On June 6 at WWDC22, Apple announced its new iOS 16 operating system. The company shared the main features that had the crowd excited, along with previews of iPadOS 16 and MacOS Ventura. A developer preview is currently live, with a public beta coming online at the end of July. Of course, not all iOS 16 features will be immediately available for this test (not even at the launch of iOS 16, based on what we’ve already seen with iOS 14 and 15), but one thing is certain: iOS 16. is underway as part of the next big update for your iPhone.
After developer previews and beta builds run their course, Apple will release the “finished” public version of iOS 16 around September or October, usually around the time the next iPhone model comes out.
We take a quick look at everything we expect from this update.
iPhone models that will get iOS 16
Apple is known for supporting its iPhone’s for extended periods compared to Android rivals. The Pixel 3 and 3a, for example, won’t get Android 13 this fall, while the similarly aged iPhone X and XS have been confirmed to get iOS 16.
The most important updates
iOS 16 is a major update to iOS, with visible design changes, quality of life additions, internal improvements, and more. Apple’s main feature here is the new lock screen. It’s what you see when you look at an iOS 16 device. Updates to Messages will please everyone, while changes to Spotlight and Safari will bring more power to those who want it. Apple will also dive into the “buy now, pay later” business with Apple Pay Later.
“iOS 16 is a big release, with updates that will change the way you experience iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We reimagined the look and feel of the lock screen with exciting new features that make it more personal and useful, we introduced iCloud shared photo library for families, we made communication simpler through new capabilities in Messages and Mail, and we take advantage of enhanced intelligence with Live Text updates and visual search.”
New lock screen and notifications
The most visible face of the iOS 16 changes will be on the lock screen. And overall, they add a touch of customization to the iPhone lock screen, with support for new interactive widgets and live notifications on the locked screen.
It’s a really significant update. Apple will offer a choice of colors and fonts for the lock screen, and the watch will interact with the image so it appears to be behind it. That lock screen everyone has, for the first time, is going to look a little different on every iPhone.
It’s not just a customization update: the new lock screen will also be linked to the Focus mode features that Apple introduced with iOS 15. This means that whether you’re into your gaming, personal, or work focus, you can assign wallpapers. and lock screen widgets for each mode. It’s a more careful customization app, and one that reminds us of the profiles you’d see on now-old feature phones. As for the focus mode itself, it now applies to the entire system. This means that apps like Chrome and Safari will now hide distracting websites, possibly blocking extensions.
Since the new iPhone 14 Max is rumored to be 6.7-inches and there will be no mini-iPhone, Apple’s main iPhone lineup will be larger than 6-inches for the first time. A change in iOS 16 sees notifications now slide up – from the bottom – in keeping with the reality of using big phones.
Improvements in Messages and Mail
Apple’s iMessage also picks up some user points. The company is rolling out “undo send” and “edit message” capabilities, two new features that will let you take control of your message in a small window 15 minutes after you send it. Both are exactly what they sound like, one retracts a message after it has been sent and the other allows you to modify it. The short window of time prevents users from using this feature to do mischief or mischief, although it is much less than what it offers WhatsApp.
Apple also adds more sharing features with SharePlay so users can watch movies and listen to music together while using the Messages app to chat. Something like a kind of private live broadcast.
In #iOS16 @Manzana added support for the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard in the native Mail application. pic.twitter.com/J42JGE0ulP
— Charlie Fish (@char_fish) June 22, 2022
These changes extend a bit to the Mail app as well. Apple adds an undo send feature to its Mail app. It’s not the full 15 minutes you get with iMessage, but a 10-second delay that allows you to retrieve the email in case you spot a typo or recipient error. You also have additional features, such as a help if you write an email with reference to an attachment.
A new security enhancement feature that is also making its way is support for Flag Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI), a new email standard that makes it clear to you where a message came from. Let’s say you receive an email from Amazon or Chase Bank: BIMI will allow you to be sure that it came directly from them and not from a phishing email.
Debut of new accessibility tools
Manzana has announced some of the accessibility features it plans to release later this year. It will add Door Detection, a feature that aims to help vision-impaired users navigate their environment. It will use the lidar scanner that Apple introduced in the iPhone 12 Pro to help detect doors, know if they are open or closed, and also how to interact with them. The Door Detection feature will also be able to display text around the door, useful for conveying information such as room numbers and accessibility inputs.
Similar to Google Pixel phones, you’ll be able to use Live Captions to follow along with videos, if you’re hard of hearing. “Users can more easily follow any audio content, whether they’re on a phone or FaceTime call, using a video conferencing or social media app, streaming media, or chatting with someone next to them,” Apple explained.
Captchas disappear
With iOS 16 (and iPadOS 16), Apple is removing one of the most annoying things on the modern internet: captchas. Thanks to Apple’s automatic verification system, you won’t need to prove your “humanity” to a computer by selecting how many traffic lights or zebra crossings there are in a group of photos. The function is enabled by private access tokens and it works with iCloud.
Everything else in iOS 16
Apart from the main features, there are also several other small ones in iOS 16 that haven’t received as much attention. You can now use Face ID horizontally and not just vertically on select iPhones. A new tool will allow people at risk of domestic abuse to quickly select the content and permissions they share with their partner’s accounts, as well as other devices they can log into. CarPlay will see a powerful update that will make it more complete, although this will not arrive until the end of 2023.
Apple’s built-in apps also see updates here. In particular, Photos connects to a new iCloud Shared Photo Library feature, intended to help families sync all their pictures between their Apple devices. It’s useful for vacations and day trips alike. maps collects the navigation of several stops – up to 15 – per trip, while Safari remove passwords and introduce more secure passkeys. Health brings medication tracking, and a new app Fitness is available for those who don’t have Apple Watches, but still want to track basic activity.
What about the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro?
Apple is expected to release an iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16 in mid-September. So the company will introduce a big “regular” iPhone for the first time since the XS and leave out the “mini” iPhone. Expected updates include the disappearance of the notch and the inclusion of larger 48MP cameras on Pro iPhones, while non-Pro iPhones will have 120Hz refresh rate displays, the same ones that launched exclusively on the 13 Pro and 13 Pro. Last year’s Pro Max.
The iPhone 14 was rumored to come with an always-on display, and discovered the code for the feature in iOS 16. It was previously reported to be coming to the iPhone 13 series, but is now said to be exclusive to the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro. Always-on displays are a staple of Android flagships, allowing at-a-glance access to notifications, time and other environmental information. It’s also a feature of the Apple Watch, and something iPhones have sorely needed since they switched to OLED with the iPhone X.
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