With iOS 16, Apple wants to make life easier for iPhone users. We tell you what’s new. Source: Apple
Apple presented its new operating system for iPhones at the Worldwide Developers Conference. We summarize the most important innovations of iOS 16 for you: What is changing, which models will receive the upgrade, when it will come and how you can take part in the beta.
Some of the changes were more or less known in advance through rumors, now they are officially confirmed by Apple. This includes the changes to the lock screen.
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Customize your lock screen
After the update, you can make it much more individual on your iPhone. You can change the font of the time display to match the rest of your design. You can also place widgets on the lock screen, which will show you relevant information directly there.
This includes, for example, the weather widget, the calendar and the map. For some widgets, so-called Live-Activities
be integrated, which make the widgets interactive. So you can use it to pause or play music on the lock screen or track your Uber live on the map.
You don’t have to limit yourself to a lock screen. You can create a lock screen as a template and switch between different versions using the focus mode. For example, you can choose different screens for business or private time.
You can customize the lock screen in the future. Source: Apple
Messages get a cool new feature
iMessage also gets new functions with iOS 16 that should make your everyday life easier. It will be possible to completely delete or change individual messages that have already been sent. Previously, this was not possible in iMessage.
In WhatsApp Messenger, however, this has been possible for a long time, but here your counterpart can always see when a message has been deleted, because the link appears in the chat this message has been deleted
. With iMessage, messages should disappear without a trace. Whether that’s better or worse is certainly a matter of taste.
If you want to edit messages in Apple’s Messenger under iOS 16 afterwards, that will also be possible, but you have to hurry. You can edit typed texts up to 15 minutes after sending. The time window is used so that you cannot simply change the content of older messages. This can distort chat histories and confuse participants. It is currently unclear whether a note will appear for the chat participants after processing.
You will also receive messages as unread
can mark. The feature is used so that if you read a message, for example, but want to reply later, don’t forget it. It then looks to you as if you haven’t read it yet, so you can come back to it later.
iOS 16 is becoming more family-friendly
Apple has also thought of the family with the upcoming operating system for iPhone. So there should be some updates to relevant features for them. The company wants to make it easier for you to set up an Apple account for your kids as you can sync it across multiple devices with iOS 16. So you don’t have to define it again for each device.
If you want to share photos directly with your family, Apple makes that easier for you too. Soon you will be able to choose directly in the camera app whether you want to share the next photo with family immediately. Alternatively, you can also share them directly with family members via iCloud.
Safari with more security
The family-friendly trend also continues in Apple’s browser. Here you will soon be able to share entire tab groups with your family, for example to plan your vacation. Not only can family members see them, they can also add new tabs themselves for everyone to see.
When it comes to security, Apple is taking the next step in Safari. In the future, the company will be using a login feature without a password. The technology behind it comes from the so-called FIDO Alliance and will soon be used by Google and Microsoft, among others.
A passkey is stored on the device, which can uniquely identify you. With a combination of Passkey and Touch ID or Face ID, you will no longer need passwords to log in to various services. The passkey should also work on the Internet and apps from third-party manufacturers, so you can log in there with your iPhone.
Top smartphone for Apple fans
Mail and cards with small innovations
There will be small changes in Apple’s mail and map services. In the future, you can plan e-mails and retrieve them in a small time window after they have been sent. You can also be reminded of a draft email to continue at a later date.
In addition, the mail system with iOS 16 notifies you if you do not receive an answer to an e-mail within a certain time. This gives you the opportunity to write to the person again.
You can soon plan routes with up to 15 stopovers in the Maps app and sync them across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Public transport should also be involved in this. Here you can see ticket prices for the selected route directly in the app, you can buy tickets and save them in the Apple wallet.
Apple’s maps are also getting an update. Source: Apple
Apple follows Matter standard with the Home app
The Matter standard is introduced into the smart home products. This is a standard that aims to make smart home products from different manufacturers compatible with each other. Accordingly, Apple HomeKit devices will soon be compatible with all devices that support Matter.
With iOS 16, you can then use the Apple Home app to control all devices in your house that work with the Matter standard. For this reason it gets a revision. In the future, the devices will be divided into categories so that you can find them more easily.
Fitness app becomes standalone
If you want to use the fitness rings from Apple, you need an Apple Watch. With iOS 16, the fitness app should also come for smartphones. Then you can also measure your fitness goals with the iPhone using its motion sensors and share them with your friends.
In addition, you can plan your medication in the health app in the future. This reminds you when you have to take which pills so that you can manage these processes more easily from now on. In the USA, users can even photograph the labels of their medication and thus receive further information such as interactions within the medication plan.
Installment payments only in the USA for the time being
The Apple Pay app should also get a new feature that you can use to pay for your purchases later. At least if you live in the USA, because the feature should only be rolled out there first. This allows you to split payments into four installments and spread them over up to six weeks free of charge.
Release date and devices
iOS 16 is scheduled for release in fall 2022. This is the approximate timeframe when the new iPhone 14 is expected to be launched. It is therefore possible that the operating system will appear together with the new smartphones. However, iOS 16 is also available for older devices:
- iPhone 8 (Plus)
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS (Max)
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro (Max)
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 12 (mini)
- iPhone 12 Pro (Max)
- iPhone 13 (mini)
- iPhone 13 Pro (Max)
- iPhone SE (2022)
Older models get nothing, they will still have to be content with iOS 15.
The beta is earlier
If you can’t wait to try out Apple’s new operating system, you can most likely install the public beta sooner. This usually appears about a month after the launch of the new operating system.
If you want to install this on your iPhone, go to your iPhone’s settings, then click General
and finally up software update
. As soon as the iOS 16 public beta is available, you can find it here and install it.
However, you should be aware that this is not the finished version, but one that is still being worked on. Therefore, it may contain bugs and appear unfinished in some places. For a polished user experience, it is best to wait until iOS is officially rolled out.
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