Apple
5 Things to Know About the iOS 15.1 Update
Apple’s pulled the iOS 15.1 update out of beta and it’s now available to download.
iOS 15.1 is compatible with all iOS 15-powered phones, a list that includes the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iPhone SE 2.
If you own an iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, or a phone from the new iPhone 13 series, the most up-to-date version of iOS 15 is iOS 15.1.1. iOS 15.1.1 is a small point upgrade with a bug fix on board.
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Unlike the previous version of iOS 15 (iOS 15.0.2), iOS 15.1 is a milestone upgrade and it’s a much larger update than its predecessor, iOS 15.0.2. It brings a mix of new features, fixes, and enhancements to the iPhone.
With that in mind, we want to take you through everything you need to know about Apple’s new iOS 15.1 update for iPhone.
In this walkthrough we’ll take you through all of iOS 15.1’s changes, the software’s performance, iOS 15.1 problems, the iOS 15.1 jailbreak status, and more.
We’ll start with some quick thoughts on iOS 15.1’s performance.
iOS 15.1 Review
If your iPhone is currently running iOS 15.0.2, you’ll see the smallest iOS 15.1 download size.
For iOS 15.0.2 users, the iOS 15.1 download is fairly large. It’ll likely be a 1GB+ download for iPhone users moving up from the previous version of iOS 15.
The exact iOS 15.1 download size depends on your iPhone model and the version of iOS it’s currently running. So if your iPhone is running an older version of iOS, you’ll see a bigger download because your iOS 15.1 update includes the changes from iOS updates you skipped.
If you’re moving up from iOS 15.0.2, the installation process should take less than 10 minutes to complete. It took about seven minutes to install on an iPhone X that was previously running iOS 15.0.2.
For more on the iOS 15.1 download and installation, take a look at our guide.
We’ve been using iOS 15.1 on a few iPhone models for several days and here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance thus far:
Connectivity
- Battery life is currently stable.
- Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
- Bluetooth is working normally.
- GPS and cellular data are both stable.
App Performance
- Third-party apps including Netflix, Dark Sky, Twitter, Slack, Asana, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are working fine at the moment.
- First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also stable.
Speed
- iOS 15.1 feels as fast as iOS 15.0.2.
If you’re running into bugs or performance issues on iOS 15.0.2 or an older version of iOS, you might want to install the iOS 15.1 update on your iPhone right now.
If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 15.1.
iOS 15.1 Problems
iOS 15.1 is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some of these problems are brand new, others have carried over from iOS 15.0.2 and older versions of iOS.
The current list of iOS 15-related issues includes installation issues, UI lag, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, hotspot problems, touchscreen issues, issues with Touch ID and Face ID, charging issues, and stuttering.
If you encounter a problem on iOS 15.1, have a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 15 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and some tips that could help fix bad iOS 15 battery life.
Apple stopped signing on iOS 15.0.2 which means you can’t drop your phone’s software back to the previous version of iOS 15 if iOS 15.1 is causing problems. You can’t downgrade to anything older than iOS 15.0.2 either.
Keep this in mind if you’re having a good experience on iOS 15.0.2 or older. Once you make the move to iOS 15.1, you won’t be able to go back.
For more on the downgrade process, check out our guide.
iOS 15.1 Update: What’s New
iOS 15.1 is a milestone upgrade, the first for iOS 15, and it brings some notable changes to the iPhone. Here’s the full list of changes on board:
SharePlay
- SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, Fitness+, and other supported App Store apps.
- Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward.
- Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when your friends speak.
- Apple TV supports the option to watch the shared video on your big screen while you continue the FaceTime call on iPhone.
- Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out.
Camera
- ProRes video capture using iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
- Setting to turn off automatic camera switching when taking macro photos and videos on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Apple Wallet
- COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to add and present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet.
Translate
- Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) support in the Translate app and for system-wide translation.
Home
- New automation triggers based on the current reading of a HomeKit-enabled humidity, air quality, or light level sensor.
Shortcuts
- New pre-built actions let you overlay text on images or gifs, plus a new collection of games lets you pass the time with Siri.
Bug Fixes
- Fixes an issue where the Photos app may incorrectly report storage is full when importing photos and videos.
- Fixes an issue where the Weather app may not show current temperature for My Location, and may display colors of animated backgrounds incorrectly.
- Fixes an issue where Audio playing from an app may pause when locking the screen.
- Fixes an issue where Wallet may unexpectedly quit when using VoiceOver with multiple passes.
- Fixes an issue where available Wi-Fi networks may not be detected.
- Battery algorithms updated on iPhone 12 models to better estimate battery capacity over time.
SharePlay is probably the most notable change on board and Apple’s been touting the number of third-party applications that are compatible with the feature. Compatible apps include NBA, TikTok, Twitch, Paramount+, and Showtime.
The company says support is coming to apps like BET+, Disney+, ESPN, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Pantaya, Pluto TV, and Starz.
iOS 15.1 also brings 12 security patches to iPhone and you can read about those right here.
iOS 15.1 Jailbreak
The developer teams behind the Checkra1n and unC0ver jailbreaking tools have released versions that are compatible with newer versions of iOS 14, but only Checkra1n (currently in beta) is compatible with iOS 14.5. They don’t support iOS 15.1, iOS 15.0.2, iOS 15.0.1, iOS 15.0, iOS 14.8, iOS 14.7.1, iOS 14.7, iOS 14.6, or iOS 14.5.1 yet.
The newest version of unC0ver is compatible with newer iPhones including the iPhone 12 series. That’s big news if you’ve been waiting to jailbreak your new phone. Unfortunately it’s only compatible with versions up to iOS 14.3.
There’s no way to downgrade your phone’s software to iOS 14.5 or older versions of iOS which means you’re out of luck if you upgrade, or you already upgraded to newer iOS software.
What’s Next
Apple’s confirmed a new version of iOS 15 and iOS 15.2 is currently in beta ahead of its public release. The company hasn’t confirmed a specific release date yet, but it should drop sometime before the end of the year.
If your problems on iOS 15 are really bad, or you just want to try new features, you can download the iOS 15.2 beta onto your iPhone right now.
For more on iOS 15.2 and the beta, have a peek at our walkthrough. For more about the iOS 15.2 release date, check out our guide.
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