Apple Inc. opened up its annual Worldwide Developers Conference today with a wealth of announcements, including preview features for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, WatchOS 8, MacOS Monterey and much more.

“For many customers, iPhone has become indispensable, and this year we’ve created even more ways it can enhance our daily lives,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “iOS 15 helps users stay connected while sharing experiences in real time, gives them new tools to help reduce distraction and find focus, uses intelligence to enhance the photos experience, and, with huge upgrades to Maps, brings new ways to explore the world.”

iOS 15: Staying connected on the go

iOS 15 is the next operating system for the iPhone, which means that Apple focused on how people stay connected while mobile. The announced features focused on apps that will take advantage of iOS 15 such as FaceTime, SharePlay for shared experiences and Apple Maps.

FaceTime received the most attention at the conference, with a large number of updates to both video and audio. New microphone modes will use better processing to separate the user’s voice from background noise, making it easier to hear them even in noisy environments, and a portrait mode that will pick out their face even in cluttered scenes. And for on-phone visibility, a grid view means participants can see more faces at the same time and still tell who is speaking.

Now with SharePlay, multiple people can use FaceTime with media such as music and movies. For example, Apple Music, a TV show or movie in sync – or even share their screens such as an app or video game. It even extends to Apple TV, so users can watch shows or movies on a big screen while on FaceTime, and it will keep playback with Disney+, HBO, Twitch or Hulu going at the same time, creating a virtual “on the couch” experience.

For people who want to be able to focus, there’s another feature called, naturally, Focus, which will reduce distractions. When Focus is on, only notifications deemed important will be surfaced based on context and current status set by the users, and that will be automatically displayed to anyone attempting to message them so that they understand why responses are not forthcoming.

Live Text is also being added to iOS 15, which enables the device to read almost any text in photos, and allows mobile devices to take action based on it. For example, users can take a photograph of text, copy it directly from a handwritten note and paste it into a document or even a phone number on the wall of a business and call it directly from their phone. It even makes the text searchable in photos stored on the phone.

Apple Maps has been updated to feature a more intuitive design with better details to provide road details in a three-dimensional manner from a birds-eye-view, with an eye to help drivers understand important details while on the road. It also now includes more details such as turn lanes, medians, bike lanes and crosswalks.

Health apps enabled by iOS 15 enhance secure sharing with both doctors and family. The Health app now has a new Sharing tab that allows users to privately share their health data with a trusted partner or caregiver — most importantly, none of this information is accessible by Apple or any other party. What data is shared is also entirely controlled by the user and privacy is paramount.

This feature can also allow users to share information with participating healthcare organizations for more in-depth conversations with doctors involving their electronic health records.

iPadOS 15: Productivity features

The iPad runs on iPadOS and the next iteration will add multitasking features enabling users to run apps side-by-side by making features such as Split View and Slide Over easier to use and more powerful. Notes is also now systemwide with Quick Note. Apple previewed new widget layouts for the home screen and App Library and new features for Translate as well.

With iPadOS 15 it is now possible to quickly jump into multiple apps with just a tap for Split Screen or Slide Over to enable multitasking. That’s important because iPads are a single pane and it will operate with windows like Safari and Pages, quickly previewing emails.

The Home Screen is now capable of housing widgets so that apps can display information directly amidst icons and users can see more information at a glance for a personalized experience. This is designed for the larger display of the iPad and as a result, Apple has added the App Library, which will automatically organize apps into categories such as Productivity, Games and Recently Added. It also allows users to access their apps directly from the Dock.

Quick Note is now systemwide, which means users can open up Note within any app and take notes at any time. Notes are also context-sensitive and aware, as a result, when the user returns the app and the page when they originally took a note, it will pop up again. In addition, there’s a new activity view that makes it easy to see what has been added recently.

The Translate app has new features that will make conversations easier and more natural. It has an additional feature called Auto Translate that detects when someone is speaking, and in which language, so users can converse naturally without having to tap the microphone button. That way, two users can sit across from each other with the iPad between them and see translations of the conversation from their own side.

WatchOS 8: Wallet and workouts

Apple updated Apple Wallet to operate with Apple Watch using Ultra Wideband support with digital car, house, office and hotel keys. Users need only tap their Watch to unlock. Later this year, beginning with participating states in the U.S., users will also be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet. Selected Transportation Security Administration checkpoints will be the first to begin to use their digital ID as well.

Apple Watch also operates as a powerful health-related device and it tracks workouts and exercise. So Apple announced the addition of Tai Chi and Pilates workouts. Part of things included validated custom-built heart rate and motion algorithms to provide users with accurate health metrics.

Apple Watch helps people approach their sleep goals with bedtime routines and tracks metrics like time asleep, heart rate and blood oxygen. The watch uses a built-in accelerometer to measure breathing while sleeping and this information can be viewed by the user along with trends over time.

MacOS Monterey: Working smarter across devices

MacOS Monterey’s biggest new feature is Universal Control, which connects it with every other Apple device in what Apple calls “Continuity.” It allows users to work with a single mouse and keyboard and move between Mac and iPad for a seamless experience, with no setup required.

A user can move their mouse from the screen of a Mac onto a nearby MacBook or onto an iPad, and even drag and drop content back and forth between the devices. That’s ideal for moving items between devices or sketching a drawing with an Apple Pencil on an iPad and then placing it onto the Mac.

Shortcuts will also arrive on Mac to help users automate their everyday tasks. Just as they work on iPhone and iPad, Shortcuts on Mac will let users set up tasks that they do most often with the apps that they use the most.

“MacOS Monterey is packed with features that help Mac users get more done, connect with friends and family in amazing new ways, and work across Mac and iPad more seamlessly than ever before,” said Federighi.

Images: Apple