MacRumors

Apple today seeded a new public beta of the macOS 12 Monterey beta to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the new macOS Monterey software ahead of its public release.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

macOS Monterey introduces quite a few major updates for the macOS operating system. When released, Universal Control will let a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, and it's now possible to AirPlay directly to a Mac from an iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or even another Mac.

Safari has an updated tab bar and support for Tab Groups to keep tons of tabs organized, and FaceTime now features support for spatial audio, Portrait Mode (M1 Macs only) and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. A SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ feature (coming in a Monterey update) will let Apple TV users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Shared With You, another new feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and the Shortcuts app is now available on the Mac.

A dedicated Focus mode helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions based on what's going on, and there's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features. With Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images. The new beta adds Live Text support for Intel Macs.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in ‌macOS Monterey‌, with a complete overview available in our macOS Monterey roundup.

Apple has no plans to allow Fortnite to return to the App Store in the near future, Apple's lawyers told Epic's lawyers this week. Further, Apple does not plan to consider requests for the reinstatement of the Epic Games developer account until the court's judgment is "final and nonappealable," a process that could span years.

Apple provided this information to ‌Epic Games‌ after Epic CEO Tim Sweeney emailed Apple's Phil Schiller and asked for the ‌Epic Games‌ developer account to be reinstated. Sweeney said that Epic would adhere to Apple's guidelines "whenever and wherever" products were released on Apple's platforms, but he went on to explain that Epic would only reinstate Fortnite if Apple adheres to the "plain language of the court order" and allows apps to "include buttons and external links."

As was outlined earlier this month, the judge overseeing the case ruled that Apple must allow developers to provide links to external payment methods alongside in-app purchases if developers want to do so. Apple has until December to implement the court's terms, and the company has not yet decided if it will appeal the decision, nor has it provided details on how the court's "metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action" to direct purchase mechanisms will be interpreted and enacted.

Though Apple was ordered to change its "anti-steering" rules to allow apps to direct customers to other payment methods, the ruling was largely in Apple's favor and found that Apple is not a monopolist under federal or state antitrust laws. Epic, unhappy with this decision and appealed the ruling, prolonging the legal fight between the two companies. Apple too might appeal the judge's decision, but again, has not yet opted to do so.

Apple said that due to Tim Sweeney's public statements on the outcome of the lawsuit and Epic's "duplicitous conduct in the past," it has "exercised its discretion not to reinstate Epic's developer program account at this time." Apple is well within its rights to deny the reinstatement of the ‌Epic Games‌ developer account because the court decided that Epic breached its contract with Apple and Apple's termination of the account was "valid, lawful, and enforceable." Apple has no legal obligation to restore the ‌Epic Games‌ developer account.

Sweeney shared the letters between the two companies on Twitter and said that "Apple lied" when it previously said that it would welcome Epic's return to the ‌App Store‌ if it complied with the ‌App Store‌ rules, but Epic has demonstrated an unwillingness to comply with the ‌App Store‌ terms and Apple may be worried that Epic would just attempt to find another way to skirt the guidelines if the account is reinstated. Apple wants to wait out the appeals process before making a further decision on the matter.

‌Epic Games‌ was also ordered to pay Apple $6 million, which is a 30 percent cut of the revenue that it collected from the Fortnite app using its illicit direct payment option. Epic paid the fee earlier this month.

The photographer Austin Mann has today published his in-depth annual review of the latest iPhone's camera capabilities, this time focusing on the iPhone 13 Pro. Mann's tests were performed in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, looking at each of the iPhone 13 Pro's camera upgrades, including Macro mode, increased telephoto zoom and Cinematic mode.

Mann said that macro mode, which uses the Ultra Wide lens and allows users to take photos around 2cm away from a subject, is "perhaps the strongest advancement in this year's camera system" and fulfills a clear need for many photographers. Images in Macro mode are still able to be fairly sharp in low-light and amid camera shake. Macro effectively functions "as a fourth lens" and is "not just an iterative increase."

The new 13mm Ultra Wide lens with f/1.8 aperture is said to offer sharper low-light images with faster shutter speeds. While the Ultra Wide still has some lens distortion, according to Mann, the overall sharpness is "drastically improved."

