Bloomberg: iOS 15 to Bring Redesigned iPad Home Screen, Updated Lock Screen, New Notification and Privacy Options

[MacRumors]

Apple will introduce several new features and enhancements in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 later this year, including a redesigned Home Screen for iPad, an updated Lock Screen, and new notification preferences for users, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

From the report:

Apple Inc. is readying a major revamp of its mobile software that will include an upgrade to how users handle notifications, a redesigned iPad Home Screen, an updated Lock Screen, and additional privacy protections for its flagship devices, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

[...]

The company is planning a new feature that will allow users to set different notification preferences, such as if the phone makes a sound or not, depending on their current status. The enhancement will come in the form of a new menu that lets users select if they are driving, working, sleeping or custom categories of their choosing. The menu will be shown on the updated Lock Screen and in Control Center, the iPhone and iPad's menu for quickly accessing settings.

There will also be an option to set automatic replies to messages depending on their status. That will be an improvement over the current auto-reply feature, which is only currently available while driving. Apple has added some unique notifications features such as Do Not Disturb and Sleep Mode, but this will mark the first time the company offers a systemwide feature for changing notifications depending on a user's status.

According to the report, Apple is working to bring parity to the iPad Home Screen, by allowing users to place widgets in any part of the screen, iPhone-style, rather than the current setup that limits placement to the Today View column on the left-hand side. The company also plans to allow users to replace the entire app grid with only widgets, for additional customization.

Codenamed "Sky," Apple's planned software updates otherwise read like selective enhancements rather than major changes. For example, today's report indicates that Apple is working on upgrades to iMessage, with the eventual goal of acting as more of a social network that is in a better position to compete with WhatsApp, although details are scant on what those changes could be.

Elsewhere, Apple is said to be working on introducing a new privacy menu that will show users which apps are silently collecting data about them. The move sounds like an additional bulwark against apps which attempt to skirt protections that Apple is introducing in iOS 14.5, such as its App Tracking Transparency rules.

According to Gurman, Apple is planning a more minor update to macOS after its redesign last year with macOS 11 Big Sur, alongside updates to watchOS and tvOS.

Apple typically releases new versions of iOS and iPadOS around September, near to the launch of new iPhones, but the company likes to preview upcoming software features during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Article Link: Bloomberg: iOS 15 to Bring Redesigned iPad Home Screen, Updated Lock Screen, New Notification and Privacy Options

 

[yellow8]

So it's like the profiles on the Nokia3310?

 

[JosephAW]

And most importantly dropping support a slew of older iOS devices and Watches.

 

[newyorksole]

Uh oh MacRumors, be careful. You don’t want to upset the folks who think posting leaks / unofficial info from Apple is unethical!

Anyway... This being iOS **15** I definitely expect some major changes. Should be a good one for sure.

 

[zombierunner]

iOS 15 will also do the dishes and put the trash out.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

If the ‘Spring Loaded’ event was any indication, this should be an exciting year for Apple hardware and software.

 

[Vol Braakzakje]

Just give os macOS for our new iPads M1

 

[James Godfrey]

I think iPadOS is going to be a major overhaul this year, seemed very lacklustre last year in all honesty... I am looking forward to it ?

 

[Serban55]

Beautiful, and i expect more to come for ipadOS

 

[Stuey3D]

What I would really like for is for certain notifications to be marked as urgent and can break through the Do Not Disturb mode.

Right now when I go to bed my sleep routine kicks in and do not disturb kicks in and silences ALL notifications, however I would like the ability to still allow my home security notifications through as those would be kinda urgent to address, messages and social media can wait until morning.

I currently have calls allowed through Do Not Disturb as if you are calling me it’s usually pretty important, but there currently isn’t a way to mark certain apps to be allowed through, it’s either all are allowed or none are allowed.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I think iPadOS is going to be a major overhaul this year, seemed very lacklustre last year in all honesty... I am looking forward to it 👍

With an M1 now powering the new iPad Pros, hopefully there will be some new features to take advantage of that power for those users.

 

[heikkipekka]

So it's like the profiles on the Nokia3310?

Exactly. Biggest thing I missed transferring from classic old Nokia phones to an iPhone 3GS was losing profiles for different kinds of situations. Glad to hear they are coming, FINALLY!

 

[Macropanda]

Cant they just add in a superate volume control for alarms and ringtones? pllleeeeeeaaaasseee

 

[ProfessionalFan]

And most importantly dropping support a slew of older iOS devices and Watches.

Apple supports older devices for a fair amount of time. There has to be a point where a device is no longer supported though.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

"iOS 15 to Bring Redesigned iPad Home Screen"

No it won't.

I know you clarified in the article to include iPadOS 15 but on an Apple-centric web site you'd think this would be correctly stated in a headline.

 

[valkov9191]

.

 

[cihag]

I refuse to read anything about future iOS updates before getting the final 14.5...

 

[bluecoast]

‘Apple is also planning a more minor update to macOS after its redesign last year’

I’m fine with minor UI refinements on MacOS (Notification Center... 🙄) but this year, we really do need the appearance of the fully fledged catalyst/SwiftUI onto both macOS and iPadOS

Perhaps it’ll be heralded with the appearance of FCP on IPadOS and all major iPad/iOS only system apps onto MacOS (Weather etc)

We can only hope.

 

[no_idea]

Can we please please get a setting to dictate the volume of an alarm that is stand alone? I don’t like that the alarm volume is the same volume as the ringer. It’s annoying when I forget to lower the ringer volume at night and the alarm blasts in the morning.

 

[randolorian]

If any notification system needs to be improved, it’s the one in Big Sur. They totally messed it up. I hope that will be improved in the new version of macOS.

 

[mazz0]

According to the report, Apple is also working on upgrades to iMessage, with the eventual goal of acting as more of a social network that is in a better position to compete with WhatsApp, although details are scant on what those changes could be.

There's only one way they could make iMessage compete with cross platform chat services, and we all know what it is. You can make the best chat service imaginable, but if my prospective interlocutor can't install it then I can't use it.

 

[MiniApple]

I'd love to be finally able to customize my iPad/iPhone home screens much more
and also hide/disable the App library grouping and just have directly the App library list, when swiping from the right hand side.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Just give os macOS for our new iPads M1

I imagine it'll be more along the lines of what they're doing for iOS apps on Mac, in reverse. Allowing a developer to mark their Mac app to be available for install on an iPad.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Take the handcuffs off, Apple. You just created a small, portable iMac. Widgets aren’t gonna cut it.

 

[ggx12]

Seems to me the leak is well calculated - They just announced a beast of an iPad Pro. Reviewers are probably getting devices as we speak. I can predict that the main negative feedback will be OS limitations. Hinting to changes in iPadOS home screen does provide with free publicity in review videos without spoiling anything