iOS 15 release date and time – what to expect from Apple’s latest iPhone update and when it’s out

APPLE’S hotly-anticipated iOS 15 software is finally rolling out to iPhones across the globe.

The tech giant announced the major update to its operating system back in June and said it would be released sometime during “fall 2021”.

SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettiOS 15 is available to download from September 20, 2021[/caption]

iOS 15 release date

Apple has confirmed that iOS 15 will be available to download from September 20.

And while we don’t know an exact time of release, we can make educated guesses based on previous rollouts.

In the United States, we can expect the update to arrive around 10am PDT or 1pm EDT. That’s roughly 6pm BST in the UK.

Once it’s out, you can download the update by heading to your Settings app. Tap General > Software Update.

In addition to the major iPhone update, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15 will also be arriving on Monday.

A release date for macOS 12 Monterey has yet to be announced.

iOS 15 features

One new iOS 15 features is called Focus and it’s a tool that enables users to set different notification preferences depending on what they’re doing.

For instance, you will have the option to select if the phone makes a sound or not, or whether it vibrates, depending on your current status.

You’ll be able to use a new menu to select if you’re driving, working, sleeping or a custom status of your choosing.

The menu will be shown on the updated lock screen and in Control Centre, the iPhone and iPad’s menu for quickly getting to settings.

Focus will even notify your iMessage contacts of your status to let them know why you’re not responding to their texts.

Major iMessage updates

Apple is also working on major updates to iMessage that will make it more like a social media platform, like WhatsApp.

One way it’s doing this is by making it easier to manage and engage with the photos and news articles that your friends share through the app.

The Apple Photos and Apple news apps will have new areas that only store the content shared by your friends.

A number of the company’s other apps, such as Wallet, Safari, Apple Maps and Health, are also getting minor improvements.

FaceTime, for instance, will let you blur the background of your videos.

It’ll give your video feed a similar effect to the Portrait mode available on the cameras of recent iPhones.

You’ll also be able to upload your passport or drivers license to Apple Wallet, letting you check in at, for instance, airports using your phone.

Another new feature unveiled by Apple is designed to make it easier to show your friends what you’re listening to or watching.

Called “Share Play”, it allows you to listen to music or watch a streaming app with members of a call, with the video synced up for all users.

Notifications are getting a new look, and will now be grouped into a helpful collection called Notification Summary.

Apple will use AI to figure out which notifications are most important to you. You can set which time of day you’d like to be reminded to read them.

Apple periodically releases software updates for iOS, the operating system that powers the iPhone.

As well as bug fixes and the patching of security holes, the downloads add new features that Apple’s engineers have been working on.

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In other news, Apple has finally revealed the new iPhone 13 series.

It also revealed the Apple Watch 7.

And, Apple users are being told to update their devices now to fix a bug that could have let government agencies install spyware.

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