Apple has made iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 available to the general public today. Following more than a month of beta testing, iOS 15.1 introduces new features such as SharePlay, Camera app updates for iPhone 13 users, and much more.
What’s SharePlay
Support for SharePlay is the most notable feature of iOS 15.1. This feature was supposed to be included in iOS 15’s first release, but Apple postponed it so that it could be further refined. “A new method to share synchronized experiences via FaceTime,” according to Apple.
The Apple TV app, Apple Music, and Fitness+ are all built-in programs that allow SharePlay. Third-party developers can also access the ecosystem, allowing you to use SharePlay in a number of apps, games, streaming services, and other places.
Upgrades to the camera app
Meanwhile, in iOS 15.1 for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, the Camera app receives a couple of significant upgrades. Support for ProRes video capture, as well as the ability to disable automatic camera switching while taking macro photographs and films, are also included.
Full release notes
Other enhancements with iOS 15.1 include the ability to store your COVID-19 vaccination card in the Wallet application, Home app improvements, Shortcuts updates, and more.
You can update your iPhone by going to the Settings app, choosing General, then choosing Software Update. The full release notes 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
If your smartphone is still running the beta version, you can install the public version of this iOS update over it. Here’s a guide on how to update from an iOS beta to the official release.
