WWDC this year will kick off on June 7 and Apple, as in years past, will hold a keynote event where the company will unveil iOS 15 along with new versions of macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and more. And while the keynote will undoubtedly be full of surprises, and perhaps some new hardware, there’s no question that the main attraction of the event will be iOS.
While we’ve seen a few iOS 15 rumors trickle in over the past few months, we haven’t exactly seen a deluge of information just yet. Now that isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have high expectations. On the contrary, the lack of iOS 15 rumors could simply be a sign that Apple has done a better job of keeping leaks at bay this year.
With WWDC now less than a month away, a new iOS 15 concept video put together by Nicholas Ghigo shows off what some of the most requested iOS features might look like. The video employs a few too many quick cuts for my liking, but it’s still possible to make out some interesting new design elements.
As a prime example, if you look closely you can make out what Apple’s rumored Always-On display is going to look like. According to reports, the Always-On display will be similar to the Apple Watch insofar that it will only display a small selection of pertinent information.
To this point, noted leaker Max Weinbach said the following earlier this year:
Always-On Display will have minimal customizability. Current design basically looks like a toned down lockscreen. Clock and battery charge is always visible. Notifications seem to be displayed using a bar and icons. Upon receiving, the notification will pop up normally except that the screen will not entirely light up. Instead, it will display it just like you’re used to right now, except dimmed down and only temporarily.
Some other features imagined in the video include split-screen multitasking, a revamped Control Center, a new Clock app with multiple timers (which looks really cool), interactive widgets, and more.
The video can be seen in its entirety below:
Some other iOS 15 features we’ve seen mentioned include a new framework for notifications and a slightly revamped lock screen.
One of the more intriguing reports we’ve seen claims that Apple is working on an overhaul of its Messages app to make it a bit more similar to more fleshed-out chat apps like WhatsApp. A full Messages redesign, however, may not arrive until iOS 16 or iOS 17.
Incidentally, Apple earlier this week issued a press release touting a slew of new accessibility features it plans to introduce with upcoming software updates.
Later this year, with software updates across all of Apple’s operating systems, people with limb differences will be able to navigate Apple Watch using AssistiveTouch; iPad will support third-party eye-tracking hardware for easier control; and for blind and low vision communities, Apple’s industry-leading VoiceOver screen reader will get even smarter using on-device intelligence to explore objects within images. In support of neurodiversity, Apple is introducing new background sounds to help minimize distractions, and for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, Made for iPhone (MFi) will soon support new bi-directional hearing aids.
Much like last year, Apple’s WWDC event this June will be an online-only affair on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
