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iOS 15.1 will bring new features to iPhone 13 Pro (left) and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

October 18 update below. This post was first published on Saturday, October 16.

Apples latest keynote took place today, Monday, October 18. And as expected there were MacBook Pro laptops with new Apple Silicon powering them.

But new AirPods were announced as well, which require updated software to support them, especially if they have new features on board. So, does this mean iOS 15.1 is almost here and if so, when and what will it bring?

October 18 update. Well, there was no mention of when iOS 15.1 would arrive, not a single solitary whisper, in the keynotenot surprising as it was fast-paced, jam-packed and ran at around 49 minutes.

But Apple has now revealed when its coming.

In a news report at apple.com/newsroom that accompanied the announcement of the AirPods third-generation, Apple has confided:

AirPods require Apple devices running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, tvOS 15.1, or macOS Monterey, all available as free software updates next week.

Thats the week commencing Monday, October 25. But, though no exact date is given, theres a further clue as to when iOS 15.1 will land, because Apple says that the third-gen AirPods are available to order from right now and will be available in store from next Tuesday, October 26.

So, there we have it. It is inconceivable that Apple would release a product without the software required to run it being available, so the very latest Apple could release iOS 15.1 is next Tuesday.

Apple does like to release its software updates on a Tuesday, but my guess is that iOS 15.1 will be released in good time for the very first AirPods (3rd-generation) going on sale.

In which case, we can expect the update to be released on Monday, October 25, at 10AM Pacific.

Oh, and one more thing, as they say. An iOS 15.1 feature that every single human being with a Mac and an iPad is looking forward to is Universal Control, which lets you merge your two devices in a supremely cool way, controlling the iPad from the mouse on the adjacent Mac.

Apple has now confirmed that its not coming right now (after all, it needed macOS Monterey and thats here next week, too, for the AirPods as well as anything else). On the Apple website its been confirmed that this update is coming later this fall.

Lets not lose heart, though. After all, the Apple Watch was announced as coming this fall with no date attached and it turned up just a matter of days, just three weeks, after the iPhone 13 which was announced at the same time. So, maybe its just a week or three before Universal Control arrives in another iOS 15 update.

That doesnt mean its going to be the very next update, of course, as if any bugs surface which need urgent squishing, or if there are other features weve forgotten about which need to be added before then, well, we can expect more updates sooner.

Apple is making iOS 15.1 the next big update, and given its arrival in just a matter of days, I dont think iOS 15.0.3 is likely to see the light of day. Then again, anything is possible.

In the meantime, back to the great features we can expect in iOS 15.1 when its released just a short week from now...

Key features of iOS 15.1: SharePlay

SharePlay will finally launch, it seems. Over the past few years, Apple has often promised a key feature before launch only for it to slip back from the first edition of software, or to be re-labelled as being in beta, that is, not quite ready but good enough for us all to try.

The essence of this feature is FaceTime. When youre on a FaceTime call, and youre talking about a song or album you love, you can share it in the call. Open Apple Music and it can sync to everyones devices. Everyone on the call can add songs to a queue with shared play, skip and other controls. This will work for video as well, so you can open and play video content from Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, TikTok, Paramount+ and more. For a watch party it works differently from audio but the result is the same: everyone enjoying the same content simultaneously.

Youll also be able to share your screen with others on FaceTime calls, turning Apples video chat app into a Zoom challenger.

Key features of iOS 15.1: Lossless Audio

Lossless Audio means hi-fi sound on your iPhone or iPad, not to mention HomePod and HomePod mini. Which is the important bit here. Thats because it comes with HomePod 15.1 which will deliver support for Lossless and Dolby Atmos playback on the smart speakers.

If all this seems a bit dj vu, its because this is a feature which was promised in an earlier beta and then removed.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are among the phones about to get ProRes features.

Key features of iOS 15.1: ProRes Video

This will appeal to keen videographers: ProRes Video capture. Apple ProRes is a high-quality video compression format which is widely used professionally. Now, its coming to iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max in the native camera app.

But it takes up a lot of storage, which is likely the reason that its limited to 1080p quality at 30 frames per second on the 128GB storage iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models. If you have higher storage capacity on your Pro, then 4K ProRes recording at 30fps is possible.

Key features of iOS 15.1: What else?

Heres something that a lot of people have got hot under the collar about: Auto Macro Mode Toggle, If youve tried Macro mode on the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, youll know that the results are astonishingly good but that the execution of the switch to Macro is automatic, rather than controlled by the user. As you bring the iPhone camera in close, it recognizes what youre doing and switches to the ultrawide camera automatically, to create the brilliant Macro effect. But that switch causes a visible shift, a blurring effect as the lens switch happens.

Move too far away and youll be switched out again. Personally, I have never had an issue with this, it works great for me, but Id agree that extra control is better and the new software includes a toggle to turn the auto Macro effect off.

Virtual Vaccination cards will be implemented in the update, which is also very cool. Oh, and the fix for Unlock with Apple Watch, so your Watch could tell the iPhone to unlock when it sees youre wearing a mask was due for this update but has already arrived in iOS 15.0.1.

There could be more changes, such as the implementation of fixing the call issue which some users have found where audio drops followed by the call itself (currently sorted by toggling Airplane mode on and off again).

iOS 15.1 will benefit other iPhones, like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.

When will we see iOS 15.1?

My guess is it will land in the next few days, perhaps as soon as Tuesday. Apple does like to release software on a Tuesday. The software may be mentioned at Mondays shindig. Of course, it could be later: even assuming AirPods 3 are announced on Monday, it will take days before they go on sale, probably on Friday, October 22 or (more likely) Friday, October 29.

So, theres still plenty of time for iOS 15.1 to launch. None the less, I think its imminent.

Read the original:
Apple iOS 15.1: Next iPhone Update Will Have 3 Awesome New Features - Forbes