On September 20, Apple will release iOS 15, its much-anticipated operating system for iPhones and iPads.
An Apple press release regarding the newly announced iPhones, which go on sale Friday, confirmed the release date. When the updated iOS version is launched, it will be accessible as a free download.
Apple (AAPL) first showed off iOS 15 in June at its annual developers conference, where it demonstrated a number of new features, including improvements to FaceTime video calls and digital keys in Apple Wallet.
Apple will add new features to FaceTime that will allow users to watch movies or listen to music while on the phone. There is also a new grid view, which will better broadcast each face on a call. For the first time, Android and Windows users will be able to join FaceTime calls.
Apple is also releasing changes to its mobile wallet that will allow users to utilize digital keys in the app to open everything from their home to their hotel room. It just announced a cooperation with a number of states that will allow customers to connect their driver’s license or state ID to their Apple Wallet and utilize it at airport security checks.
iOS 15 also introduces a variety of new security measures, including one dubbed “mail privacy protection.” Because the email program on Apple devices masks users’ IP addresses and locations, companies sending emails will be unable to link users’ IP addresses and locations to their other online behavior. There is no way for senders to determine whether they opened or not their e-mails.
The latest operating system for iPads adds capabilities to make working on the fly more convenient. Widgets for contacts or Apple TV, as well as new, larger formats created for the iPad’s display, will soon be available among the apps on the device’s home screen for those who own it.
