We all enjoy using iMessage – and we usually brag about using it with our friends, family, and loved ones. Even though iMessage has improved and grown drastically since its initial launch, there are still multiple ways Apple can improve it with iOS 15 this year.
With iOS 14, the company finally introduced the threaded reply feature on iMessage, brought pinned conversations, and gave the app some great improvements but with iOS 15, Apple needs to do more.
For example, have you ever tried to scroll up your old messages on iMessage? It’s nearly impossible. You can have gigabytes of data there that you’ll probably not be able to access even if you know exactly the words you wrote a few years ago.
And I’m not the only one who thinks Apple should do something. There are several forum discussions about being able to scroll to the beginning of an iMessage chat on the web. Spencer Dailey, on the Key Discussions blog, wrote about this issue while trying to find old messages with his wife:
Searching for particular iMessages is not useful because it’s not reliable when searching for iMessages that are 2+ years old. The results miss the broader context of the conversation or, in my case, old messages simply don’t show up in search. My wife and I know the text of our earliest messages (we have a screenshot of our first 5 or so messages), and search simply does not return them. But also, what if you forget the exact phrasing of an old message, you’re doubly out of luck. (And no, I have never toggled the “Auto Delete Old Conversations”, which is an inappropriate choice to present users in the first place.
Here, it doesn’t matter whether he has 64GB of storage on his iPhone or over 512GB. The same applies if the messages are stored on iCloud.
And it’s just not that. The experience of using iMessage on the Mac isn’t Apple-like. It always takes longer to synchronize messages, it never understands when a group changes its name or its photo, and it’s difficult to search for images shared a few weeks ago.
Dailey reminded me about the things I hate the most while using iMessage:
Yesterday I tried to scroll to the “top” of my iMessages that were from and to my wife. After just a few minutes, my computer with 16GB of RAM started “beach balling” and the app froze before I could even get to messages from 6 months ago. Meanwhile, my wife tried to access our earliest messages on her iPhone 8 Plus and it was even sadder: after over 45 minutes of scrolling, she got within a year of the conversation’s beginning and then the iMessages app crashed on her.
Top features for iMessage on iOS 15
Although having new Memoji customization is always great, there are several things Apple should do to improve iMessage. Here are a few ideas for iOS 15:
Delete recently sent messages;
Improve the reply-thread function;
Fix Mac integration with other devices – no more doubled groups;
Let users store all the messages they have – and let them access the messages;
Let a user send a link then show the preview rather than wait for the preview to show up and then sending the message.
In this article, I don’t even want to compare iMessage with WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. I think we’ve let Apple have these “few” problems over the years with iMessage because is way more practical to just text someone rather than opening any other app, but it’s time for some of these issues to be fixed.
What do you think Apple should add to iMessage? Do you have the same issues? Share in the comment section down below.
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You can download iOS 14.6 now, even on older iPhones.
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How can I download iOS 14.6?
You should get a prompt telling you that iOS 14.6 is now available and asking if you'd like to download it. Or you can do the following:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select General.
3. Tap Software Update.
Your device will connect to Apple's servers and prompt you to download and install the update. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. When your device reboots, it will be running iOS 14.6. (Check out our full instructions on preparing your phone and downloading iOS 14 here.)
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What devices does iOS 14.6 work on?
iOS 14.6 is compatible with all the same devices as iOS 14. Generally, these include the iPhone 6S all the way up through the iPhone 12, along with the iPhone SE and the seventh-gen iPod Touch. For the full list of devices compatible with iOS 14, click here.
You can download iOS 14.6 on the iPhone 6S through the iPhone 12, pictured here.
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What new features does iOS 14.6 include?
The latest operating software update is smaller, and is focused on under-the-hood changes. Here's what we've seen in the public beta version of the software.
Add a contact email when your AirTag is in Lost Mode
If you've bought one of Apple's new AirTag tracker devices (here's how to set up your AirTags), you may know that if you lose the item the AirTag is attached to, you can put the tag in Lost Mode and get a notification when it's within range of the Find My network. If someone else finds your AirTag, they can use an iPhone or other NFC-capable device to view your contact number and get in touch with you. The latest version of the iOS 14.6 beta adds the ability to enter a contact email instead of a phone number.
Apple Card Family
iOS 14.6 also marks the launch of Apple Card Family. This addition lets you share your Apple Card with up to five people (aged 13 years or older) in your Family Sharing group. Apple Card Family lets families track expenses, manage spending with the option to add limits and controls, as well as build credit.
