iOS 15 brings back the popular dial picker from iOS 13 and earlier with a twist

Across the system, iOS 14 brought a new dial picker that was quite the departure from the tried and true version we had in the years before. As we first reported in June, with iOS 15, Apple has brought back its popular wheel dial picker but with a small twist for those who prefer numpad entry.

iOS 14 made a big shift with its dial picker. Instead of the large, wheel-style dial picker, it adopted a small hybrid approach that included both a numpad input and a somewhat hidden dial picker.

Many users have found the iOS 14 picker less convenient and intuitive to use with the ability to select the hours or minutes or both for editing with the numpad. And with the iOS 14 dial picker being so small, it’s not as fast and seamless to quickly swipe your numbers in.

New iOS 15 dial picker with a twist

Apple has decided to bring back the time-tested large dial picker from iOS 13 and earlier. You’ll find it across the system in iOS 15 on iPhone and iPad and it’s got an even cleaner design than ever.

But along with the return of the large dial, there’s something new – you can also tap it to pull up the numpad (thanks for spotting codemonkey85!).

So the new picker is a hybrid approach with the old favorite being the default/first accessible with but the numpad just a tap away:

Here’s a look at the updated dial picker in Calendar (iOS 14 on the left, iOS 15 middle and right):

You’ll also find the updated dial picker frequently in other Apple apps like Reminders as well as third-party apps.

Are you excited to see the old dial picker revived in an updated form? Or did you prefer the iOS 14 design? Let us know down in the comments!