iOS 15 Spotlight Improvements

Rich results, web images, photo search, lock screen access and more 😱

Apple in iOS 15 is making several improvements to Spotlight, also known as the universal search feature that can be accessed on the iPhone or iPad's home screen with a swipe down.

Rich search results

Apple's Siri knowledge database has been expanded and the Spotlight feature now supports rich search results, so you can get more information than before right from the Spotlight interface.

If you search for a movie or TV show, for example, and then tap the result, you'll see information such as how you can watch the show, actors, trailers, seasons, links to the TV app, Messages discussions . On content, ‌Siri‌ suggested search results and more.

With iOS 14, a search like this shows a much more limited range of information, usually limited to a web search.

Rich search results work for all types of search topics, including contacts, actors, musicians, movies, and TV shows. With Contacts, a full contact card will appear with message interactions, shared links, Wallet transactions, Find My Location, app photos, and emails, plus standard contact information, making Spotlight search a breeze. Much more informative.

Web Image Search

Spotlight can be used to search for images on the web. So, for example, if you type "cat images" into Spotlight's search interface, Spotlight will now provide a selection of the most popular web images.

Tapping on an image will show you additional images related to the image you tapped, and you can continue tapping on images to find just what you're looking for.

T he web image search feature can be used to search for images of people, animals, plants, landmarks, monuments, and more. It doesn't work for all searches, but for most topics, simply adding "images" to the search is a quick way to display image web results.

Lock Screen Spotlight Search

If you swipe down on the ‌iPhone‌ lock screen, you can access the Spotlight search interface without having to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

A Spotlight search performed while the ‌iPhone‌ is locked does not show personal information such as your own photos, text messages, and contacts, but instead focuses on general web content, ‌Siri‌ Knowledge, News, Stocks, dictionary, and more.

All custom results only appear when your ‌iPhone‌ is unlocked, so if someone contacts your ‌iPhone‌, you can use it for search purposes, but they won't be able to see your information.

App searches

The searches in the App Store They've been improved in ‌iOS 15‌, and if you're looking for an app you want to use, you can now install it directly from Spotlight without leaving the Spotlight search interface.

Maps Spotlight search improvements

If you're looking for a company that supports Apple's App Clips feature, you may see action buttons in the Maps result in Spotlight. You can do things like access menus or tickets, view reservations, make an appointment, order takeout or delivery, view waitlist and schedule information, get parking details, and more.