The new 77mm Telephoto camera offers a 33 percent increase in size over the same lens on the iPhone 12 Pro, but it is also boosted with a substantially larger sensor. Mann praised the results of these improvements, saying "everything I shoot with the Telephoto feels naturally cinematic and has a different feel than imagery captured by previous models" and "my eye isn't accustomed to seeing this kind of depth compression from my iPhone."

Mann also experimented with the new Photographic Styles feature, which allows photographers to finely tune a distinctive look for all of their photos without sacrificing the sense of depth. He commented that Photographic Styles are intentionally "very subtle" and feature "a lot more depth instead of the flat nature of a preset." While Mann noted that photographers are likely to shoot in ProRAW for clients, Photographic Styles "will be perfect" for times "when I just want great looking images right now versus maximum processing control later."

He added that features like Photographic Styles and Smart HDR 4 are among the more nuanced upgrades this year, saying that they "will impact every single photo you take, but not at the same transformative level."

Mann shot a range of video clips in Cinematic mode and was impressed by the iPhone's new computational videography capabilities. He noted that it was particularly impressive that you can change focus at the perfect frame later on in the editing process.

See Mann's full report for many more images and additional information about the technical capabilities of the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌'s improved camera setup.

In addition to the sixth-generation iPad mini, the ninth-generation iPad also saw its review embargo lift today, with reviewers generally feeling that the iterative update hits most of the right notes in terms of prioritizing upgrades to storage, performance, and the front camera.

As an overall take, CNET's Scott Stein argues that the "good enough" entry-level ‌iPad‌ actually "covers all the bases best" out of Apple's entire ‌iPad‌ lineup at the moment.

Stein notes that iPads are most often secondary devices and especially popular with families, and pricing on the entry-level ‌iPad‌ makes it a compelling product that offers much of the functionality people are looking for in an ‌iPad‌ without breaking the bank.

Seriously: The iPad Mini costs more, lacks the same keyboard support and is probably too small. Last year's iPad Air is good but lacks Center Stage (but if it's on sale, it may be worth snapping up). And the iPad Pro is great but it's expensive.

For 2021, I think the basic unexciting iPad wins out. Especially for the price, which usually hits $300 for holiday season sales.

Storage

One of the most welcome improvements in the new ‌iPad‌ is an increase in the base storage from 32 to 64 GB, although even that may not be enough for some users, as highlighted by Tom's Guide:

Apple has doubled the storage capacity of the iPad compared to previous generations, bumping the entry-level $329 model up from 32 to 64 GB and the $479 upgraded storage model up from 128 to 256 GB. [...] The storage upgrade is a significant and welcome change, as it’s hard to enjoy all the functionality of an iPad when you have less than 32 GB of storage for all your photos, movies, apps, and games. [...]

Of course, the price of upgrading to the model with more has storage also increased, up to $150 instead of the $100 it used to cost. Still, we recommend paying the upgrade cost if you plan to be downloading a lot of apps and HD media, as 64 GB still isn’t an impressive amount of storage space.

Front camera

Gizmodo's Caitlin McGarry highlights the improvements to the front-facing camera, which include vastly improved resolution and the Center Stage feature that uses the Ultra Wide front camera lens to automatically keep you centered on camera even as you move.

One of the biggest upgrades on the ninth-gen iPad over last year’s model is the front-facing camera, which has been jacked up from a 1.2-MP lens to a 12-MP one. The difference is huge. Huge! I no longer look like a grainy, 2004-era me when I make video calls on the new iPad, and the Neural Engine-powered Center Stage feature makes it so I can move around while chatting (perfect for calls while cooking).

McGarry doesn't love that the front camera remains positioned to the left of the display when the ‌iPad‌ is used in landscape orientation, but that's obviously a criticism that would apply to Apple's entire ‌iPad‌ lineup rather than this model specifically.

A13 Bionic chip

Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham looks at the A13 Bionic chip in the new ‌iPad‌, up from the A12 chip in the previous-generation model, calling it a "nice generational bump" but "not transformative."

