Apple today unveiled iOS 16, the company’s next major iPhone upgrade, which includes a revamped, configurable Lock Screen, updates to Messages, Maps, and Home, as well as new sharing and personalization features.
For a more personalized look, users may alter a huge variety of design elements, including text styles and coolers, on a brand-new, fully configurable Lock Screen. Apple claims that there are millions of conceivable design possibilities on the new Lock Screen, which features a row of widgets. Users may create various Lock Screens and effortlessly switch between them by swiping left or right.
Apple has released iOS 16, the next operating system for iPhone and the successor to iOS 15, after months of anticipation. The business took the stage at WWDC 2022, Apple’s annual developer conference, and detailed every major feature that will be included in the upgrade.
Notifications now roll up from the bottom of the screen and can be easily concealed, allowing users to see their customized Lock Screen in full view. When enjoying music or working out, Live Activities make it easy to keep track of happenings in real time right from the Lock Screen.
Focus modes have been improved in iOS 16, and users may now link Focus modes to a custom Lock Screen. Swiping between separate dedicated Lock Screens can also activate Focuses. Users may utilize focus filters to exclude distracting items from apps like Safari tab groups, Calendar events, and Messages discussions.
It’s a major update that includes a redesigned home app for your smart appliances, improved privacy features, and a major focus on the lock screen, with new fonts, colors, and themes to select from.
Apple has announced that the public beta will be available in July, with the final version expected in late 2022 for iPhone 8 and above devices. Here’s what we know about the new software so far.
iOS 16: Let’s get right to it
- What is it? The next big update for iOS
- When does it come out? Late 2022, but the public beta will be out in July
- How much does it cost? It’s free
Release date
During the summer of 2022, the iPhone public beta will be available to iPhone users. Apple says iOS 16 will be released at that time.
Apple hasn’t been more explicit about the release date, but the firm has been releasing major iOS updates in September of their release year for years, so we’re very certain the finished version of iOS 16 will arrive in September 2022, most likely alongside the iPhone 14 range.
Supported iPhones for iOS 16
Updates to iOS 16 will be offered to those with an iPhone 8 or newer. iPhones 7 and older will not be able to install it.
iOS 16 brings a host of new and improved features, and below are a few highlights.
Customizable lock screens
You may modify your lock screen with iOS 16 by touching in any location to change the text font and colors.
Complications (basically widgets) can be activated here as well, a functionality borrowed from the Apple Watch. You’ll be able to add three of them to your lock screen, and the Now Playing screen has been shifted to the bottom for quicker thumb access.
You also won’t be confined to a single lock screen. You can swipe between several lock screens, similar to how you may create a watch face on your Apple Watch, to gain access to different widgets based on your needs.
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Focus
Focus mode is getting some upgrades as well, and me of them are related to the lock screen, as the lock screen that appears can be modified automatically depending on the Focus profile you have.
A ‘Meeting’ focus profile, for example, may modify the wallpaper on your lock screen and display a row of widgets with information about the event.
To help you manage your productivity, you may use ‘Focus Filters’ to block out tabs in Safari, accounts in Mail, events in Calendar, and more.
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Notification
‘Live Activities,’ which are essentially pinned widget-like alerts that allow you to check the score of a game, follow the status of a food delivery, and more, are also receiving updates.
Notifications have a new design that aims to make them stand out more aesthetically, as well as new animations that roll in from the bottom of the lock screen, making them easier to notice at a glance while remaining out of the way.
You may also pick between an enlarged list view, a stacked view, or a concealed view while viewing alerts.
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Messages
Apple has updated Messages with a number of new features. One now includes ‘undo send,’ which allows you to remove a message for up to 15 minutes after you’ve sent it – useful if you discover you’ve sent it to the incorrect person. In the same way, you can edit messages during the first 15 minutes. It’s worth noting, though, that this only applies to iPhone-to-iPhone texts.
Share Play will also be available in the app, allowing you to watch a movie in Disney Plus and then send it to someone via Messages.
Dictation has also been enhanced, allowing users to transition seamlessly between voice and touch inputs, allowing you to type or change the cursor without having to interrupt Dictation.
