This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s full coverage of and about Apple’s annual developer conference.
As always, Apple’s big presentation was packed with exciting software announcements on the first day of WWDC 2022, its annual developer conference. WWDC is where we usually take a first look at the next version of iOS, the operating system that powers the iPhone. This year, Apple released iOS 16, promising lots of new features for your iPhone.
With the next major iPhone update, you’ll be able to edit the messages you’ve already sent in the Messages app and get new tools to personalize your iPhone, including the ability to customize the look of the lock screen. Privacy features are also new for people in abusive relationships. IOS 16 is likely to be released in September along with the highly rumored iPhone 14, and will be available for the iPhone 8 and later. However, developers can download the software now.
The preview of Apple’s iOS 16 was filmed in advance and played online, as well as for a small outdoor audience on the lawn of Apple Park, the company’s headquarters in Cupertino. California. The WWDC conference followed the May 16 release of iOS 15.5, which included updates to Apple Cash, Photos Memories, and the Podcasts app. Apple also recently released a developer beta for iOS 15.6, which currently has no major new features and seems to focus primarily on bug fixes.
Now playing: look at this: Apple presents a preview of iOS 16 and a lot of new features of the iPhone
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iOS 16 lets you edit and “forward” messages
“Shameful spelling mistakes are a thing of the past,” said Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, as he presented three of the most requested features for the Messaging app.
First, in iOS 16 you can edit sent messages. Therefore, if you notice a misspelling after a message, you will be able to edit it after the fact. A small “edit” appears in the status below the message.
Under Messages, you can edit previously sent messages.
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Then, and this might be my favorite new feature, you can immediately remember a sent message. If you’ve accidentally sent an unfinished message, you can use the Unsubscribe tool to prevent it from being read and hopefully less chaotic to your friends and family.
Finally, you can mark messages and threads as unread. This can be a great tool for when you don’t have time to reply to a message right now, but you want to make sure you come back later.
Your iPhone has a new customizable lock screen
One of the things you look at most on your iPhone is the lock screen, especially if you have an iPhone with Face ID. iOS 16 brings the most important update to the iPhone lock screen to date. Press and hold to edit the lock screen. You can swipe your finger to try several different styles. Each style changes the background photo color filter and lock screen font to complement everything. This sounds a bit like Apple’s view on Google Material You, which was released with Android 12.
You can also customize the fonts for the time and date, and add widgets to the lock screen such as temperature, activity rings, and a calendar. Widgets are similar to complications on the Apple Watch lock screen.
Your iPhone can be customized with iOS 16. You can choose how the lock screen looks, down to the font and color.
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You can even set up several custom lock screens with different widgets and easily swipe to switch between them. There’s even a photo blending option that automatically changes images on the lock screen.
One of the features we expected to see Apple add was an always-on screen. It’s something almost every Android phone has; even the Apple Watch does. It is expected to come out with the iPhone 14.
iOS 16 adds a feature that developers can use called Live Activities. It’s basically a mini-view of the real-time progress of a workout, sporting event, or Uber trip from your iPhone’s lock screen.
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Live notifications and activities
Sometimes notifications can cover the photo from the lock screen, so iOS 16 moves notifications to the bottom of the screen. As you receive them, instead of being compiled into a list, they appear as a vertical carousel. Not only does this look better, but it should be a great help when using your iPhone with one hand.
iOS 16 also aims to solve another notification issue. Sometimes you get a lot of notifications followed by an app, such as a basketball game score. A new developer tool called Live Activities makes it easier to keep track of what’s happening in real time from the lock screen, rather than getting a series of interruptions.
Live activities should make it easier to keep track of sporting events, workouts, or even the progress of a trip with Uber.
Wallet and Apple Pay Later
Multi-state ID cards will be available in your Wallet app along with more security and privacy features. In iOS 16 you can also protect your identity and age. Therefore, instead of showing your exact date of birth, the Wallet app will show your ID and that you are over 21 years old.
iOS 16 makes it easy to share keys with apps like Mail and Messages. When your friend receives the key, you can add it to your iPhone’s Wallet app. Apple said it is working to make sure shared keys are industry-standard and free for others.
The Wallet app on iOS 16 gets a lot of small but notable updates, including the Apple Pay Later payment plan.
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Apple Pay will support new types of payments and add a new feature called Apple Pay Later, a Klarna-like service that lets you split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments over six weeks, with no interest and no commissions. . Upcoming payments are managed through the Wallet app, making it easy to keep track of dates and payments.
But Apple Pay doesn’t stop there. A new feature will also help you track Apple Pay orders and allow merchants to deliver detailed receipts and tracking information. This should make it easier for you to keep track of the status of all your orders.
You can tap and hold the subject of a photo and separate it from the background. You can then drag it to another application, such as Messages to share.
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Touch and drag visual search for photos
In iOS 15, Visual Look Up analyzes your photos and can identify objects such as plants, landmarks, and pets. iOS 16 takes this to the next level. When you touch the subject of a photo like the dog in the picture above, you can lift it from the background and add it to applications such as Messages. It’s basically a touch and hold tool that removes the background of a photo.
Sometimes Apple makes excessive use of the word “magic,” but that feature really seems like it.
During the WWDC presentation, Apple executive Craig Federighi introduced SharePlay for the Messages app.
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SharePlay reaches Messages
SharePlay, which debuted on iOS 15, lets you share an experience while connecting with someone via FaceTime. You can watch TV shows, listen to synchronized music, and more. iOS 16 adds the ability to discover more SharePlay-enabled apps from FaceTime.
But perhaps one of the most interesting things Apple did for SharePlay was make it work in the Messages app. Apple said this was one of the biggest requests from app developers. Now, when you want to share a movie on Disney Plus, you can start SharePlay with a friend while chatting to Messages.
Security check allows you to quickly restore location sharing and access to passwords. It is intended to be useful to people in abusive relationships.
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Safety Check aims to help people in abusive relationships
Security check is a new feature designed to be useful for people in abusive relationships. Allows you to review and restore who has access to location information, as well as passwords, messages, and other applications on an iPhone.
Focus mode updates and focus filters
Focus mode receives several updates. The first applies focus behaviors to widgets and the appearance of the lock screen. So you might have one lock screen set for when your Work Focus is enabled and another for workouts.
Apple has added specific Focus filters that apply your iPhone’s Focus mode to applications. For example, in Safari, you can limit the tabs displayed depending on the Focus mode you have active.
Apple Maps adds public transportation fare cards
Maps will receive several updates. You can plan trips with up to 15 different stops along the way. If you’re starting to plan a trip with Maps on your Mac, you can share it with your iPhone.
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