The 8th-gen iPad’s jump from the Apple A10 to the A12 was a major improvement that made a meaningful difference in day-to-day use. The jump from A12 to A13 isn’t as big. You’re looking at a 20 or 30 percent improvement in processor speed and between 25 and 40 percent faster performance in games and other 3D-heavy apps. That’s a nice generational bump, but it’s not transformative—the A12 and A13 both feel like a big jump if you’re upgrading from an older iPad with an A9 or A10 in it, though.

CNN's Jacob Krol agrees, noting that performance is "not a night and day upgrade" but that the new ‌iPad‌ handles everything but the most intense tasks smoothly and will offer a bit more futureproofing compared to the A12 in the eighth-generation model.

Battery life

Several reviewers looked at battery life, with Gizmodo finding that the entry-level ‌iPad‌ lasted just a bit longer than the iPad Air in a video-streaming test at 10 hours and 42 minutes, also handily beating the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. CNN's video-streaming battery test yielded 9 hours and 45 minutes, a 25-minute increase compared to the previous-generation ‌iPad‌.

Wrap-up

Overall, reviewers found that the ninth-generation ‌iPad‌ continues to offer the solid value that has made Apple's cheapest ‌iPad‌ its most popular model over the years. With its closest competitors the ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌iPad mini‌ having both received significant updates recently, the base ‌iPad‌ is definitely looking a bit dated with its big bezels, traditional Home button, Lightning connector, and unchanged overall design, but it continues to get the job done at the right price for many.

Apple released iOS 15 on Monday, and in the time since, the software update has reportedly seen lower adoption than iOS 14 following its launch last year.

According to analytics company Mixpanel, around 8.5% of users installed iOS 15 as of Wednesday at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, compared to around 14.5% for iOS 14 as of midnight on the second day after that software update was released.

Mixpanel measures iOS adoption based on visits to websites and apps that use its mobile analytics SDKs, so the data is not official. Apple has yet to share iOS 15 adoption stats, having last reported an 85% adoption rate for iOS 14 back in June.

Earlier this year, Apple announced that iPhone users who remain on iOS 14 now have the option to continue receiving important security updates, so this change is likely contributing to iOS 15's lower adoption rate seen by Mixpanel so far.

Updating to iOS 15? Make sure to check out our collection of guides and how-tos for iOS 15, as well as our list of the best iOS 15 features.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has warned employees about leaking company information, in a leaked memo seen by The Verge.

Last week, discussions from a private all-hands town hall meeting were leaked to the press, revealing the company's stances on issues such as working from home and the Apple vs. Epic legal battle going forwards.

Last night, Cook emailed employees to address the contents of that meeting being leaked, admonishing those who revealed the details of the discussions to the press, but now that email has also been leaked to The Verge. The internal email sent by Cook reads:

Dear Team,

It was great to connect with you at the global employee meeting on Friday. There was much to celebrate, from our remarkable new product line-up to our values driven work around climate change, racial equity, and privacy. It was a good opportunity to reflect on our many accomplishments and to have a discussion about what’s been on your mind.

I'm writing today because I've heard from so many of you were incredibly frustrated to see the contents of the meeting leak to reporters. This comes after a product launch in which most of the details of our announcements were also leaked to the press.

I want you to know that I share your frustration. These opportunities to connect as a team are really important. But they only work if we can trust that the content will stay within Apple. I want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked. As you know, we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it's product IP or the details of a confidential meeting. We know that the leakers constitute a small number of people. We also know that people who leak confidential information do not belong here.

As we look forward, I want to thank you for all you've done to make our products a reality and all you will do to get them into customers' hands. Yesterday we released iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, and Friday marks the moment when we share some of our incredible new products with the world. There's nothing better than that. We'll continue to measure our contributions in the lives we change, the connections we foster, and the work we do to leave the world a better place.

Thank you,

Tim

Most notably, Cook tied the leak of the contents of Friday's meeting to the leak of "product IP" and "a product launch in which most of the details of our announcements were also leaked to the press," referring to the company's recent "California Streaming" event that saw the unveiling of the iPhone 13 lineup, Apple Watch Series 7, and sixth-generation iPad mini.

The ramped-up rhetoric appears to be in line with a wider crackdown on leaks in recent months, which have seen various Apple leakers be tracked down and hit with stern warnings from lawyers. This ongoing struggle shows no sign of abating with Cook assuring, "we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked" and those who do "do not belong here."

