iOS 16 Announced: New Features
Firstly, the main attraction here is the lock screen customizations, which have been rumored for a long time. It will allow people to add widgets, wallpapers, change the date and time font and colors, and more to the lock screen. Users will be able to look in for calendar events, alarms, weather, and more on the lock screen.
The revamped lock screen will also include a Lock Screen Gallery and Live Activities (showing real-time events like workouts, food-delivery orders, and more). Plus, you can add various Focus modes, which were introduced with iOS 15, to the lock screen. Focus Filters for apps to display content relevant to a Focus. Notifications have been redesigned and will now roll up from the bottom to get better reachability and access in iOS 16.
There are interesting changes for iMessage too. iOS 16 will now let you edit a sent message (something WhatsApp is planning to add soon), undo a sent message, and even mark messages as unread so that you don’t miss out on them. Apple has also added enhancements to the SharePlay feature. You will now be able to use this feature via iMessage, something which has been available only on FaceTime.
There have been improvements for Dictation too; wherein the keyboard will stay open to enable a simultaneous touch and voice experience. Also, dictation can now work with Siri, supports emojis, and even punctuation. Plus, Live Text has also seen new changes, and you can now use it in videos to copy code and text. It can now translate languages and convert currencies with a tap and perform quick actions too. iOS 16 supports an updated Visual Lookup feature, allowing users to tap and hold a subject in an image to crop it and transfer it to apps like Messages.
The Wallet app is another app that has got a bunch of features. This includes in-app age and identity verification for apps like UberEats and the ability to share keys over messages. Apple Pay now supports the Tap to Pay functionality and there’s Apple Pay Later to buy stuff in 4 easy installments without any fee or interest. This is currently for the US market, though. Additionally, there’s support for order tracking with Apple Pay too. For Apple Maps, there’s now support for multi-stop routing and this can be done by Siri too.
The Family Sharing feature now allows for easier Kids account setup, quick account setup, the ability to approve requests in Messages, and a Family Checklist feature too. There’s a new iCloud Shared Library feature, which allows people to have a separate library for shared media on iCloud. People will also be able to add photos to the Library via a toggle in the Camera app.
Moreover, Safari now lets you share Tab Groups and has Passkeys to browse safely and easily. Passkeys are meant to replace passwords, which is an endeavor Apple has been chasing for a long time. There’s the availability of the Fitness app for all iPhone users even if they don’t own an Apple Watch, some Home improvements, Medications tracking using the Health app, a new My Sports section for Apple News, personalized spatial audio, Mail app features, and Accessibility updates, among others.
iOS 16 also gets the Safety Check privacy feature for safety from domestic violence. This will allow people to remove access to all accounts granted to others with ease.
iOS 16: Availability
A developer preview of iOS 16 is now available to developers and will be followed by a public beta, which will be available to all users next month. iOS 16 will be available to everyone this fall for iPhone 8 and above.
