During Apple’s annual developer conference, the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2022, the company announced several software announcements. iOS 16, the Cupertino-based tech giant’s major software update for iPhones, will be unveiled at the event.
improvements to the social components of the Messages program, as well as new wallpaper-related customizations. which will allow its users to put widgets on their lock screens for the first time and is included in iOS 16. Here’s a rundown of all the new features in iOS 16 and how they’ll affect your experience.
What’s new about Apple iOS 16?
Widgets for locking the screen
With iOS 14, Apple introduced home screen widgets about two years ago. Thanks to a new feature, users may now set wallpapers with embedded widgets on iOS 16. These widgets can then be accessed directly from the lock screen for rapid access to information such as missed calls, text messages, and impending alarms.
Long-pressing on a lock screen will bring up the customization options right away. They can then swipe sideways to select from various templates and tap on individual template elements to customize colors and other characteristics.
Live activities and a new notification center
Also included in iOS 16 is a new notification center, which is the most significant improvement to the area since iOS 12. Notifications are now sent from the bottom of the screen and can be turned off. A new Live Activities feature allows you to pin specific notifications into interactive widgets. This applies to notifications from apps such as Apple TV. Developers will be able to create interactive notifications that can be pinned using the Live Activities API.
To avoid distraction, Apple now lets you utilize Focus Filters in apps like Safari, Calendar, and even some communication apps to help you focus on crucial aspects while ignoring the rest.
Users can swipe to the matching lock screen to activate a focus. Apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari can employ Focus filters to display only the content relevant to a user’s focus, assisting them in finding a better balance.
iCloud photo library (shared)
The new feature, which requires a separate iCloud library, allows up to five people to contribute to a common library, ensuring that all users involved in a weekend vacation get access to all of the greatest photos. Photos are instantly transferred to the shared library when taking images with other contributors, allowing users to share sensibly. Shared photographs will also appear in each user’s profile’s Memories and Featured Photos sections.
Messaging Application
Messages are getting three new features from Apple. The first is the ability to edit previously sent texts. The second feature allows users to undo a sent message without leaving any trace, similar to WhatsApp. The final feature allows users to mark read messages as “unread,” similar to how they might mark emails as such.
New Mailing-Tools
Users may now plan emails in advance and even stop delivering a message before it reaches the inbox of a recipient with iOS 16. The Mail app now detects and warns users when important parts of emails, such as attachments, are missing.
Live Text now has video support, and Visual Look Up has been improved.
Improvements to Live Text allow you to pause a movie at any frame and interact with the text on screen, just as you previously did with photographs. Apple also unveiled a Live Text API for developers, allowing them to implement the same functionality in their apps.
The revised Visual Look Up tool now allows you drag and drop topics from images, such as animals and birds, into apps like Messages as stickers.
New features have been added to Apple Wallet.
The Wallet app on iOS 16 receives a new Pay Later feature that allows Apple Pay users in the US to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments that they can make over the next six weeks using a safe and smooth credit service. This function has no fees or interest attached to it. Customers may check their remaining payments and other information directly from the Wallet app.
A new Order Tracking feature allows users to receive detailed receipts and order tracking information immediately in the Wallet app for Apple Pay purchases.
The Wallet app may now hold proof of identity and age verification thanks to iOS 16’s expanded support for keys and IDs. Users can securely share their house, hotel, business, and auto keys in Wallet using chat apps such as Messages, Mail, and others.
CarPlay has been updated.
Apple unveiled CarPlay 2, which connects even more deeply with a vehicle’s technology and provides content for several integrated screens within the vehicle, rather than just one.
Users will be able to use the new CarPlay to display information such as remaining gasoline, vehicle temperature, and speed on a CarPlay dashboard, allowing for gauge customization.
SharePlay
Thanks to iOS 16, Apple consumers may now use SharePlay directly from FaceTime and Messages. SharePlay in Messages allows users to watch material in perfect sync with other users.
Dictation has improved.
iOS 16 also includes updates to the Dictation feature, allowing users to dictate their content in real-time rather than typing it. Users can now switch seamlessly between typing and dictation. Other features include replacing typed information with dictated text, and more.
Apple Maps has been updated.
The updated Maps app from Apple is now accessible in 11 more countries. The programme has been updated to include new functions as well as better, 3D-like images. Multistop routing will allow Maps to store up to 15 stops on a route, and Siri will be able to add new stops while driving. With Transit, users can now see how much a public transit fare costs. MapKit will make it easier for developers to integrate apps with Maps, and a new lookaround feature will provide users with a 360-degree point-of-view image that they can travel around to gain a better sense of a location.
Apple News now has MySports available.
More sports integration will be available in Apple News, and users will receive a personalised feed with information from the teams and sports they follow. However, the service is now only available in four countries, none of which include India.
The Parental Controls Have Been Strengthened
Apple is providing a number of new parental control tools that make setting up a new device with parental controls straightforward, as well as increasing a child’s screen time without having to go into the settings.
Safety Check
Safety Check, a new privacy feature in iOS 16, is designed to help victims of domestic violence and abuse. Users can use this feature to end their relationship with an abusive member (such as location sharing and message access). Users have control over who has access to their accounts.
Which iPhone models will receive the iOS 16 update?
iOS 16 will be compatible with all iPhones released after the iPhone 8, including the iPhone 8. The iPhone XR and all three iPhone SE models, as well as the top number-series iPhones, fall within this category. Apple will release the first beta of iOS 16 through the Apple Developer Program later today, with a stable upgrade for all supported devices coming later this year.
