At WWDC 2022, Apple unveiled the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 16. iOS 16 will be available to developers starting today, will arrive in public beta next month and will be available as an update free for iPhone 8 and later this fall.
Among the new features, iOS 16 will bring the most important update to date on the iPhone lock screen.
Lock screen
With iOS 16, you can now change the font, style, and color of your iPhone clock.
To do this, all you have to do is press and hold the lock screen and tap “customize”. You can then tap any item on the lock screen to change it. You can also add widgets to the lock screen, such as calendar events, weather, battery level alarms, time zones Activity rings, and more, and place them under the clock.
In addition, there are prefabricated lock screens using a new lock screen gallery, to change lock screens with pre-configured widgets that you can keep or edit. There is also an Astronomy wallpaper with views of the Earth, the Moon and the Solar System.
You can also create lock screens with emojis and favorite color combinations.
The lock screen is also smoothly animated now and offers weather conditions that will appear dynamically when it rains or there is a storm, for example. You can also add a photo gallery to randomize images on the lock screen.
Notifications also appear differently on the lock screen. Instead of being displayed across the screen, they scroll from the bottom of the screen.
Apple is also introducing “Live Activities” that can show how far your Uber is and how much of your workout you’ve completed, along with additional music controls.
With that in mind, you can set up different lock screens and even attach them to different “Focus” states, such as “Work” or “Personal.” When you associate a Focus with a lock screen, you can set it to see only certain widgets, notifications, and images based on the lock screen.
Messages
Messages now includes the ability to edit previously sent messages, undo them, and mark threads as unread.
The “SharePlay” apps are now displayed in FaceTime so you can see all the apps that offer the feature. Plus, there’s a Share to Message button now so you can send text messages while watching things together. There’s also a new “Dictation” experience that lets you move smoothly between voice and touch, allowing the keyboard to stay open when you speak. It also allows users to add emojis and upload a FaceTime call with just their voice.
Apple has also updated Live Text, so it now works with video. You can use a video in any frame and watch the text. Live Text also gets quick actions that allow users to enable the feature with a single click. Developers will get a live text API, so you can work with it on your applications.
CarPlay
iOS 16 also offers a new way for people to interact with their vehicles. CarPlay will be able to offer content for multiple screens in one vehicle, creating a unified experience.
Plus, with Carplay, you can now control your vehicle’s weather or radio. In addition, CarPlay will perfectly display speed, fuel level, temperature and more on the instrument panel. The experience also has new support for widgets, such as widgets for both time and music on the user’s control panel.
Share with family
The Family Sharing update makes parenting controls much easier to share and new device settings for kids. Also, if your kids want more screen time, you can approve a time request directly from the iMessage app. In addition, there is a new parental control setting in a new feature called Family Checklist.
Pictures
Apple has also introduced a new iCloud shared photo library. This is an iCloud library that can be shared with six people and offers smart upload filters. You can choose to share previously updated photos or share them based on a start date, or choose photos with a specific person. You can also choose to send photos to the shared library automatically, using a new switch in the Camera app.
Each user in the Shared Photo Library can add, delete, edit, or bookmark shared videos or photos, which will appear in each user’s featured memories and photos.
Users can now schedule emails in advance or cancel the delivery of an email before it is in the other person’s inbox. Mail can also detect if a user forgot to include an important part of their message, such as if they mentioned an attachment and forgot to include it.
Users will also have the option to reappear at any time and date with the Remember Later and Tracking suggestions that remind users to track an email if they have not received a reply. It’s worth noting that Google Gmail also has these features.
Other features
Apple Maps will soon get multi-stop routing in iOS 16 and you can plan up to 15 routes in advance, and you can plan routes on your Mac and send them to your iPhone. The Google Map app also lets you plan routes in advance and add multiple stops. If you’re already driving and need hands-free, you can now add stops with Siri as well.
With Apple News, there is now a new section called My Sport, which allows you to follow the posts that follow your favorite teams. This feature is confirmed to be available in Canada, as well as in the UK, US and Australia.
Game Center includes a redesigned dashboard that will show you what your friends are doing and their achievements.
Custom spatial audio allows users to create an even more accurate and immersive listening experience. You can use your iPhone’s Trudpeth camera to create this more personalized profile for Space Auioo that offers a user-only listening experience tune.
The Fitness app is now available to iPhone users to help them keep track of their fitness goals, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch. IPhone users can set a daily movement goal in the Fitness app and see how active their calories are and close their movement ring. Your iPhone’s motion sensor will track your steps, distance, escalated flights, and third-party app workouts, which can be used to estimate how many calories you’ve lost.
The Health app is adding Medications, which will allow users to create and manage a list of medications, create schedules and reminders, and keep track of their medications, vitamins, or supplements.
A new privacy tool called Safety Check can help users whose personal security is at risk from domestic or partner violence, quickly removing all access they have granted to others. It also includes an emergency reset that can help users log out of iCloud on all their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messages only to the device they have on hand.
Apple Wallet
Apple Wallet will also receive an update; however, most of these features will not be available to Canadians.
Wallet will be able to authenticate your identity for the apps that access it, meaning you may need to use Face Unlock or enter a PIN when you buy groceries on Instacart or order an Uber. Touch to pay on an iPhone also reaches Godaddy, Square and Shopify retailers. That is, if you are a salesperson, all you need is a customer to touch their iPhone to pay for an item.
Apple Pay Later allows users to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase without interest or late fees. Apple Pay also includes order tracking, which allows sellers to send recent and order tracking directly to a customer’s wallet. These features will not reach Canada.