The sixth-generation iPad mini will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores this Friday, September 24, and ahead of time, reviews of the device have now been shared by several tech websites and YouTube channels.

We've already rounded up video reviews of the new iPad mini, and we've shared some highlights from additional reviews below.

The consensus among reviews is that the new iPad mini is more like an iPad Air mini, as the two devices now share several features, including slimmer bezels, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, a 12-megapixel rear Wide camera, and compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil. The new iPad mini actually goes a step beyond the iPad Air with Apple's latest A15 Bionic chip, 5G on cellular models, and Center Stage support.

Design and Portability

MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci summed it up best:

I'll cut right to the chase: I've been waiting for this kind of iPad mini refresh for years, and the device absolutely delivers on all fronts. The new iPad mini fulfills my longstanding dream of an iPad Pro/Air-like device in a diminutive form factor, providing a highly portable experience unlike anything else in Apple's lineup.

Even with its larger 8.3-inch display, the new iPad mini maintains portable convenience, according to Engadget's Valentina Palladino:

I've been keeping the iPad mini by my side at all times for the past week or so, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy that was thanks to its size. Every iPad is portable, but some are certainly more portable than others. I have a 2020 11-inch iPad Pro and, while it could come with me almost anywhere, I mostly use it in my home as a secondary device or as my main driver when I'm traveling. The iPad mini, on the other hand, could fit into almost any bag I own without hassle, providing a much-needed larger screen for activities like reading, watching videos and FaceTime calls. I didn't find it super difficult to use my thumbs to type on the mini, treating it almost like a super-wide iPhone, but I also wouldn't call it a comfortable experience.

Battery Life

WIRED's Brenda Stolyar did express some concerns about battery life:

Every morning, I used the iPad Mini to create To-Do lists in the Notes app and then as a second monitor to my MacBook with Sidecar the rest of the day. […] Depending on my schedule, I also used the Mini to jump on Zoom calls with colleagues.

Sadly, battery life struggled with all that activity. I managed to squeeze about five hours out of it, so almost a full workday. Apple claims up to 10 hours of web browsing or watching video on the Wi-Fi model and nine on the 5G variant. But when I streamed a Netflix show (with iMessage, Telegram, the Notes app, and Google Calendar running in the background) it hit 1 percent at around the six-hour mark. Unless you're using it lightly, don't expect it to last from 9 to 5.

Performance of A15 Bionic

As we were first to report last week, the A15 chip in the new iPad mini is downclocked to 2.9GHz, compared to 3.2GHz in all iPhone 13 models. Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell shared a chart with Geekbench 5 benchmark results for comparison.

More Reviews

• Gizmodo's Caitlin McGarry
• CNET's Scott Stein
• Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham
• The Loop's Jim Dalrymple
• CNN Underscored's Jake Krol

MacRumors will have our own hands-on iPad mini review in an upcoming video, so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Apple's augmented reality headset will enter mass production in the second quarter of next year, with a launch expected between the third and fourth quarter of 2022, according to a translated report from the Taiwanese version of DigiTimes.

In June, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offered a similar timeline for Apple's AR headset, reporting it will launch sometime between April and June of next year. According to today's report, Apple's AR headset has completed its second phase of prototype testing, inching closer to being ready for primetime mass production.

The first iteration of Apple's AR headset may be a bit bulky in design, similar to the Oculus Rift headset, but a sleeker pair of "Apple Glasses" could launch a few years later. In recent years, Apple has been building up its AR platform, rolling out several AR-centric features on iOS and iPadOS, possibly paving the way for the "‌Apple Glasses‌."

Apple's AR headset isn't expected to be cheap in price, at least at the start. One report says that it will feature at least 15 camera modules, feature eye-tracking, possibly iris recognition, and could cost between $2,000 and $3,000.

Apple's embargo on reviews of the sixth-generation iPad mini has now lifted ahead of the first devices arriving with customers on Friday, giving the first hands-on looks at the company's much-anticipated refresh of its smallest tablet. In addition to our detailed review roundup, we have gathered together a number of unboxing videos and reviews of the new device.

The key new features of the devices include a new, all-screen design with squared-off edges and no Home Button, a larger display, Touch ID in the top button, the A15 Bionic chip for up to 80 percent faster performance, Center Stage for video calls, various camera hardware upgrades, and new color options.

