iOS 15 Tidbits: Per-App Settings, Notification Summaries, New Calendar Widget, and More

We've highlighted several new features coming in iOS 15, like the return of the text cursor magnifier and the ability to rearrange Home Screen pages, but additional tidbits continue to surface that we think readers will find noteworthy.

iOS 15 General Feature Blue

Per-App Accessibility Settings

Last week, we highlighted a new Control Center option that lets you set the text size for individual apps. But per-app accessibility settings don't end there.

settings
Individual app customizations also include adjustments to bold text, button shapes, toggle switches, transparency, contrast, color, motion, and more, allowing you to effectively remodel many app elements that you find particularly burdensome to use.

Small Calendar Month Widget

Annoyingly for many iOS 14 users, the square Calendar widget only shows the current day and any events, rather than the full calendar month, which can only be displayed in the larger 2x4 widget.

calendar

New 2x2 Calendar widget (left) versus original 2x2 widget

This always felt like a poor use of widget space, but fortunately iOS 15 adds a new 2x2 widget that displays the full calendar month with the current day highlighted. In another related change, you can now make a calendar a custom color using the color picker, in addition to the seven default color options that the Calendar app offers.

Improved Siri Suggestions

Apple continues to work hard to improve Siri in iOS 15, not only in terms of voice requests, which now get processed on your device instead of being sent to the cloud, but also when it comes to ‌Siri‌ suggestions, as evidenced by the following suggestion spotted by a Redditor.

siri suggestion birthday ios 15
The user had simply wished someone in their contacts a happy birthday during a Messages conversation, which resulted in the notification "‌Siri‌ Found a Birthday" and the option to update that contact card with their birth date. This is similar to the existing suggestion to add someone to your contacts if they say their name or have Share Name and Photo turned on, but adds another layer of contextual awareness.

Custom Frequency of Notification Summaries

In iOS 15, notifications have been redesigned, and Apple now also includes a Notification Summary option that uses on-device machine learning to automatically populate notifications based on priority in a new lock screen design.

notification summary ios 15
You can select which apps are included in these summaries, which are delivered to your lock screen at a time of your choosing. For example, you could opt to have them delivered during your lunch break, after dinner, or last thing before bedtime. If that sounds a little too infrequent, no problem – you can have up to 12 individual notification summaries within a 24-hour period, which could be timed hourly over the course of a working day, for instance.

Along with macOS Monterey and iPad iOS 15, iOS 15 is currently in developer beta with a public beta due next month and an official release sometime in the fall.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

Dekema2 Avatar
23 months ago
Would be nice if there was an option to "Disable Opening in App" for webpages and their corresponding apps.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gwhizkids Avatar
23 months ago
I know these changes are not the red meat many were looking for, but in many ways they make the iPhone a more functional, more usable product.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
motm95 Avatar
23 months ago
Please, Apple, let us finally put icons or widgets wherever we want without being forced into the grid layout.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gwhizkids Avatar
23 months ago
I switched to Android at the beginning of the year after being on the iPhone since the first one in 2007. I was blown away at how much better the Android OS is.

I had no idea what I was missing with interactive widgets. I can't belive Apple hasn't given this to their users yet.

Also, the standard grid layout with iOS always annoyed me because there is so much wasted space on the iPhone screen. Android allowed me to add a row and a column, easy peasy. So much better!

Those are two simple things but they make my phone usage much, much better. I couldn't possibly go back to iOS now that I know what I've been missing. Not being restricted to only the apps Apple deems suitable for me is another huge advantage, the camera on the S21 ultra is insane also.

iOS 15 doesn't have a single thing in it that would woo me back. Even my wife is starting to hate her iPhone now. I keep laughing saying the screen looks like a child's toy.
Thank you for sharing your happiness with us. We wish you well. It is good to find something you like.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wando64 Avatar
23 months ago

I switched to Android at the beginning of the year after being on the iPhone since the first one in 2007. I was blown away at how much better the Android OS is.

I had no idea what I was missing with interactive widgets. I can't belive Apple hasn't given this to their users yet.

Also, the standard grid layout with iOS always annoyed me because there is so much wasted space on the iPhone screen. Android allowed me to add a row and a column, easy peasy. So much better!

Those are two simple things but they make my phone usage much, much better. I couldn't possibly go back to iOS now that I know what I've been missing. Not being restricted to only the apps Apple deems suitable for me is another huge advantage, the camera on the S21 ultra is insane also.

iOS 15 doesn't have a single thing in it that would woo me back. Even my wife is starting to hate her iPhone now. I keep laughing saying the screen looks like a child's toy.
That’s right. As long as it looks pretty, who cares about security, privacy and seamless ecosystem integration.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Attirex Avatar
23 months ago
If you need to use that functionality to manage that many daily notifications, you have larger issues in your life to deal with. Unless you're the Most Important Person on Earth or a constantly texting teenager, I don't get it.

In fact, a lot of iOS 15 features seem targeted towards insane use cases where someone gets 500,000 notifications every day including 14,000 phone calls, 60,000 text messages, 80,000 calendar reminders, and manages 40,000 notes. Who are these people? Can I be you? Or maybe I don't want to be....hm.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Monday March 20, 2023 8:33 am PDT by
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro. Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
airpodsd 3 purple 4

iOS 16.4 Seemingly References New AirPods and AirPods Case

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:43 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968. There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds Release Candidate Versions of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to Developers [Update: Public RC Available]

Tuesday March 21, 2023 10:25 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth betas. The RCs mark the final version of the software that will be provided to the public in the near future. Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...