iOS 16 has made its big debut. WWDC 2022 brought with it a preview of the next version of Apple’s iPhone software. Now we have a sense of all the new features coming to your iPhone, including a revamped lock screen with widgets, major Messages improvements, a shared photo library for families and more.
There’s another reason to pay attention to iOS 16. The final version is going to make its debut at the same time as the new iPhone 14 models rumored to be arriving later this year.
Here’s what we know so far about the big changes in iOS 16.
iOS 16 cheat sheet: The biggest new iPhone features
- The lock screen in iOS 16 is getting a major overhaul. You can change the clock font, font color, and wallpapers. You can also add widgets and reposition photos.
- Focus can now extend to the lock screen. You can create new lock screens tied to your Focus modes, such as work and play, each with their customizations and widgets.
- Messages adds the ability to edit/delete messages. SharePlay also will work in Messages.
- Apple Pay can now let you use contactless payments with merchants using just iPhones, no extra hardware needed. Apple Pay Later lets you split a purchase into four payments over six weeks with no interest or fees.
- iCloud Shared Photo library lets people share pictures seamlessly in a separate iCloud library.
- Family sharing has gotten an upgrade, allowing parents to set up children’s devices much quicker and easier.
Check out our WWDC 2022 recap for all the big announcements from Apple’s event.
iOS 16 possible release date
WWDC 2022 is upon us — the event kicked off on June 6 with an opening day keynote. With WWDC came a preview of iOS 16 followed by a developer beta release. The public beta is coming in July.
The final version of iOS 16 will likely launch in the fall alongside the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. We don’t know when the iPhone 14 is arriving, but Apple tends to aim for a September launch. Expect iOS 16 to arrive at the same time as the iPhone 14 release date.
What devices will run iOS 16?
Apple’s last two software updates have worked on the same devices, with support extending as far back as the iPhone 6s, which first debuted in the fall of 2015. However, given the number of iOS 15 features that required more modern hardware, Apple is cutting off support on some older phones.
In fact, Apple says that iOS 16 will come to the iPhone 8 and newer. Previous rumors said that the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and the original iPhone SE from 2016 would lose iOS support with this release. But we can throw the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus off the list of iOS 16 supported devices.
Owners of those phones can’t really feel aggrieved should iOS 16 mark the cutoff point for Apple support. The original iPhone SE came out six years ago, and the iPhone 6s models will be 7 years old this fall; even the iPhone 7 is approaching its sixth birthday. Given the advances in processing power in that time, it’s only reasonable to assume, some iOS 16 capabilities are beyond what those devices can support.
iOS 16 lock screen
Apple spent a ton of time highlighting the iOS 16 lock screen. In short, it’s a massive overhaul to the old, tired lock screen. There’s a huge swath of changes, some of which look a lot like what Google has done with Android.
You can edit the clock’s font and color, adjust picture placement, try out different styles like filters, change one or multiple elements, and create multiple lock screens. You can also apply whole themes, e.g. astronomy or weather.
Notifications now roll in from the bottom of the screen instead of obscuring the center of your wallpaper. You can hide them throughout the day to keep your lock screen clear. And for notifications that constantly update in real time, like for sports apps, iOS 16 introduces Live Activities, making it much easier to stay on top of things.
The ability to have a live screen with widgets seemingly sets the stage for an always-on display, a popular feature on Android phones but one missing from Apple’s devices. That could change with the iPhone 14, though Apple hasn’t said so officially. However, code in the iOS 16 developer beta hints at an always-on display that we’d peg to the iPhone 14 Pro models, given those devices are expected to scale down its refresh rate to 1Hz.
iOS 16 Messages
Messages will also see some big improvements. Many will appreciate that you will be able to edit and undo your messages, something long overdue. You can also mark threads as unread, just in case you want to come back to them later. SharePlay, first introduced in iOS 15, is coming to Messages, too.
Thanks to new updates in Dictation, you can seamlessly move between voice and text. The keyboard stays open while you’re speaking and you can select text with your finger and replace it with dictation. Dictation will also automatically end punctuation and emojis.
iOS 16 Focus
Focus was one of our favorite additions to iOS 15, blocking out unwanted distractions so you could concentrate on the thing you were doing, whether work or play. And in iOS 16, it will be better still.
For starters, it will now extend to your iPhone’s lock screen, with the ability to create custom screens tied to a specific focus mode. For instance, you could set one for work, complete with work-related wallpaper, widgets and customizations, and another one for when you’re relaxing at home.
What’s more, the Focus customizations will extend to selected apps — so if you’ve selected your Work Focus mode, Safari, Messages, Mail and Calendar would only show notifications related to that. Changing between Focus modes on the lock screen would be as simple as swiping between them.
iOS 16 Wallet
Apple Pay Later is a new feature for the Apple Wallet app in iOS 16. The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service will allow users to split any Apple Pay purchase into four payments over six weeks — all from the Apple Wallet app. The payments are zero-interest and come with no fees provided the user makes their payments on time and should be accepted anywhere you can use Apple Pay in the United States. PayPal recently announced its own BNPL service Pay in 4, so consumers will not be lacking options if they need more time for some larger purchases.
