Hands-On With iOS 15: See Apple's New Operating System Update in Action

Apple yesterday unveiled iOS 15, the newest version of the iOS operating system that runs on the iPhone (and the iPad with iPadOS 15). iOS 15 is a significant update that introduces many important new features, and we thought we'd give MacRumors readers a first look at the new software.


Not everything that was announced yesterday is functional right now, with Apple planning to roll out and refine features over the beta testing period, but there are quite a few changes that you can see right now after installing iOS 15.

There are major updates to FaceTime and Messages with a new SharePlay feature for listening to music and watching videos with friends, plus a new Focus mode that lets you focus on the task at hand whether that's work, personal time, or something else.

Maps has been overhauled with an updated design and more detail in select cities, plus it supports AR walking directions for the first time. Safari supports Tab Groups for improved organization, and later this year, you'll be able to add your ID card to the Wallet app in some U.S. states. Photos can now read written text and translate it to typed text, and the app can also identify landmarks, plants, pets, and more.

Make sure to watch the video up above to see iOS 15 in action, and for a more complete look at everything that's new in iOS 15, we have a dedicated roundup that walks through all of the new features.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

iGeneo Avatar
53 months ago
So many nice little touches ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
augustrushrox Avatar
53 months ago
Maybe I'm alone, but I can't help but think that the progressive rounding of practically everything "kid-ifies" the OS and makes it feel almost patronizing. I believe there's a balance between sharp corners and so round that it looks like an OS for a toddler. Apple, it seems, has ventured now into the realm of "too round". Thoughts?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redscull Avatar
53 months ago

Maybe I'm alone, but I can't help but think that the progressive rounding of practically everything "kid-ifies" the OS and makes it feel almost patronizing. I believe there's a balance between sharp corners and so round that it looks like an OS for a toddler. Apple, it seems, has ventured now into the realm of "too round". Thoughts?
Well I at least agree with you. It's like they've digitized the Fisher Price design philosophy. And filled the screen with bubbles too. I don't like it. Their trend is to use screen real estate less and less efficiently so the screens get bigger with more resolution and yet we don't actually get any more usability out of it.

I do really like a lot of the new features they announced. But the aesthetic is bleh.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timeislove Avatar
53 months ago

I think you are alone. It is one thing to say you don't care for the new design which is fair. it is quite another to suggest that rounded corners make the display look kiddie and patronizing. There is nothing kiddie about round corners. You did a lot of bad projecting.
Kid-dised is just a choice of words. I am happy (and looking forward to) to see upgrade on Map, but I do agree that the new map detail does look like a bit less pro! To avoid from using the word “kiddised” , i would say the city map view looks like a Nintendo Switch version of Simcity.

Rather than upgrading the map details, I like them to enhance the POI support in the Map search (now a bit lacking and more street address based which would be fine for low dense cities and town but difficult for cities full of commercial buildings), also its integration with other native Apps like contact and calendar that they do not support carrying POI to Map app.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
53 months ago
I think I will make a MR focus so I don't get disturb. :D

edited to add: I am so glad that tabs and search box was put at the bottom were you fingers normally rest.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
53 months ago

I think I will make a MR focus so I don't get disturb. :D

edited to add: I am so glad that tabs and search box was put at the bottom were you fingers normally rest.
The maps look so rich and amazing. The details are crazy!!! Can it be September already?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)