Accessibility
Several new accessibility features are coming to iOS 16, including door detection, which lets you discover doors, read signs around them, and obtain directions for accessing them, as Apple hinted in May.
You can also use Siri to hang up phone conversations, check live subtitles in a FaceTime call, and operate your Apple Watch from your iPhone.
Wallet
Wallet has improved its privacy by allowing third-party apps to use in-app ID verification.
Tap to pay is also coming to iOS 16, which will eliminate the requirement for any point-of-sale terminals. You can also use Wallet to examine receipts and monitor orders.
There’s also Apple Pay Later, which breaks down purchases into four interest-free instalments over six weeks, and Order Tracking, which shows you the status of your Apple Pay orders.
Map
Maps will now allow you to save recent travels in the app and email them from your Mac or iPad.
You may also add several stops to a route, and ask Siri to add another destination hands-free if another errand arises, while ‘Look Around,’ Apple’s version of Google Street View, is being made available to third-party apps.
You can also examine transport rates and add transit cards to Wallet, reload your card, and check low funds without leaving Maps.
Sports
Live Activities in the Apple TV app may now provide information about sporting events. Apple News allows users to keep track of their favorite teams and leagues for a more personalized experience. In the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, the new sports features are accessible.
Apple News now has a new My Sports area where you can browse schedules, standings, and scores for your favorite teams in iOS 16.
Sporting event live updates may be posted to the lock screen, so you’ll always know what’s going on even if you can’t watch.
Family Sharing
Apple’s Family Sharing feature allows you and your family to share an account, allowing parents to authorize purchases made by children and seeing images and videos.
Parents will be able to react to Screen Time requests in Messages in iOS 16, making it easier for them to implement age-appropriate content limits.
A quick start function for iPad allows you to sync settings from your iPhone to the tablet just by bringing your phone close to it, and there’s also a Family Checklist feature that makes it easy to be certain that all of the information on an iPhone is secure and child-safe.
Up to six family members can contribute to an extra iCloud Photos Library using iCloud Shared Photo Library. New images may be shared immediately to the shared family library through a switch in the Camera app, and intelligent sharing recommendations make it simple to automatically upload new photos based on certain criteria. Everyone has the same rights, and photographs display in everyone’s memories and widgets.
The option to share photographs and videos via iCloud has been sought by many users, and iCloud Shared Photo Library will allow up to six individuals to share a library. Users will be able to contribute photographs to the Shared Library via a new option in the Camera app, and they will receive intelligent suggestions for sharing photos with other shared library users.
Safety Check
Safety Check, a new privacy tool, has been launched to assist individuals who are at danger of abuse or harassment from partners.
Users may immediately withdraw a partner’s access to Messages and other accounts, and an emergency reset option allows users to sign out of iCloud on all of their other devices, reset privacy rights, and limit messages to just the device in their hand. With this feature, users can also opt out of disclosing their location.
It also allows you to see and control which persons and applications have access to your information.
Home App is redesigned
The Home app is receiving a facelift to make it simpler to control your smart appliances and rooms in connection with the upcoming new Matter smart home standard.
You’ll be able to see all of your rooms in one place, along with lighting, climate, security, and other options. You may see up to four security cameras at once by tapping on a category to obtain more comprehensive status information.
You can also add smart home widgets to the lock screen, allowing you to easily access smart home controls and see the condition of your home at a glance.
Spatial Audio
For “an even more precise and immersive listening experience,” you can utilize your iPhone’s True Depth Camera to establish a bespoke Spatial Audio profile for your Air Pods Pro or Air Pods Max.
Fitness
All iPhone users will be able to use Apple’s Fitness app, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch to help them measure their fitness. To help you meet your daily Move target and estimate your calorie burn, the app will use your iPhone’s motion sensors, step and distance monitoring, and exercises from third-party applications.
Other Features
iOS 16 also “ effect to Spatial Audio with AirPods, allowing users to use the iPhone’s True Depth camera to create a more precise music experience, new Mail features, Rapid Security Response, the Fitness app on the iPhone without an Apple Watch, Spotlight in the dock, additional Emoji customizations, and more.