Scroll down for the first ‌iPad mini‌ unboxing and review videos from a range of prominent YouTubers.

Videos

For more in-depth impressions, read our iPad mini review roundup.

Apple opened pre-orders for the iPad mini 6 right after last week's "California streaming" event, with first orders arriving this Friday, but anyone who is waiting for the reviews to come in before they order one will likely have a wait on their hands, as estimated delivery times for many variants have since slipped into November in the U.S. and select other countries.

For example, for a 256GB Wi-Fi ‌iPad mini‌ in Pink, Apple's website gives a 3-4 week shipping estimate, while estimates lengthen to 4-6 weeks for the same capacity in Starlight or Purple. Most variants are available in 4-6 weeks, with 3-4 weeks being the earliest delivery estimate.

As with every Apple product launch, it is possible that lengthy delivery estimates are a result of low supply rather than high demand. However, the ‌iPad mini‌ was arguably the standout product in Apple's event, thanks to its 8.3-inch display and chassis redesign in the vein of the iPad Air.

The new ‌iPad mini‌ is also the only iPad with Apple's latest A15 Bionic chip, and like the iPad Pro, includes a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera enabling Center Stage, so there's good reason for ‌iPad mini‌ fans to be excited again.

Review embargos for the ‌iPad mini‌ 6 lift later today, so be sure to check back here on MacRumors for a full reviews roundup.

Just two days after Apple released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to the public, a new wave of user reports from social media are already pointing to some widespread bugs, this time pertaining to reported storage on a device.

A flood of users has taken to Twitter over the last 24-48 hours to share their experience that after updating to iOS 15, they see an "iPhone Storage Almost Full" warning inside of Settings, despite their iPhone having a sufficient amount of storage left. Apple Support's Twitter account is riddled with users reporting the bug.

Annoyingly, the warning inside of Settings can't be dismissed, and tapping on it only takes users to the iPhone Storage page within Settings, where they're reminded that their device, in the majority of cases, still has an adequate amount of storage left. A post on Apple Support's Community Forums, which has racked up over 900 views at the time of writing in just over 13 hours, also includes users reporting the bug.

The warning, however, is not the only storage-related bug that's irking some users. Other reports on Twitter indicate that iOS 15 has resulted in a bug in which the amount of available storage on a device is sometimes shown to be more than the device's capacity. In other cases, an iOS 15 bug results in the wrong tabulation for how much storage a user's content is taking up.

In all cases, Apple Support is advising users to restart their devices, but that does little to address the problem. Some of the bugs experienced by users appeared during the beta testing period for iOS 15 over the summer, which is meant to fix as many bugs and issues as possible before the update becomes widely available.

This week, Apple began testing iOS and iPadOS 15.1; however, given the widespread nature of these bugs, Apple may decide to release iOS 15.0.1 to address the storage bug and other improvements and security enchantments. We've reached out to Apple for comment.

In iOS 15 as well as Safari 15 for macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina, Apple introduced some Safari interface design changes that haven't been universally welcomed. Fortunately, Apple has made some of these changes optional, such as the ability to disable tab bar coloring.

Tab bar coloring, or website tinting, happens when the color of Safari's interface changes around the tabs, bookmark, and navigation button areas to match the color of the website you're viewing.

The idea behind tinting is that it allows the browser interface to fade into the background and create a more immersive experience. However, the effect doesn't always look great, especially if you have several windows arranged on your desktop. Happily, Apple chose to include an option to turn it off.

1. Launch Safari, then select Safari -> Preferences... from the menu bar.
   
   

2. Select the Tabs panel.
3. Uncheck the box next to Show color in tab bar.
   

If you're using Safari in iOS 15, you can find the same option in Settings -> Safari. Under the "Tabs" section, turn off the switch next to Allow Website Tinting. On iPadOS 15, this option is called Show Color in Tab Bar, just like in Safari 15 for macOS.

In previous versions of iOS, Apple included a "Show Color in Tab Bar" accessibility setting, which basically had the same effect as the new "Allow Website Tinting" toggle. The fact that Apple made the option more prominent suggests user aversion to tinting is more common than previously thought.