Better beta tools
The beta versions of iOS 14.6 included a tool that lets app developers and public beta testers upgrade to an iOS release candidate without removing their developer or beta profile. Before iOS 14.5 went live to the public, developers could choose between upgrading their device to the iOS 14.5 release candidate or to the beta version of iOS 14.6. Under the Software Update menu in Settings, there's a new Also Available section where you can find this option.
Apple only recently launched iOS 14.6, but the company is keeping the updates coming as iOS 14.7 is now available in beta, and as such we know about some of what it offers.
That said, it’s possible that some features of iOS 14.7 are yet to be revealed, and even if it does end up being a small update, it’s still sure to be worth having, as if nothing else there will probably be bug and security fixes in it.
Below you’ll find everything we know about iOS 14.7 so far, including the features found in the beta and the likely release date of the finished software. We’ll be updating this article whenever there’s any additional iOS 14.7 news or leaks too, so check back regularly to stay in the loop.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The next small iOS update
When is it out? Probably late June or early July
How much will it cost? It will be free
iOS 14.7 release date
Generally Apple has been launching new iOS 14.x updates roughly once a month. Indeed, iOS 14.6 landed almost exactly a month after iOS 14.5. So while there are no guarantees, we’d think the same will probably be true with iOS 14.7.
If so then it will likely land in either late June or early July, as iOS 14.6 was rolled out on May 24.
Of course, if you don’t want to wait until then you can always grab the beta, but this will likely be buggy and unstable, and may not include all the final features, so we wouldn’t recommend it for most people.
iOS 14.7 features
Either iOS 14.7 isn’t going to be a very big update or we just don’t know very much about it yet, but below you’ll find the features that have turned up in the beta and that we currently expect to be included. If we hear about any others we’ll be sure to add them.
HomePod timers in the Home app
(Image credit: TechRadar)
One new feature spotted by 9to5Mac in the iOS 14.7 beta is the ability to set HomePod timers from the Home app. The option can be found right below HomePod alarms in the app, and you can also name your timers, see the countdowns for them in the app, and cancel them with a tap.
Previously, timers for HomePod had to be set using Siri, so for anyone who’s lost their voice or just isn’t on speaking terms with Siri, this should be handy.
Air quality details
Apple has been displaying a rating for air quality in the Weather app since the launch of iOS 14, but only in some countries. Now, with the iOS 14.7 beta, 9to5Mac has spotted that Twitter and Reddit users in Canada, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Spain have reported seeing these details for the first time.
So if you live in one of these places you could soon get an indication of the quality of the air you’re breathing, and if you live somewhere else that doesn’t yet have the feature, it’s always possible you will get it by the time iOS 14.7 launches in finished form.
A fix for battery life bugs
While not specifically mentioned in the beta, some users reported on Twitter that they experienced excessive battery drain with iOS 14.6, so there’s a chance this will be fixed with iOS 14.7. It’s not clear how widespread this issue is though, or how quickly Apple will fix it, so for now this is just a possibility.
We’ve already heard a lot about Android 12, and news about iOS 15 is around the corner. For the last couple of years, the two operating systems have grown remarkably similar, though there are still key differences that set them apart. Where one is strong, the other isn’t far behind.
I’ve already talked at length about what I think iOS does better than Android and what I think Android does better. I consider myself platform-agnostic, meaning that I switch between both regularly. But after Google took the wraps off Android 12 and I got my hands on it for myself, I couldn’t look at iOS 14 the same way.
After using Google's new OS for my Android 12 hands-on beta review, there are three things I want iOS 15 to copy. No shame, Apple should just take what Google has done right and add its own spin on it to match with the iOS core philosophy. With these things in mind, the iPhone 13 could truly be a remarkable device with software to take on the best that Android has to offer.
Notification shade
I’ve railed on how iOS implements notifications, mostly because it’s not good when compared to the notification shade on Android. Not only is it sometimes awkward to reach all the way to the left corner of the screen — for fear that you’ll activate either the Control Center or Search — but the tap gesture on the back of the phone is wildly inconsistent on the iPhone 12 Pro I use.
Managing notifications on Android is a breeze. Whether I’m clearing junk mail, replying to Signal messages, or getting info about news headlines or the weather, I do all of my notification triage in the shade itself. That’s not to mention how Google groups things into Conversations, Notifications, and Silent to help you stay apprised of what’s going on. It helps you stay organized and see what the important things are.
(Image credit: Google)
Managing notifications on iOS is clunky and Android 12 has smoothed out the process even more than before. Receiving the deluge of notifications on the Pixel 5 running the Android 12 beta is even easier to deal with than Android 11.
