The newest iPhone operating system, iOS 16, was first presented by Apple at WWDC 2022 back in June. The release date of September 12 was announced at Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event on September 7.
This update includes several app changes, such as a new Home app for your smart appliances, greater privacy features, and a strong focus on the lock screen with a variety of new fonts, colors, and themes. Also, the iPhone 14 models will get satellite calling in November.
Customized lock screens
With latest iOS 16, you may change the text’s color and font by tapping anywhere on the lock screen. Complications, a feature taken from the Apple Watch, can also be enabled here. Complications are basically widgets. Three of these can be added to your lock screen, and the Now Playing screen has been shifted downward for easy thumb access.
Additionally, you won’t be restricted to a single lock screen. You may swipe between many lock screens to access various widgets based on your needs, much like how you create a watch face on your Apple Watch.
Notifications
With “Live Activities,” which are essentially pinned widget-like notifications that let you check the score of a game, watch the status of a food delivery, and more, notifications are also becoming optimized. Furthermore, notifications now have a fresh look that aims to make them stand out more visually. They also have new animations that roll in from the bottom of the lock screen, making it simple to see them at a glance while remaining out of the way.
Additionally, you have the option of viewing alerts in a concealed view, an extended list view, or a stacked view.
Messages
Apple has updated Messages with a variety of new features. One now has the option to “Undo send” a message for up to 15 minutes after it has been delivered, which comes in handy if you accidentally send it to the wrong person. In a similar style, you have 15 minutes to edit messages. But keep in mind that this only functions for communications sent between iPhones.
Additionally, SharePlay will be added to the app, enabling you to play a movie in Disney Plus, for example, and send it to a friend via Messages.
The ability to switch seamlessly between voice and touch inputs in Dictation has also been improved, allowing you to type to add text or move the cursor without pausing the dictation.
Furthermore, you may extend an invitation to collaborate on a project via Messages, recover deleted messages up to 30 days later, and receive notifications if someone edits a collaboration.
Focus
Updates to Focus mode include several that relate to the lock screen because the lock screen that is displayed can change based on the Focus profile you have. A “Meeting” focus profile, for instance, may modify the wallpaper on your lock screen and provide a row of widgets with information about the event.
Additionally, you can manage your workflow by using “Focus Filters” to block out tabs in Safari, accounts in Mail, events in Calendar, and much more.
Maps
With Maps, you can now send recent travels from an iPad or Mac and finally store them in the application.
Moreover, numerous stops can be added to a route, and Siri can be asked to add a destination while you’re driving, hands-free, in case another errand comes up. Additionally, ‘Look Around,’ Apple’s version of Google Street View, is now open to third-party apps.
Also, you may view transit rates, add transit cards to your wallet without leaving Maps, top off your card, and view low balances.
Home App has been refreshed.
The Home app is getting a new look to make it simpler to control your smart appliances and rooms in connection with the upcoming new Matter smart home standard.
All of your rooms will be visible in one view, along with tabs for lighting, climate, security, and other features. You can see up to four security cameras simultaneously and press on a category to obtain more specific status information.
You may also add smart home widgets to the lock screen, giving you easy access to smart home controls and the ability to rapidly see the status of your house.
All iPhone users can access the Apple Fitness app, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch to track their fitness. The app will help you reach your daily Move goal and calculate your calorie burn by using the motion sensors in your iPhone, step and distance monitoring, workouts from third-party apps, and workout data.
Safety Check, a new privacy tool, has been introduced to assist anyone who may be vulnerable to partner violence or harassment. An emergency reset tool enables users to instantly sign out of iCloud on all of their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and restrict messaging to only the device in their hand. Users can also quickly remove all access to Messages and other accounts that they have allowed to a partner. The tool also allows users to stop showing their location.
It also enables you to view and control who has access to your information, including apps and other users.
Apple’s Family Sharing feature allows you and your family to share an account, allowing parents to approve purchases made by children and allowing family members to access images and videos.
Parents or guardians will be able to react to Screen Time requests in Messages in iOS 16, making it simpler for them to implement age-appropriate content restrictions.
In addition to a Family Checklist feature that makes it simpler for you to feel confident that all of the content on an iPhone is secure and child-safe, the quick start feature for iPad enables you to sync settings that you’ve configured on your iPhone to the tablet by simply moving your phone close to the tablet.
Several new accessibility features, including door detection, which helps you find doors, read signs around them, and obtain directions for accessing them, are coming to iOS 16, as Apple hinted at in May.
Additionally, you may use Siri to end phone calls, check live captions during a FaceTime session, and manage your Apple Watch from your iPhone.
Live text is also improving; in addition to being able to copy and translate text, it can now be pasted in videos.