Apple Releases iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 With SharePlay, ProRes, Auto Macro Toggle, Vaccine Cards in Wallet and More

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 15.1, the first major updates to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September 2021. iOS 15.1 comes one month after the launch of iOS 15.

General iOS 15
The iOS and iPadOS 15.1 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. For those who don't want to update to iOS 15, Apple has also released a 14.8.1 update that includes security updates.

iOS 15.1 includes SharePlay, which is designed to allow users to call their friends and family and interact by watching movies and TV or listening to music together, plus there's a built-in screen sharing feature. There's ProRes video capture and an Auto Macro toggle for the iPhone 13 Pro, along with Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos support for the HomePod (with accompanying ‌HomePod‌ update). There's also support for generating vaccine cards in the Wallet app from vaccination records stored in the Health app.

Apple's full release notes for the iOS 15.1 update are below.

SharePlay
- SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, Fitness+, and other supported App Store apps
- Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward
- Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when your friends speak
- Apple TV supports the option to watch the shared video on your big screen while you continue the FaceTime call on iPhone
- Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out

Camera
- ProRes video capture using iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Setting to turn off automatic camera switching when taking macro photos and videos on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple Wallet
- COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to add and present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet

Translate
- Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) support in the Translate app and for system-wide translation

Home
- New automation triggers based on the current reading of a HomeKit-enabled humidity, air quality, or light level sensor

Shortcuts
- New pre-built actions let you overlay text on images or gifs, plus a new collection of games lets you pass the time with Siri

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Photos app may incorrectly report storage is full when importing photos and videos
- Weather app may not show current temperature for My Location, and may display colors of animated backgrounds incorrectly
- Audio playing from an app may pause when locking the screen
- Wallet may unexpectedly quit when using VoiceOver with multiple passes
- Available Wi-Fi networks may not be detected
- Battery algorithms updated on iPhone 12 models to better estimate battery capacity over time

On the iPad, the update adds the above listed features and support for Live Text in the Camera app. With Live Text, the Camera can detect text, phone numbers, addresses, and more, with the feature available on iPads that have an A12 Bionic chip or later. Live Text was already available on the iPhone.

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

For details on everything that's new in the iOS 15 update, we have a dedicated iOS 15 roundup.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

jjudson Avatar
28 months ago

But its not like they are looking at your pictures, there is millions of apple users, why would they look at your pictures?
It's this kind of care-free attitude that is responsible for why Facebook exists.

The government didn't take away our privacy.

We stupidly offered it up enthusiastically...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AltecX Avatar
28 months ago

It's this kind of care-free attitude that is responsible for why Facebook exists.

The government didn't take away our privacy.

We stupidly offered it up enthusiastically...
It's like China. They didn't TAKE our manufacturing. Our CEO's gave it to them to make more money.

We don't have our Privacy taken, enough people agree to give it up under the guise of "national security, fighting terrorists, and protecting children" that the rest of us have to suffer with the results we saw coming.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
28 months ago

- Battery algorithms updated on iPhone 12 models to better estimate battery capacity over time
Sounds sketchy…
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
28 months ago

OMG what is the big deal this is a tech used to catch child abusers, what so bad about that?
I don’t think anyone has a problem with *what* it’s doing, but *how* it’s doing it.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it was completely and quietly scrapped, especially after that report a week or so ago of governments already trying to research how to abuse this system.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AltecX Avatar
28 months ago

OMG what is the big deal this is a tech used to catch child abusers, what so bad about that?
The potential doors it could open in terms of personal security. Also, NO it's not catching abusers, it's using OLD images. In many cases years old images. It's catching potential predators, and people that spread CP.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sos47 Avatar
28 months ago
now i jump from 14.8 to 15.1 ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iphone 5g mmwave

Apple's Work on 6G Connectivity Already Expanding

Monday December 4, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple's work on implementing 6G cellular connectivity on its devices appears to be ramping up, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is increasingly turning its attention to 6G, even amid its widely reported difficulties developing a custom 5G cellular modem. In 2021, the first highly specific Apple job...