Google has refined the notification shade and Apple could take some serious cues from it. Pulling down what amounts to the lock screen is no longer helpful and the company needs to do better about how it sorts incoming items. And for the love of all that is holy, a Clear All button that is always present and works for all items in the Notification Center would be nice, Apple.
Quick Settings
This one might be a point of contention, but Quick Settings is certainly superior to iOS’ Control Center. While they both accomplish the same things, accessing Quick Settings is a lot smoother than the Control Center and it has the added bonus of being tied to the notification shade. This means that you can access your Quick Settings toggles and media controls while also seeing or acting upon your notifications.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
In Android 12, Google has changed the Quick Settings menu to feature larger toggles and it will eventually include buttons to manually and temporarily disable camera and microphone permissions for apps that are using one or both of those. That is something that iOS simply cannot do efficiently, forcing you to dive into the Settings menu to revoke permissions.
The amount of things you can toggle in Quick Settings far supersedes what Control Center allows you to do. In Android 12, Quick Settings is also getting access to Home controls and Google Pay, outstripping the Control Center even further.
It’s long past time for Apple to rethink and potentially redesign the Control Center.
Customizability
(Image credit: Google)
This one has been around for years uncounted, since Android has almost always let you customize things to your liking versus being locked to Apple’s vision on iOS. Both have improved in recent years, especially iOS 14, but Android 12 is taking things one step further with Material You.
Android lets you make your phone feel like something unique to you, but Material You goes beyond that. Now more than ever, the focus is on you, the user, and what you want, and Android will adapt to that.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The biggest example of this is the new color theming system. Android will pull out one of the colors from your selected wallpaper and apply it system-wide. You’ll see the color change in the widgets, Quick Settings, and other places. So if your wallpaper has some blue in it, the system will pull that out and apply it, offering something complementary to what you already have.
iOS is comparatively locked down, though you can customize some things. But Android offers so much more personalization and iOS could easily implement more design changes so that users can make their iPhones feel more like their own.
iOS 15 vs Android 12: Outlook
Android 12 is the biggest change to the OS since Lollipop back in 2014. Google isn’t holding back, taking its refinements in the last few years and turning it all up several notches. If Apple isn’t careful, iOS 15 could fall behind Android 12 in terms of features and functionality. Say what you will about either platform, but Apple could take some pages from Google’s book and we’d all be better for it.
We’ll have to see what Apple has planned for iOS 15 when WWDC 2021 kicks off June 7. It’s possible that the company is already one step ahead of us, as we've already heard some iOS 15 rumors around notification improvements and other upgrades.
Android and iOS will never be the same and that’s fine — it’s actually good. But there’s a difference between being on opposite sides of the same coin and taking advantage of things the other does well.
Some of our favorite features include the ability to create custom app icons and place new widgets wherever you want. It also added a new Scribble feature in the iPad update that now lets you use the Apple Pencil to write in any text field, and the tablet will convert it to text, instead of always pulling up the keyboard. And that's just the beginning.
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Below you'll find the best tips and tricks we've discovered since the initial release of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 back in September. We keep this post updated to reflect new features and updates, so check back for more fantastic tips. Here's what we know about Apple's big WWDC event on June 7, and the latest iPhone 13 rumors.
Now playing:Watch this: iOS 14 tips and tricks
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1. Share your Apple Card with a family member
With the release of iOS 14.6, Apple added Apple Card Family sharing that allows you to share your Apple Card account with anyone in your Family Sharing group -- a most-wanted feature. Right now, sharing only works if you're inviting someone who doesn't already have an Apple Card, but Apple has said that we can expect the option to combine Apple Card accounts starting in July.
Brett Pearce/CNET
To invite someone to share your Apple Card account, either as a co-owner where both of you are responsible for making payments (good for building credit for both account owners), or as a participant. The latter option lets you set spending limits, but they aren't responsible for any payments -- handy for sharing your Apple Card with your kid.
To set up Apple Card Family, open the Wallet app on your iPhone, select your Apple Card and then tap on the three-dot menu icon followed by Share My Card. From there, you can select anyone who is over 13 and in your Family Sharing group.
2. Face ID now works with a mask if you still need it
Raise your phone while wearing a mask and before you know it, it's unlocked thanks to your watch.
Animated image by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Wearing a face mask during a pandemic keeps you safe, but it also leads to an incredibly frustrating experience when it comes to unlocking your Face ID-equipped iPhone when you're out in public. You either have to lower your mask for a split second, or wait for it to ask you for your PIN code. Neither option is ideal.
With iOS 14.5, the iPhone will now look for your paired Apple Watch to unlock itself whenever it sees the bottom half of your face is covered. If your watch is nearby, your iPhone will unlock -- more often than not, just as fast as it normally does when using Face ID.
