Bloomberg reported Apple will launch some new features and enhancements in the official versions of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 later this year, including a redesigned iPad home screen, an updated lock screen, and new notification preferences for users.
According to the report, Apple is working hard to bring improvements to the iPad home screen, allowing users to place widgets on any part of the screen, using the iPhone style, instead of the current setting, restricting the today’s view bar placed on the left. Apple also plans to allow users to replace the entire application grid with only widgets for additional customization.
Moreover, Apple’s planned software update code-named “sky” looks like a selective enhancement. For example, the report shows that Apple is upgrading iMessage, and its ultimate goal is to be a social network that can better compete with WhatsApp, although there are not many details about these changes.
In other respects, Apple is said to be working hard to introduce a new privacy menu to show users which applications are silently collecting their data. This move sounds like an extra fortress, preventing apps from trying to circumvent the protective measures Apple introduced in iOS 14.5, such as its app tracking transparency rules.
According to Gurman, after redesigning macOS 11 Big Sur last year, Apple is planning to update macOS slightly, as well as update watchOS and tvOS.
Apple usually releases new versions of iOS and iPadOS system official versions around September, close to the release time of the new iPhone, but Apple likes to release the latest preview versions of iOS and iPadOS at the WWDC annual global developer conference in June.
