What is happening
Apple is expected to announce iOS 16 on Monday. We look forward to seeing an ever-active screen, better widgets, and a split-screen feature similar to the iPad, among other updates.
Why it matters
Software updates introduce new features that keep the iPhone fresh and relevant, even for older models.
That follows
Apple usually introduces new iPhone updates during its WWDC conference, which begins on June 6, before launching in the fall.
Apple’s 2022 World Developers Conference kicks off Monday and we look forward to a first look at iOS 16, probably the name of Apple’s next big software update for the iPhone. There’s also a good chance we’ll see previews of software updates for Apple’s other major products: iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9, and MacOS. But iOS 16 is likely to be the star of the program, as it offers an overview of the new features that will arrive on iPhones in the fall.
The last three versions of iOS have been similar. iOS 15 looks like a riff to iOS 14, which looked like a sequel to iOS 13. Any visual changes can be turned on and off instead of being forced on your iPhone. For example, if you don’t like Home screen widgets or Focus mode, you don’t need to use them. Even if you turn off the most notable changes, running iOS 15 brings a lot of background improvements to keep your iPhone running smoothly and safely. And this will probably be the case with iOS 16.
iOS 15 has been out for seven months and the operating system has been relatively stable with very few bugs. Some features, such as universal control and SharePlay, took a while to deploy, but now it looks like everything is up and running. IOS 16 is likely to continue where iOS 15 left off, adding new features to the existing design.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things Apple needs to add or improve. My colleagues and I made a list of improvements, additions, and fixes that we would like Apple to make for iOS 16. Some are great, like adding support for the Apple Pencil, and some are small but significant, like giving home screen. widgets with more functionality. We’ll have to wait and see what Apple really does.
iOS 16: The Photos app needs to copy and paste to edit
We use iPhones to take photos and videos all the time, and editing photos is as satisfying as taking them. The place for most people to edit is the iPhone Photos app: the interface is simple and there are many tools to get the exact look you want.
But the MacOS version of the Photos app has a useful feature that enhances editing on the iPhone: the ability to copy and paste edits between photos. This is especially useful when taking multiple photos in one place, such as a restaurant or party. Because all photos were taken with the same lighting and conditions, you can only edit one photo and then copy and paste these settings into the others.
You can copy and paste photo edits from one photo to another using the Mac Photos app.
Patrick Holland / CNET
Instead, in iOS 15, you can make these adjustments one by one for each iPhone photo. It’s tedious.
In iOS 16, it would be great to see a similar copy and paste feature on the iPhone. We would add additional points to iOS 16 if the changes you made to the Photos app on your Mac could be applied to the Photos app on your iPhone, and vice versa. But one step at a time.
The Apple Watch has an always-on screen that can display important information and save battery power.
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An always-on lock screen for iPhone
Imagine you can look at your iPhone when the screen is off to see the time, notifications, and missed calls. This feature has been available on Android phones for years, where only important information is lit and otherwise the screen is black. It is called a screen always in sight. Apple offers an always-on display option for the Apple Watch Series 5 and later, but is still absent from the iPhone.
But Apple could change that soon with iOS 16, which is said to provide future support for ever-active display functionality, according to Bloomberg. The update would allow the iPhone to decrease the lock screen refresh rate to show snippets of information, but the Bloomberg report indicates that this feature may be unique to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
Brings iPad split screen view to iPhone Pro Max models
The iPhone Pro Max has been part of Apple’s line since 2019. The 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch screen, while the 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max have a 6.7-inch screen. which allows you to watch videos, play and read articles. an absolute delight.
But these big screens feel wasted when it comes to software. Some iOS apps like Mail and Messages can take advantage of this extra screen space in landscape mode to display a column of message previews next to the currently open message. But otherwise, there’s not much more to iOS that takes advantage of these larger screens.
Split View debuted on the iPad with iOS 9.
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Apple could bring some iPad features to iOS 16 only for Pro Max models, especially its split-screen multitasking view. It would be wonderful to have Safari open on one side of the phone screen and then launch Messages on the other.
Read more: iOS 15 could make the iPhone 12 Pro more Pro
Apple Pencil compatibility for iPhone Pro Max models
The big screen of iPhone Pro Max models calls for Apple Pencil support. Samsung has shown that there is a significant audience for a pencil phone through its Galaxy Note and S Ultra devices. Heck, there are even $ 300 phones like the Moto G Stylus that support one.
The Apple Pencil is compatible with the iPad Mini, Air and Pro. We’d like Apple to add support for iPhone Pro Max models.
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The second-generation Apple Pencil is an excellent pencil that currently works with the iPad Mini, Air and Pro models. But imagine being able to use it on the iPhone 13 Pro Max and its 120 Hz screen for drawing and taking notes. Even better, what about an Apple Pencil Mini (think the size of a golf pencil) that can be attached to the iPhone Pro Max? Technology journalists can dream, right?
IPhone widgets need more functionality
When the home screen widgets arrived on the iPhone with iOS 14, many of us were overjoyed. Apple’s widget implementation is clean, and even Samsung has begun to emulate them. Widgets fit like a grid anywhere on the Home screen. But there’s a wrinkle: the home screen widgets are passive. Apart from the viewable information or smart stacks of widgets, the most functionality they offer is the ability to open their corresponding application.
With iOS 14, Apple brought widgets to the home screen. iOS 16 could add more features.
Jason Cipriani / CNET
For example, the Apple Music widget shows the song that is currently playing. Touching the widget takes me to the Apple Music app. But what if you could play the widget to move on to the next song? What if you could slide the time widget to change location? We hope that iOS 16 will offer more features to the home screen widgets.
We won’t know for sure until Apple announces iOS 16. But Bloomberg says the company could introduce new lock screen options that have a widget-like functionality in iOS 16. It may not be exactly what we’re asking for, but the Bloomberg report suggests Apple may be planning some improvements to widgets in iOS 16.
We place the applications where we want
In recent years, Apple has improved the home screen with new features such as widgets and the application library. You can have multiple application pages and even include the same application on different home screen pages (which is important if you are an advanced user of Focus mode).
The app library is one of the few ways Apple has improved the iPhone’s home screen. Hopefully in iOS 16 we can move apps anywhere we want on the screen.
Patrick Holland / CNET
But when it comes to rearranging app icons on the app page, nothing has changed. The apps are attached to the invisible software magnet at the top left of the screen. So if you only want to keep a couple of apps on a specific home screen page, those apps start filling the screen from the top left. You cannot place them at the bottom of the screen without first filling in the top of the page.
Apple, give us the freedom to move apps wherever we want. This would be a great help to make applications easier to reach with one hand without using Reachability. Plus, if you have a home screen wallpaper you like, you can organize apps so you can see your photo better.
More default application options
You can currently configure the default browser application and …