3. Siri has four new voices, and you get to choose
For the first time, Siri's voice will no longer default to a female voice. In fact, Apple added two totally new voices and has made subtle improvements to the previous voices. In total, there are four voices English speakers can choose from when setting up a new device.
If you want to change Siri's voice, you can do it at any time by going into the Settings app. Complete instructions can be found here. After you pick a new sound for Siri, be sure to come back and leave a comment with your favorite. I went with Voice 3.
4. A privacy feature to stop apps from tracking you
One of the most controversial features in iOS 14.5 is the requirement that apps ask for permission to track you across your Apple devices. If you decline the request, or block apps from asking you altogether, the developer has to honor your decision. If an app is caught tracking you without permission, it could get kicked out of the App Store. To check out the new feature, go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking on your iPhone or iPad. Or you can check out our complete walkthrough that dives into the feature with more detail.
iOS 14's App Library is the iPhone's app drawer.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
5. New home screen features are awesome
The iPhone now has an app drawer-like feature called App Library, which acts as a warehouse to store all of the apps you don't regularly use. You can access the App Library by swiping from right to left on your screen past all of your current home screens. Another first for the iPhone is the ability to place widgets on the home screen. Apple provided developers with the tools to create a new style of widget that's sure to make your Android friends jealous. We go into more detail about the home screen changes here.
5. Create Smart Stack widget of your liking
Speaking of widgets, you're not locked into using Apple's curated Smart Stack widget. You can create your own stack of widgets using the same technique you'd use to create an app folder. Seriously, it takes longer to decide which widgets to include than it does to create it.
Just keep stacking widgets until you're happy.
Animated image by Jason Cipriani/CNET
6. Custom app icons? Go on…
Apple also added new features to its Shortcuts app, with the most popular addition being the ability to create your own app icons and fully customize the look of your phone. So instead of the Apple Mail app icon, you can download an icon that replaces it with a picture of a cute cat or the Gmail icon and use that to launch the app. The process is somewhat tedious, but if you want a home screen that's unlike any other, it's well worth your time.
Custom icons make your phone your own.
CNET
7. App Clips are miniature apps you don't install
Think of App Clips as miniature apps that only show you a portion of what the full app can do. For example, a Yelp App Clip could show you business hours and the menu for a specific restaurant and nothing more. Want to try one? Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone, search for Panera Bread, tap on a location and then select Order Food. Pretty cool, right? After using an App Clip, you can access it again in the App Library in the recently added folder.
iOS 14.3 brings with it ProRaw photo support on the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. Once you enable ProRaw, you'll see a new "Raw" button on the top-right side of the native camera app.
Patrick Holland/CNET
8. iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max can take raw photos
This is surely a feature for photography buffs, but one that will hopefully pique the curiosity of those who are looking to get a bit more out of their iPhone camera. The release of iOS 14.3 adds Apple's ProRaw photo format, which allows you to take photos using the raw photography format, and make changes to it without any image degradation as when the photo is converted to a JPG (the standard for Apple's camera app).
Apple's Fitness Plus app is available on the iPhone, iPad and AppleTV.
Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET
9. Get in shape with Fitness Plus
With gyms closed or running at limited capacity, now's the time to work out at home. Apple's Fitness Plus service is built directly into your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, and it uses your Apple Watch to track your workout. The guided video workouts are released weekly, with options for all different fitness levels. Read our hands-on with the new service and then let us walk you through everything you need to know to set it up.
You can view details of what each session is about, including a preview of the songs that are included.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
10. Time to take a walk and listen to a story
Speaking of Fitness Plus, iOS 14.4 and WatchOS 7.3 added a new workout called Time to Walk. Apple has enlisted celebrities who go on a virtual walk with you, telling stories that are meant to be inspiring, intertwined with personal music choices. You'll need to install updates on your watch and phone before you can use it. Here's how to set up and use the new workout.
11. Picture-in-Picture comes to the iPhone and it's amazing
You're no longer forced to decide whether you want to watch a Twitch stream or browse Reddit on your iPhone. With iOS 14, you can do both at the same time, now that Apple has added picture-in-picture mode to the iPhone. The iPad has had this feature for a couple of years now, so it's nice to see the iPhone get it as well. When you start watching a video you only need to leave the app and go back to the home screen to trigger PiP. There are some apps, like YouTube, that don't support the feature. You can view a list of all the apps installed on your phone that support it by going to Settings > General > Picture in Picture. Read more about picture-in-picture to get a better idea of when and where it works.