There are multiple features that Apple wasn't able to get ready for launch prior to the debut of iOS and iPadOS 15, which is not unusual. There are usually some iOS features that take a little more time to prepare for primetime, and Apple releases these features in iOS updates.

Below, we've rounded up iOS 15 additions that weren't ready when iOS 15 launched and will be implemented in iOS 15 updates coming later this year and next year.

SharePlay

A FaceTime feature, SharePlay was available for most of the beta testing period, but it was buggy and in August, Apple confirmed that it wouldn't be implemented when iOS 15 launched.

SharePlay is a way for users to do more on FaceTime calls with friends and family, offering options for watching TV together, listening to music, and screen sharing.

When it launches, SharePlay will be available in iOS 15‌, ‌iPadOS 15‌, ‌macOS Monterey‌, and tvOS 15. Right now, Apple is testing SharePlay in the iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1 betas that are available to developers.

Digital Legacy

Digital Legacy is a feature that lets a person's friends or family members access their data in the event of their death.

Users will be able to set a Legacy Contact and that person will be able to access their Apple ID and personal information like photos after death.

Right now, if someone passes away with a locked iPhone, iPad, or Mac, it's often difficult if not impossible to get access to the device, which Digital Legacy will address.

Digital Legacy was never active in the beta and it is not yet clear when it might be ready for launch.

Keys and IDs in Wallet

HomeKit-enabled locks will be able to be stored in the Wallet app going forward, so you can unlock your front door without having to download a third-party app from an accessory manufacturer. HomeKit accessory makers need to implement this feature and Apple says it will roll out after the launch of iOS 15.

Similarly, digital IDs and driver's licenses will be able to be stored in the Wallet app. The first states to support the feature will include Arizona and Georgia, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah to follow.

An exact timeline for the rollout is unknown at this time, but Apple is also working with the TSA to allow digital IDs to be accepted at some airports.

Apple needs to establish deals with each state, so it may be some time before digital IDs are available to all iPhone users in the United States.

App Privacy Report

The App Privacy Report, which Apple plans to roll out in full later this year, will let you know which apps are using the privacy permissions that have been granted to them, like access to the camera, microphone, and location.

The App Privacy Report is partially implemented through a "Record App Activity" setting that can be toggled on to record a 7-day summary of app activity, but the full implementation is listed as coming soon.

Right now, you can download a JSON file with data on how apps are accessing your data, but eventually, Apple will use this data to generate a full, easy-to-read App Privacy Report.

Siri-Enabled Accessories

Apple is allowing ‌HomeKit‌ accessory makers to integrate Siri functionality into their devices in iOS 15, but it will take time for device manufacturers to implement this functionality and it won't be available at launch.

‌Siri‌ integration will allow any compatible ‌HomeKit‌ device in the home to send messages, set reminders, contact family members, control devices, and more.

Note that using ‌Siri‌ through a third-party device will require a HomePod mini that can be used to route requests.

Universal Control

An iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey feature, Universal Control will allow a single input device like a mouse or a keyboard to be used to control multiple Macs or iPads at the same time.

‌Universal Control‌ was never implemented during the beta testing process and it is not available with the launch of iPadOS 15, with Apple saying it will come later in the fall. Because macOS Monterey isn't coming until later in the year, it's quite possible that the launch of macOS Monterey will also see the launch of ‌Universal Control‌.

Find My Network Support for AirPods

Shortly before the launch of iOS 15, Apple updated its iOS 15 features page to note that the Find My feature for the AirPods will not be launching until later this fall.

‌Find My‌ support for AirPods is designed to work with the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, taking advantage of the ‌Find My‌ network to locate them should they become lost.

Last year, Apple debuted support for digital car keys, which let users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet app on the iPhone. And with iOS 15, there's now Ultra Wideband support on the iPhone 11 and later that will let the feature work without having to remove your iPhone from your pocket.

Car manufacturers need to add the NFC technology to their vehicles to support digital car keys, and so far BMW has been the only manufacturer to do so with Apple's platforms.

It appears as if that's about to change, however, as an Apple configuration file specifying various compatibility criteria for Apple Pay NFC functionality has been updated today to add mention of Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis.

