Mac os tips
Unlock Home Using Apple Wallet
Another useful add-on for those living in a complete Apple ecosystem. Users can now unlock home, hotel room, or even office using the stored key in the Apple Wallet app. Open the Apple Wallet app, use the stored digital key, tap the phone to the lock, and voila! The room is ready to serve you. It will be up to third-party devices and hotel chains to quickly implement the functionality.
Safari Extensions
Similar to the macOS Safari browser, users can now use the same extensions for the Safari on iPhone as well. Previously, it was limited to ad-blockers only. iOS 15 open the doors for developers to create mobile-friendly extensions for the Safari browser. The collection is slim for now. But we can expect to see more developers creating Safari browser extensions in the future.
Add Wallpaper Background in Safari Browser
This was already possible in Safari on macOS Big Sur. iOS 15 carries the same wallpaper customization trick to the iPhone as well. Open Safari on the iPhone and scroll down to the bottom. Select Edit, and you can pick a relevant wallpaper from the Background Image menu. One can also go ahead and add wallpaper from the gallery on the iPhone.
Add Apple Music to Photos Memories
The default Photos app carries a Memories feature that combines your recent photos and creates a video out of it using animations and other cool tricks. In iOS 15, you can now set any music clip from the Apple Music app and make your memories even more beautiful. Memories will change the slideshow look and feel based on the song selection with custom filters and animations.
Check Image EXIF Details in the Photos App
iOS 15 finally lets you check the EXIF details of an image from the default Photos app. This means you’ll no longer have to rely on third-party apps just to check the details of a photo you have taken. You can open any image in the Photos app and tap on the info ‘i’ button to view photo size, maps, photo date, time, resolution, and more.
Utilize Live Text
Live Text uses on-device intelligence to identify text in a photo or camera viewfinder. You can point the iPhone camera to a business card, scan the email or phone number using Live Text, and directly take action on it. It works in photos as well. Open an image from the gallery and identify the text in the photo. It can be helpful when you want to convert handwritten notes to text on the phone. Live Text works in other apps as well. For example, in the Email app, you can use the Email from Camera option and directly import the email address using Live Text. At launch, Live Text support is limited to 7 languages only.
Notification Summary
This one is mighty useful to get you through a busy day. Notification summary combines notifications from irrelevant apps and sends you the summary of it at a specific time. By default, it’s turned off. You can enable the toggle from the Settings > Notifications menu and select the relevant time you want to be reminded about the notifications.
Create Custom Focus Profiles
Apple hasn’t stopped with a barebone Focus mode in iOS 15. The company even allows you to create custom Focus profiles based on your usage and convenience. From the Settings > Focus menu, you can create as many Focus profiles such as Writing, Yoga, Meditation, and more. For each Focus profile, you can customize the Home screen and Lock screen as well. The possibilities are endless here. The good news is, all the Focus profiles get synced among all your Apple devices using the same Apple account.
Master Focus Mode
The default Do Not Disturb mode gets a new avatar with the Focus mode in iOS 15. Instead of a single Do Not Disturb mode, you get to choose among Home, Work, Sleep, and more Focus profiles with customized notifications and calls behavior for each. Swipe down from the upper right corner and long-tap on the Focus menu. You can select from one of the default iOS Focus profiles. You can further customize each mode by selecting which apps and contacts are allowed to send notifications.
SharePlay in FaceTime
Another handy iOS 15 tip that will be quite popular once the majority of iPhone owners install the update. By majority, we mean both the consumers and developers. Apple has added a SharePlay function that lets users on a FaceTime call listen to Music via Apple Music, watch shows via Apple TV, etc. Basically, you’ll be able to enjoy watching movies or listening to music with your friends while on a FaceTime call. Expect to see companies like Spotify, Netflix, Disney, etc., offer similar integration with FaceTime. Apple has also added the Screen Share function that allows the user to share the screen with other participants over a FaceTime call. Read our dedicated post to learn about screen sharing on FaceTime. SharePlay is not a part of the initial iOS 15 release but should debut later this fall.