Picture-in-picture is incredibly useful.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
12. Deleting apps is tricky now
With the addition of the App Library, there's now an extra step when it comes to deleting an app from your phone and for longtime iPhone users, it's not at all straightforward. But it doesn't have to be too confusing: We walk you through the new steps to delete an app.
13. Assign default apps for Mail or Safari
Apple added the ability to delete its own apps from your iPhone a few years ago, but you still couldn't set apps like Gmail or Outlook as your default email app. Now you can, but Apple has limited this new feature to only the email and web browsers. It only takes a few taps to make the change, after which you won't have to deal with Apple's apps ever again.
It's true -- you can set some default apps on iOS 14.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
14. Apple's AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have a new audio feature
The iPhone and iPad aren't the only devices that received a big update. Apple's AirPods Pro also got a small firmware update that added a new feature called Spatial Audio. You'll need an iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 to use the feature. With both devices updated, whenever you're watching a video the sound will follow the movements of your head, adjusting with each twist and turn. CNET's David Carnoy described it as an "out-of-bud experience." And he's not wrong.
15. The iPad looks more like a Mac than ever before
iPadOS 14 includes several new features and enhancements that bring its interface closer to looking and working like a Mac. Or is it the Mac that's starting to look like an iPad with MacOS Big Sur? Either way, you'll want to learn all you can about the new iPad features in iPadOS 14.
Can't find that emoji you need? Search for it.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
16. Hidden features are always the best features
Not to be left out, there are several hidden features in iOS 14 that do some truly amazing things. For instance, a new back-tap feature lets you tap on the back of your phone two or three times, triggering a task like taking a screenshot or launching an app. We've found a total of 13 hidden features worth sharing with you so far and plan to keep adding to the list.
17. Plenty of new privacy features
Keeping your information private is one of Apple's main marketing points, and iOS 14 is going even further to help keep your information private. There are new location sharing settings that will limit whether an app sees your exact location or a more general area. There's also a new notification dot that will tell you when an app is using your phone's camera or mic, and finer controls over which photos an app has access to. Check out all of the new privacy features and how to use them.
You don't have to tell apps exactly where you are if you don't want to.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
18. Even more camera tricks
There are several subtle but important new features in the Camera app. For example, when taking a photo at night, there's a new guide to remind you to keep still. You'll see crosshairs that show you where to keep the camera. There's also a new exposure adjustment dial, and you can snap multiple photos much quicker. Learn how to use and where to find the new features, complete with animated images.
iOS 14 makes it so you can take consecutive photos faster. There's less time from one photo to another.
Patrick Holland/CNET
19. Up your selfie game with this tip
Another new feature in the Camera app is a new setting for the front-facing camera that is sure to help your selfies shine. The new mirror mode forces the camera to act more like a, well, mirror, which can make it easier to make sure your shot is framed and lined up the way you want. We show you where to find the new setting.
WWDC is quickly approaching, and that means rumors are starting to ramp up including the possibility that we might see the long-rumored MacBook Pro redesign at the keynote. This week also saw rumors about future updates to the AirPods and AirPods Pro, as well as a redesigned Mac mini.
In other news, Apple has released iOS 14.6 with new features like Apple Card Family and podcast subscriptions as it prepares to launch Apple Music support for lossless audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos next month. We also took a look at the mini-LED display on the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, so read on for the details on these stories and more!
New MacBook Pro Models Coming at WWDC, Suggests Leaker
AirPods Pro 2 With Fitness Tracking Coming in 2022, AirPods 3 With 'Pro' Design to Launch Later This Year
Apple is preparing to launch third-generation AirPods this year, and plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The next AirPods should look more like the current AirPods Pro with shorter stems, while the 2022 AirPods Pro are rumored to lose their stems entirely and feature some new motion sensors for fitness tracking.
See the Dramatic Improvement Mini-LED Brings to the M1 iPad Pro's Display
One of the headline new features of the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the Liquid Retina XDR display, which has a mini-LED backlighting system for higher brightness, improved contrast ratio, and deeper blacks.
High-End Mac Mini Said to Feature Thinner Design With 'Plexiglass' Top and More
Apple is rumored to be working on a higher-end Mac mini powered by an improved iteration of the M1 chip, and leaker Jon Prosser this week claimed that the computer will feature a thinner design with a plexiglass top, similar to the original Apple TV box from 2007.
It's worth noting that 100x zoom on the Galaxy S21 Ultra refers to digital zoom, meaning some blurriness is to be expected when zooming in significantly. In terms of optical zoom, which preserves image quality, the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers up to 2.5x zoom and the Galaxy S21 Ultra has up to 10x zoom.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
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