Users Underwhelmed by iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Survey Suggests

Users appear to be underwhelmed by Apple's upcoming iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates, according to the findings of a new survey by SellCell.

iOS 15 Users Underwhelmed Feature
The survey asked 3,000 iPhone and iPad users, evenly split between men and women, aged 18 or over in the United States, what they thought of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and the naming of the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

Over 50 percent of all of the survey's respondents said that the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates are only "slightly" or "not at all" exciting. 28.1 percent rated the updates "somewhat" exciting, but as few as 19.3 percent are "extremely" or "very" excited about them.

Within iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, 23 percent of users said that the most exciting upgrade is ID cards in the Wallet app, 17.3 percent are most excited about enhanced Spotlight search, and 14.2 percent are most excited about new Find My features.

Very few respondents were enamored with many of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15's new features. Less than one percent of respondents thought that iMessage's "Shared with You" feature, Health app upgrades including fall-risk metrics and data sharing, and improvements to Apple Maps with more transit details and AR walking directions were the best new features. Likewise, FaceTime app improvements with Spatial Audio, screen sharing, grid view, and portrait mode, the redesigned notifications system, and Focus statuses only attracted around five percent of respondents.

When asked what features respondents thought should have been added in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, 32.3 percent said that there should have been interactive widgets, 21 percent said that there should have been always-on display features, 14.9 percent said that there should have been Pro apps such as Xcode or Final Cut Pro for the ‌iPad‌, and 13.2 percent said that there should have been better external display support for the ‌iPad‌.

iphone 13 teal with text
Beyond the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates, the survey also investigated triskaidekaphobia, a superstitious fear of the number 13, around the naming of the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 13. As many as one in five ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users said that they would be actively put off by the "‌iPhone‌ 13" moniker.

Respondents were also asked how they thought Apple should name its upcoming series of ‌iPhone‌ models. Interestingly, most responses indicated that the devices should not be called the "‌iPhone‌ 13." 38 percent said that Apple should call its next smartphone series simply "‌iPhone‌ (2021)," 26 percent thought that the "‌iPhone‌ 13" was the best name, and only 13 percent said that they would like to see the devices called the "‌iPhone‌ 12S."

Related Forums: iOS 15, iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

iOS 19 to Have Some of the 'Biggest' Design Changes in iPhone's History

Sunday March 16, 2025 10:35 am PDT by
Apple is planning some of the "biggest iOS and macOS redesigns in its history," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman reiterated that iOS 19 will have a visionOS-like design with more transparent interfaces:The new interfaces will adopt the design principles introduced in visionOS, the software for Apple's Vision Pro headset. That includes greater...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...
Bent iPhone Air Feature

Apple Canned Larger iPhone 17 Air Model Over Fears of Bendgate 2.0

Monday March 17, 2025 4:07 am PDT by
Apple prototyped a larger ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air with a 6.9-inch display, but ultimately decided not to go ahead with the device because of fears that it could be susceptible to bending, according to a new report. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, writing in his latest Power On newsletter: When it first started work on the phone, it prototyped a device with a 6.9-inch screen — matching...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Apple's First Foldable iPhone Estimated to Cost Nearly Twice as Much as iPhone 16 Pro Max

Monday March 17, 2025 6:42 am PDT by
In an investor research note today with British bank Barclays, analyst Tim Long said Apple's first foldable iPhone could have a starting price in the $2,300 range in the United States, which would make it by far the most expensive iPhone model ever. If the first foldable iPhone starts at $2,299, that means it would cost nearly twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199. ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro Already Rumored to Have Five New Features

Tuesday March 18, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around a year and a half away from launching, there are already some early rumors about the devices. Below, we recap some key iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. Under-Screen Face ID In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young shared a roadmap showing that iPhone 17 Pro models would feature under-display Face ID. In May 2024, however, Young said ...
General iOS Mail Feature

iOS 18.3.2 Broke iCloud Mail Delivery

Monday March 17, 2025 3:31 pm PDT by
The iOS 18.3.2 update that Apple released last week appears to have broken iCloud Mail for some users. There are multiple complaints on Reddit and the MacRumors forums from users who say that iCloud Mail is not able to push new iCloud emails to their iPhones after the iOS 18.3.2 update. Affected users say that despite having the correct settings enabled, new iCloud emails are not showing up...
iphone 16 pro models 1

All Four iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Upgraded 24-Megapixel Front Camera and More

Monday March 17, 2025 7:50 pm PDT by
All four iPhone 17 models launching later this year will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to analyst Jeff Pu. In a research note today with investment firm GF Securities, Pu shared a chart in which he reiterated that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with a 24-megapixel front camera. By comparison, all four ...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Start at $899 With Surprisingly Good Battery Life, Camera Control, and More

Sunday March 16, 2025 9:05 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today shared some new details about the rumored iPhone 17 Air. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said he was told that the device may start at roughly $899 in the U.S., which means that it would occupy the same price point as the iPhone 16 Plus. This would make sense, as it has been widely rumored that the Air model will take over the Plus model's spot in the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

DJC631 Avatar
49 months ago
Neither update looked very exciting, and iPadOS was downright a disappointment for anyone hoping to really use an iPad as their main machine.
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
49 months ago
Things like “ipad widgets on desktop” shouldn’t even count. It was almost like apple purposely didn’t given ipad certain features last year just so they’d have something to provide this year.
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darcyf Avatar
49 months ago
Everyone: why can’t I add multiple destinations to a route in maps??

Apple: we’ve changed the way moonlight looks on 3D buildings!
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
49 months ago

Too early to make any judgements. Apple introduced well over 500+ changes this year come on now. Just look at the new weather and map App!


and 490 of them are minor and make no change to your daily life
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazapple Avatar
49 months ago
Let iPadOS with M1 chips run full OS X when docked with an external monitor.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TopToffee Avatar
49 months ago
52.6 vs 47.4

Amongst a group of people who will on average know very little about the upcoming OSes

It's hardly a landslide.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)