar to the ‘Notify me’ feature in the Find My app, the new feature asks if you are okay if you don’t arrive. If you don’t answer, your contact will receive a bundle of crucial information, such as your current location, mobile connection status, or battery percentage.
FaceTime
Do you also find ‘normal’ voicemail boring and still use it? You can leave a video or audio message if someone cannot answer your (FaceTime) call. All camera functions are available; This way you look extra good in portrait mode or studio light. The recipient can then play your message afterwards, even on his Apple Watch.
In addition, FaceTime is now also available on Apple TV set-top boxes – of course, via the camera of your iPhone, iPad or Mac. It is handy for those who want to follow a meeting from home on a large screen.
Standby
From now on, your iPhone offers added value at your desk or on the bedside table. The new standby mode, which comes from the Apple Watch, allows you to place your iPhone on its side while charging and use it as a digital agenda, clock, radio and much more. The possibilities are not yet as extensive as a Nest Hub, but the pursuit of Google’s gadget seems to have started.
NameDrop
Have you just finished a meeting or bumped into each other during a conference? Exchange contact details easily and quickly by simply holding your iPhones together. Via NameDrop, you can now effortlessly exchange telephone numbers and e-mail addresses or complete ‘contact posters’.
Just like NameDrop, AirDrop will be possible by holding the devices together. Did you take a holiday photo for that other family you met? Deliver the photo immediately without having to exchange numbers or e-mail addresses first.
Diary
In the new Diary app, you can write down all your big or small thoughts on your iPhone or iPad. That also worked in Notes, right? That’s right, but the new app should make it easier to supplement notes with, for example, photos or audio recordings. Moreover, the application can also be locked to the outside world and Apple, or at least that is what the company claims. Your thoughts also remain locked with iCloud synchronization.
For those who cannot find the app immediately, don’t panic. Apple announced that the Diary will not follow until later this year. So, just a little patience for those who thought they could run their paper notebook through the shredder.
Safari
Finally, it’s time to catch up on the week of GOK News this weekend. But where have those bookmarks gone again? Fortunately, you can now divide the Safari browser into different profiles, thus maintaining a work and a private profile on the same device – each with its history, extensions and favourites.
On top of that, there will also be a striking new feature for private windows. From now on, you can secure this with your Face ID.
Verifications
‘Check the verification code in your mailbox.’ Nothing more frustrating than waiting for an e-mail, which never seems to arrive, with a code to confirm your account. When you receive the code via text message, your iPhone will automatically enter it. From now on, this will also be the case with Mail. So you no longer have to leave Safari and can continue surfing immediately.
Protection
Do you also have that one friend with a terrible sense of humour who keeps sending offensive memes? From now on, your iPhone or iPad will indicate in advance, provided you activate the function, whether photos and videos contain explicit content. This applies to Messages, AirDrop, the photo picker, FaceTime messages, the contact posters in the Phone app and third-party apps.
Also new is the isolation mode. If you enable it, your device will go into ‘lockdown’ to protect you against advanced cyber attacks.
Passwords
iOS and iPadOS introduce shared passwords. This means that you exchange specific passwords with contacts of your choice. The only requirement is that those contacts also have an Apple account. It is ideal to temporarily give the student worker or intern in the office access to those crucial services in the sector.
Stage manager
A feature that Mac users have known since last year and which is only coming to iPadOS. Stage manager ensures that when you open different windows or apps, you can easily keep an eye on and organize them on what temporarily becomes your desktop. This is how you create your perfect workspace on your iPad.
