Once a year, Apple releases a major update for the iOS software running on iPhones around the world. This brings interface tweaks, security fixes and a raft of new features - and best of all, if your iPhone supports the update, you can install it for free.
The next big iPhone software update, iOS 15, will be unveiled tonight at WWDC 2021. In this article we outline the release schedule for iOS 15 and explain how to try it out before the public release; we also discuss the interface changes and new iPhone features you can expect from the new software.
What will Apple call the next version of iOS?
The new version of iOS for 2021 will be called iOS 15, as seemingly confirmed by an explicit reference in the code for WebKit. This is hardly a surprise - although there have been rumours that at some point, Apple may switch to the branding iPhoneOS. Jon Prosser got this one famously wrong last summer, but it's a move that makes sense in the long term, given that the main other iDevice, the iPad, now has its own operating system.
When will iOS 15 be released?
iOS 15 will be announced and demonstrated during the opening keynote presentation of Apple's WWDC 2021 event tonight (7 June, starting at 6pm UK time - here's how to watch WWDC). It will then be released to the public in September 2021.
Apple follows a consistent release schedule for its full-version iOS updates. The headline features are shown off at WWDC each June, a series of beta versions are rolled out over the subsequent three months, and then the final version is released to coincide with the launch of new iPhone models in the autumn.
The coronavirus pandemic caused some delays in 2020, with the iPhone event moved from its usual September to October; this meant it was split off from the iOS 14/iPadOS 14 launch. But given that the iPhone 13's chips were in production by the end of May, we expect Apple to return to the normal schedule this year.
If you want to try out a pre-release beta version of iOS 15, you should sign up to Apple's Beta software programme, which gives you access to unfinished software builds. This comes with risks - the idea is that you'll be spotting and reporting bugs, of which there will be plenty - so you shouldn't install the beta on your main phone. It could become unreliable or even unusable.
Which iPhones will get iOS 15?
Here are the iPhone models we expect to support iOS 15:
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- All iPhone 13 models
- ...plus the current iPod touch and the new iPod touch if it actually launches.
In 2020 Apple spoiled us by ensuring that all the iPhones that had been able to run iOS 13 could also run iOS 14. But rumours suggest Apple won't be able to pull off the same feat with iOS 15.
The oldest iPhones on the iOS 13-compatible list, in terms of technology, are the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and the original iPhone SE. All of these use the A9 processor and it looks like iOS 14 will be the end of the line for that particular silicon, as outlined in our news article Apple to drop support for iPhone 6s and SE.
We discuss the iPhones that will get iOS 15 in more detail in a separate article.
What new features can we expect in iOS 15?
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg's indefatigable Apple reporter, says we can expect big changes in iOS 15. Here are some of the latest rumours.
New version of Messages
Gurman says we can expect a new version of Messages, as Apple tries to mould its messaging service into a full-on social network. It could well start to resemble WhatsApp, with additional features and social elements.
Note that the changes to Messages, while destined to arrive as part of the iOS 15 cycle, may be delayed until after the initial iOS 15.0 launch. They might arrive in a later 15.1 or 15.2 point update or beta version.
New Do Not Disturb statuses
Currently iOS's Do Not Disturb function is limited to two settings: the original DND mode, and Do Not Disturb While Driving. Apple plans to expand this with further status settings for work, sleep and more, Gurman reckons.
Each status will have its own notification settings, and its own rules for whether and how you can be contacted by phone, message and so on.
Privacy information panel
Yet another scoop from Mark Gurman, who explains that iOS 15 will feature a new control panel listing detailed information about the ways in which your data is being used by the apps on your iPhone.
Expanded choice of default apps
iOS 14 introduced a feature that Apple users have been requesting for years, with the ability to select their own default apps as opposed to the Apple variants. Sadly, this wasn't a complete overhaul, as the change only applied to email and browser apps, although the later iOS 14.5 update added music services to the list.
We'd like to see Apple expand this to include calendars and messaging apps in iOS 15. If you prefer Fantastical to Apple's Calendar app, or Signal to Messages - and that applies to plenty of iPhone owners - then this would be a dream come true.
If you haven't yet played with the feature in iOS 14, here's how to change your iPhone's default apps.
Presentation mode in FaceTime
Among other things, the pandemic will be remembered as the time when everyone finally got into (and promptly came to depend on) video-conferencing apps. But this experience highlighted the limitations of Apple's FaceTime platform.
One feature that makes FaceTime a lesser option than, say, Zoom or Skype is its lack of a presentation mode. You can't share your screen in a meeting with colleagues.
Adding this to FaceTime would make it a much easier choice for Apple users who want to stick with the platform but still get some work done.
Of course, we hope not to be spending quite so much time at home in the years to come, but it would be good for FaceTime to beef up its capabilities anyway.
Widgets on the Lock screen
Another innovation that arrived in iOS 14 was widgets on the home screen. (They had previously been available in the Today View, but it's not the same.) It was about time, frankly.
Home-screen widgets have proved a favourite with iPhone users, but it's still not possible to have them on the lock screen. This would save people from having to unlock the device and navigate to the widget's location, while giving the lock screen additional controls and information.
To see how the existing feature works, check out our guide on how to use widgets in iOS 14.
Further reading
That's all of the iOS 15 rumours for now. Bookmark this page and head back after WWDC is done and dusted; we'll quickly transform the article into a full rundown of iOS 15's new features, interface changes and more.
For information about the other software updates coming at WWDC tonight, visit our watchOS 8 and macOS 12 news hubs. And for a broader look at the year's launches, read New Apple products coming out in 2021.
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