To help you better manage your payments, Apple Pay also gets an Order Tracking feature, which will give you detailed receipts and order tracking information, all within Apple Wallet.
Finally, Keys and IDs in Wallet have some new features. You’ll now be able to use you ID in Wallet to verify identity and age within apps, and can share home, hotel, office and car keys in Wallet through Apple’s messaging apps. And of course all of this info will be securely stored.
iOS 16 Maps
Apple’s navigation app is expanding again, offering coverage in 11 new countries. It’s also adding six new cities to the 3D city map network, including Chicago, Sydney, and the awesome-looking Las Vegas.
More practically, you can now add up to fifteen stops in an Apple Maps route, letting you navigate through multiple points easily. You can add more on the go by asking Siri, or prepare a route beforehand on a Mac and send it through to your iPhone when you’re ready.
If you’re a public transit user, Apple Maps will now let you check the fares for your trip, and you can add your transit cards into the Apple Wallet app so you can check if you’ve got enough credit to make it to your destination.
iOS 16 Live Text and Visual Lookup
Live Text and Visual Lookup will also get some upgrades in iOS 16. Starting with Live Text, you’ll be able to pull text from videos. You can pause on any frame and highlight the text you want. Live Text will also work in Translate so you can highlight large amounts of foreign text.
Visual Lookup will let you highlight the subject of the query. Just tap and hold, lift, and place the subject in the app you want. Apple’s suggestion was Messages.
iOS 16 Family Sharing and Photos
iOS already has a ton of helpful features for families, but Family Sharing has received an upgrade for iOS 16. The big thing is that it will now be far faster and easier to set up a child’s device thanks to the Quick Start option, which applies existing settings to a new phone. Given that kids aren’t known for their patience, this is definitely welcome. But possibly even more useful is the ability to approve (or deny) requests for more screen time directly from Messages, rather than needing to delve into Settings.
Additionally, Apple introduced the new iCloud Shared Photo Library. This is a separate library from your other iCloud items, allowing you to collaboratively share photos with friends and family, much like you can in Google Photos. You can add up to five people.
You can share just what you want or all of your photos, as well group by person or date. As for how you share, you can either add pictures manually or use the new sharing shortcut in the Camera app to automatically add images as you take them. This switch can be flipped to be automatically enabled if that’s the road you want to take.
Photos will even suggest pictures to share on the For You tab. Everyone in the shared library has equal permissions.
iOS 16 News and Sports
Apple News will get a new Sports section, letting you follow teams and leagues for all of the latest updates and stories. In the My Sports section, you can see schedules, scores, and highlights. All of your stuff is synced with the Apple TV app.
This will be free in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Apple News+ subscribers will have access to premium coverage for their favorite sports teams.
iOS 16 Safety Check
Apple wants to take a stand on personal safety, so iOS 16 will have Safety Check. This lets victims of domestic abuse easily revoke access to their account such as removing location sharing or app permissions. Safety Check can reset all privacy permissions and it protects access to messages.
iOS 16: Other features
So far, we’ve touched on the highlights from Apple’s keynote. However, as WWDC continues, we’re bound to hear a lot more about what’s next for Apple’s mobile OS. We’ll collect here everything we find out.
One feature we do know about is an update to allow Face ID to unlock your iPhone in landscape mode. And iOS 16 also adds support for Nintendo Switch controller connectivity. And iOS 16 will let you copy/paste edits in your photos. Finally, iOS 16 will make transferring an eSim stupidly easy.
iOS 16: What we still don’t know
Apple talked about a lot, but we didn’t hear as much as rumors led us to believe. Specifically, LeaksApplePro tweeted (opens in new tab) a claim that Apple was working on so-called “big widgets” that would house multiple widgets in one container. As described by LeaksApplePro, the big widgets seem a lot like Smart Stack widgets currently included in iOS 15, but the iOS 16 version would show multiple widgets at once instead of forcing you to scroll them.
Additionally, a screenshot demonstrating the big widget featured — which is apparently code-named “InfoShack” — also includes Control Center widgets for managing things like the iPhone’s flashlight or an Apple TV remote.
Since that leak, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in with more details(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab), reporting that iOS 16 will feature a new look for the lock screen that includes new wallpapers with widgets. That feature could be in support of an always-on display capability rumored to be coming to the iPhone 14 in the fall.
He’s since hinted at new Apple apps for the new generation of iOS, but again isn’t telling what those could be. The long-time Apple reporter contends that Apple could be working on “some fairly significant enhancements across the board, including an update to notifications and new health-tracking features.” There’s no further details on what those changes could be, but we have some ideas as to how Apple could improve notifications in iOS 16.
Additionally, Mac Rumors reported in late 2021 that this year’s Apple devices like the iPhone 14 could add crash-detection features where a device would contact emergency services if it senses you’ve been in an accident. Such a feature would require new capabilities introduced in iOS 16, though Apple could hold off on previewing that capability until we’re closer to the iPhone 14 launch.
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