Apple adds six new widgets in iOS 15 that should have been there from the start

iOS 15 has been officially announced and it comes with a hefty amount of tentpole features.

However, it’s often the smaller additions that make the most difference and it seems like Apple has added numerous new widgets with iOS 15 that we think really should have been there from the start.

These new widgets you’ll find in iOS 15 include:

• Find My
• Game Center
• App Store Today
• Sleep
• Mail
• People (with Family Sharing integration)

These join existing widgets like Music, Maps, Photos and the many third-party options that were introduced last year in iOS 14.

The next version of iPadOS, which is based upon iOS 15, also allows widgets to be freely placed on the homescreen and there’s a new large size widget available for the iPad’s roomier display. Previously, widgets on the iPad were restricted to the far left side of the homescreen.

It does feel like it’s the iPad that’s getting the larger set of features this time around. There are new multitasking options that should solve some of the issues we had with the iPad Pro 2021, a Shelf area for displaying currently open apps and loads of new keyboard shortcuts.

Apple is also bringing the App Library feature across from the iPhone, giving you space to store apps you don’t really want on the homescreen.

Along with the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, WWDC saw the introduction of iCloud Plus, tighter privacy controls and a redone Safari browser. We also got our first look at macOS Monterey and watchOS 8, along with the release of Spatial Audio and lossless music streaming for Apple Music

Sadly the rumoured M1X chip and updated MacBook Pro 2021 were absent.

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are available to download for registered developers now, with a public beta coming in July. Expect a full release around the same time as the iPhone 13 launches, probably in September.