We noted earlier this year that BMW was preparing to support the Ultra Wideband version of Apple's digital car key feature and that Hyundai was reportedly moving to adopt digital car keys on iPhone as well, and that now appears to be coming to fruition.

We've yet to see an official announcement from Hyundai or Genesis about launching digital car key support on iOS, but the manufacturer debuted the feature on Android with its 2021 GV80 and G80 models and indicated that it was working with Apple on iOS support.

With iOS 15, Apple expanded the Do Not Disturb feature from iOS 14 into a full Focus Mode option that's designed to allow users to set up different scenarios to manage their incoming notifications.

Focus Mode is handy because it lets you decide exactly what alerts and apps you want to see at home, while at work, when sleeping, when exercising, and in other situations, but as Reddit users have pointed out, Apple has dropped a key Do Not Disturb feature.

Do Not Disturb in iOS 14 had a setting that allowed incoming calls and notifications to be silenced at all times, or only when the iPhone was locked. With this setting, you could turn on Do Not Disturb but still get all of your calls and notifications if you unlocked your phone and were actively using it.

Some people used this setting to have Do Not Disturb active at all times during the day so the iPhone was silenced when it was locked, but they weren't missing alerts when the iPhone was in use. From Reddit:

Really surprised they've done this, but it appears there is no longer an option in iOS 15 to still show notifications when in Do Not Disturb but unlocked.

My phone basically lived on Do Not Disturb mode up until now but I'll have to stop using it now which is really annoying.

Like, I don't want notifications when my phone is locked, but while I'm actively using it I still need them to pop up.

There is no equivalent setting in Focus Mode, so there's no longer an option to receive notifications when the iPhone is unlocked and silence them when it's not in use. With Focus Mode, it's an all or nothing experience - notifications are being received, or they're silenced in all situations.

Many Reddit users are unhappy with the change and are hoping that Apple will reintroduce a similar feature in a future iOS 15 update.

Alongside the iOS 15.1 beta, Apple has also introduced a HomePod 15.1 beta that brings Lossless and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio support to the ‌HomePod‌ and the HomePod mini.

The ‌HomePod‌ beta software is invite only and is not provided to developers for testing purposes, but 9to5Mac was able to confirm that Lossless and Spatial Audio support are included in the beta.

Apple added Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio and Lossless support to iOS and Mac devices in May, but promised that the feature would be coming to the ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ at a later time.

Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos can be enabled through the Home app. Open up Home Settings, tap on your profile, and then under Media, tap on Apple Music. From there, toggle on Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos. Note that these options appear in the iOS 15.1 beta, but the ‌HomePod‌ 15.1 beta seems to be needed to actually use the features on the ‌HomePod‌.

If all goes well, these features should launch with the ‌HomePod‌ 15.1 software that is set to be released alongside iOS 15.1. Since the iOS 15.1 was just provided to developers today, we likely have several weeks of testing to go.

Just a day after releasing the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates, Apple has already seeded the first betas of iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1. The new updates reintroduce features like SharePlay, and below, we have a list of what's new.

SharePlay

SharePlay is enabled in the iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1 betas to allow Apple to further work out bugs to get the feature ready to launch. Apple decided to pull SharePlay from the iOS 15 launch because it was not properly functioning and was still riddled with issues.

Available in FaceTime, SharePlay is designed to let users call up their friends and family and then watch TV, watch movies, and listen to music together using neat features like shared playlists and TV show syncing for all users. SharePlay also allows for screen sharing.

If testing goes well, SharePlay could see an official launch in iOS 15.1.

Announce Calls

In the Settings for the Phone app, there's a new icon for the "Announce Calls" setting.

Lossless Audio for HomePod

The HomePod 15.1 beta that accompanies the iOS 15.1 beta adds Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio support to the HomePod and HomePod mini.

Vaccine Cards in Wallet

In iOS 15, verifiable health records can be downloaded and stored in the Health app, and this includes COVID-19 vaccination records and health results. In iOS 15.1, vaccination records are able to be added to the Wallet app so a vaccine card can be provided to businesses, restaurants, venues, and more where vaccines are required for entry.

See our previous article for more details and discussion. Discussion should be limited to the iOS 15 update and political comments will be immediately removed.

Other Features

Know of a feature that we left out? Let us know in the comments.