iOS 16: Every Major New Feature Apple Revealed at WWDC
Apple showed off its upcoming iPhone software at its developer conference Monday.
iOS 16, Apple's next major iPhone operating system, made a big splash at WWDC 2022, Apple's annual developer conference. With iOS 16 you'll be able to edit messages you already sent in the Messages app, and you get new tools to personalize your iPhone with like the ability to customize the way your lock screen looks and new privacy features for those in abusive relationships. All these add up to an iOS that on paper feels fresh and contemporary. iOS 16 will likely be released this September alongside the heavily rumored iPhone 14 and will be available for the iPhone 8 and later.
Apple's iOS 16 preview was filmed ahead of time and streamed online and for a small audience outdoors on the lawn at Apple Park, the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California. The WWDC keynote followed on the heels of the May 16 release of iOS 15.5 which included updates to Apple Cash, Photos Memories and the Podcasts app. Apple also recently launched a developer beta for iOS 15.6, which at this time lacks any major new features and seems mainly about fixing bugs.
iOS 16 lets you edit and 'unsend' messages
"Embarrassing typos are a thing of the past," said Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi as he introduced three of the most requested features for the Messages app.
First, in iOS 16 you'll be able to edit sent messages. So if you notice a typo after a message, you'll be able to edit the message after the fact. A tiny "edited" appears in the status under the message.
Next -- and this might be my favorite new Messages feature -- you can immediately recall a sent message. If you accidentally sent an unfinished message, you can use the Undo Send tool to prevent it from being read and hopefully look less chaotic to your friends and family.
Lastly, you can mark messages and threads as unread. This could be an excellent tool for when you don't have time to respond to a message in the moment, but want to make sure you come back to it later.
Your iPhone gets a new customizable lock screen
One of the things you look at the most on your iPhone is the lock screen, especially if you have a Face ID-equipped iPhone. iOS 16 brings the most substantial update to the iPhone's lock screen yet. Press and hold to edit your lock screen: You can swipe to try out the several different styles. Each style changes the color filter for the background photo and the font on the lock screen so everything compliments each other. This feels a bit like Apple's take on Google's Material You which launched with Android 12.
You can also customize the fonts for the time and date to your liking, and add lock screen widgets like temperature, activity rings and a calendar. The widgets are akin to complications on the Apple Watch lock screen.
You can even set up multiple customized lock screens with different widgets and easily swipe to switch between them. There's even a photo-shuffle option that automatically changes the pictures on your lock screen.
One feature we hoped to see Apple add was an always-on display. It's something nearly all Android phones have; even the Apple Watch does. I guess there's hope it'll come out with the iPhone 14.
Notifications and live activities
Sometimes notifications can cover up your lock screen's photo, so iOS 16 moves notifications to the bottom of your display. As you receive them instead of being complied into a list they appear like a vertical carousel. This not only looks better but should be a big help for one-handed use of your iPhone.
iOS 16 also aims to solve another notification problem. Sometimes you get a bunch of notifications in a row from one app, like as the score of a basketball game updates. A new tool for developers called Live Activities makes it easier to stay on top of things happening in real time from your lock screen, instead of getting a series of interruptions.
Live Activities should make it easier to follow sporting events, workouts or even the progress of an Uber ride.
Wallet and Apple Pay Later
ID cards from more states 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. So rather than showing your exact birth date, the Wallet app will display your ID and that you're over 21.
iOS 16 makes sharing keys easier with apps like Mail and Messages. When your friend receives the key, they can add it to the Wallet app on their iPhone. Apple said it's working to make sure that shared keys are an industry standard and free for others.
Apple Pay will support new types of payments and adds 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 spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. 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 lets merchants deliver detailed receipts and tracking information. This should make it easier to stay up to date on the status of all your orders.
Visual Lookup's tap and drag for photos
In iOS 15, Visual Look Up analyzes your photos and can identify objects like plants, landmarks and pets. iOS 16 takes this to the next level. When you touch a photo's subject like the dog in the image above, you can lift it away from the background and add it to apps like Messages. Essentially it's a tap and hold tool that removes a photo's background.
Apple sometimes overuses the word "magic," but this feature truly seems like it.
2022-06-07 01:28:31
