iOS 15.5: the complete list of new features (and watchOS 8.6, iPadOS 15.5 and tvOS 15.5)

For a few hours, version 15.5 of iOS has been available for download to everyone, after a long beta testing phase. Same for iPadOS 15.5, watchOS 8.6 and tvOS 15.5. Let's take this opportunity to take stock of the new features and changes that Apple has planned with these minor updates.

• See also:macOS 12.4 is available, with what changes?

iOS 15.5: what's new?

• Sensitive places:any photograph located in a so-called sensitive location will never be included in a souvenir. To date, sensitive locations include: Yad Vashem Memorial, Dachau Concentration Camp, American Holocaust Museum, Majdanek Concentration Camp, Berlin Holocaust Memorial, Schindler Factory, Extermination Camp Belzec, Anne Frank House, Sobibor extermination camp, Treblinka extermination camp, Chelmno-Kulmhof, Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
• Universal Control :allows you to use the same keyboard mouse kit on a Mac and a linked iOS or iPadOS device, and even drag files between the two machines with a single mouse stroke
• iTunes Pass :this service allows you to use your balance available on the App Store and iTunes to pay for physical purchases, in Apple Stores, via QR code. It should be renamed Apple Account in iOS 15.5 and integrated into Apple Wallet in card form. This is what the iOS 15.5 code shows anyway
• Apple Podcasts :new setting to limit the number of episodes downloaded. With this setting, old downloaded episodes are automatically deleted to make room for new ones. Apple also announced something new for podcast creators: support for third-party distribution services
• Apple Cash :the Apple Cash functionality of Wallet (available in the United States only) has two new buttons “Request” and “Send”, to more easily send and receive money.See here details about Apple Cash
• HomePod :HomePod settings in the Home app display the Wi-Fi connection quality from the speaker using a 3-bar Wi-Fi symbol. When all three are met, the signal is good
• HomeKit :fixed a bug concerning automations and triggers by user location, which could sometimes not work correctly
• Security :nearly 30 security vulnerabilities resolved by iOS 15.5. The full list of affected breaches isavailable there
• Application de streaming :possibility for the latter to integrate links to websites
• Accessories :improved support for game controllers with DualSense functionality

But still

• Child protection:the new features to protect children from sensitive content in iMessage (see paragraph “Sexual image warning tool”in this article), initially only available in the United States and Canada, are now also in place in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the near future, new countries will also benefit from it
• Apple Classical :The source code for iOS 15.5 contains mentions of what appears to be a new app or at least a new Apple service, called Apple Classical. This would likely be a streaming service dedicated to classical music. His arrival, which until then was only rumor, is therefore confirmed, but for a date still unknown
• iTunes Pass :this service allows you to use your balance available on the App Store and iTunes to pay for physical purchases, in Apple Stores, via QR code. It should be renamed Apple Account in an upcoming version of iOS 15.5 and integrated into Apple Wallet. This is what the iOS 15.5 code shows anyway
• Sports Kit :Apple is improving its tools for tracking sporting events. New mentions were notably detected in the code of the TV app for the announcement of changes in baseball game scores
• App Store :iOS 15.5 also provides clues for a major new feature prepared by Apple, the possibility for applications to use a payment system other than via the App Store. Initially, only reading applications (ebooks, music, etc.) will benefit from this functionality. Notifications will warn users in particular if the application concerned is deleted on the iPhone, to remind them that a subscription is potentially still in progress. Some apps may also indicate, when they are first opened, that payment outside the App Store is possible.

See in the video below, in English, all the changes brought by iOS 15.5 illustrated:

How to update?

See herethe details of the operations allowing you to update your iPhone, your iPad, your Apple Watch, your Apple TV or your HomePod.

Also read,all our iOS 16 articles, including the following:

• WWDC 2022: iOS 16, M2 chip, etc., what is Apple preparing for us?
• With iOS 16, Apple will leave aside a very popular iPhone
• iOS 16: towards an aesthetic very close to that of iOS 15?

Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.