Apple Unveiled iOS 16 and Here’s Everything We Know About It

With a bold tagline – Personal is Powerful; Apple unveiled the much-awaited iOS 16 on June 6th at the WWDC 2022. This massive iOS upgrade uses personalization as a key to enhancing the entire layout. From reimagining the lock screen to introducing secure sign-in ways, Apple has thought of everything iPhone users have been wanting for so long.

In the iPhone 14 Pro accidental leaks and rumors, Mark Gurman – a tech reporter for Bloomberg, hinted at Apple introducing new ways to communicate and share in iOS 16. With Apple’s preview of iOS 16 on June 6th, 2022, these rumors have become a reality. With the new software update, users can enjoy numerous upgrades to their beloved iPhones. The biggest transformation is introduced in the all-new Lock Screen, allowing iPhone users to experience more personalization. Besides the Lock Screen, users can now edit or unsend messages, have an iCloud Shared Photo Library for family, schedule mail, get enhanced security, and access numerous other features.

Here we have shared everything we know about the all-new iOS 16 and what this software update means for iPhone users.

Reimagined Lock Screens

For a more personalized experience, Apple entirely redesigned the Lock Screen in iOS 16. Apple added a new multilayered effect that allows photo subjects to be artfully placed in front of the time. It also allows changing the look of the time and date with multiple fonts and colors. The iPhone users have waited a long time for this feature to be introduced, while they used Apple’s conventional typeface for date and time.

Another valuable addition to the Lock Screen is widgets. These little tools of functionality make it easy to access important information, like battery levels, upcoming events, alarms, weather, and a lot more. You can get widgets from your favorite third-party apps and display them near the time in textual, rectangular, or circular format.

Live Activities is another new feature to help you stay on top of things by following them in real-time. It means you can track your food-delivery order or follow an ongoing sports game right from your iPhone’s Lock Screen.

Apple also brought improvements to Lock Screen notifications. In iOS 16, you can roll up notifications from the bottom instead of the top. Notifications also use bold text and images, and you can view them in a stacked view, expanded view, or count view.

Streamline Work and Play with Focus

In iOS 16, Focus is easier to set up and more powerful. You can now connect it to the Lock Screen, use different wallpapers for different Focus modes, and add suitable widgets to each mode.

Users can activate a Focus, like Personal Focus or Work Focus, by swiping to the corresponding Lock Screen. Each Focus mode shows relevant content, like Mail, Messages, and Calendar, on the Lock Screen. This practice improves balance and enhances productivity by canceling irrelevant notifications.

By using Focus, you can filter out distracting content in everyday apps to be more productive. You can choose the people and apps you would like to receive or block notifications from in a particular Focus mode.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

The all-new version of iOS 16 brings an exciting, new way to share photos with the family. The iCloud Shared Photo Library is designed to serve as the one place for all the family photos. To use this feature, the iPhone users can set up a separate iCloud library in which up to six iPhone users can contribute, share, and view photos.

Users can share existing images from their libraries to the shared library or send the new ones with a single new toggle in the Camera app. In iOS 16, users will also get intelligent suggestions to share photos, including participants of the Shared Photo Library.

The shared library offers more seamless family sharing of photos. All collaborators of the Shared Photo Library can add, edit, favorite, or delete the shared videos and pictures.

Enhanced Messaging Features

Another welcome update in iOS 16 is in the messaging apps. In the iPhone 14 Pro, users will be able to edit or recall recently sent messages within 15 minutes of sending. This update also allows users to recover recently deleted messages, and they can also mark conversations as unread to come back to them at a more suitable time to respond. None of these features were available in the iOS 15 or iPhone 13 series in Messages.

Apple is also set to introduce SharePlay in Messages. This feature will allow users to sync content like movies and songs within the messaging app while chatting and with shared playback controls.

What’s New in the Mail?

With the iOS 16 update, users can schedule emails ahead of time. They can also cancel the delivery of an email before it reaches a recipient’s inbox. The improved Mail offers a solution to an everyday problem of most users: forgetting to add the attachment. It can now detect if users forget to include essential parts of a mail and notify them before they hit send.

Another excellent improvement in the Mail app is the Remind Later and Follow Up features. These two features remind users to follow up on a particular email if they haven’t received any response after a few days.

Apple also overhauled the search in Mail, improving it to deliver more accurate and relevant results. Now, when users search for emails, they will see recent emails, documents, links, and contacts.

Live Text and Visual Look Up Enhancements

Apple has improved two of the most interactive features of iOS in this software update. These features are Live Text and Visual Look Up.

The Live Text feature recognizes text in images across iOS, using the on-device intelligence. This feature is being expanded to include videos in iOS 16. Now, users can pause videos on any frame to interact with the text. Users can also quickly translate text, convert currency, and do much more with Live Text.

Like Live Text, Visual Look Up is another intelligent feature that takes photos one step further. With this feature, users can place the subject of an image in apps like Messages. They can do so by tapping and holding on to the subject to lift it from the background. In iOS 16, Visual Look Up can recognize a variety of new insects, birds, and statues.

Tweaks in the Apple Wallet 

The iPhone users can also expect a few additions to the Apple Wallet in iOS 16, such as Apple Pay Later and Order Tracking.

With Apple Pay Later, US citizens can securely split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase. It allows users to pay the total cost in four equal installments spread over six weeks with zero interest and no fee. Since Apple Pay Later is integrated into Apple Wallet, it is easier to keep track of payments.

Another addition to Apple Wallet is the Apple Pay Order Tracking. It means users can receive detailed receipts and tracking information in the Wallet app for all their Apple Pay purchases. However, this feature currently only works for the participating merchants.

The iOS 16 upgrade also expanded support for Keys and IDs in Apple Wallet. Now, users can use their ID in Wallet for apps that require age verification. Only the necessary information is shared with the app to ensure user privacy and security. Users have to consent to share the information using Touch ID or Face ID.

Taking CarPlay to the Next Level

While CarPlay has already transformed the way people interact with their vehicles, the next generation of CarPlay will enhance this experience tenfold. With iOS 16, CarPlay will go beyond basic and integrate with the vehicle’s hardware. CarPlay will create a consistent and unified experience by integrating with the vehicle’s hardware. It will provide content for multiple screens within the car.

On deeper integration, users can control various features, like the radio, directly through CarPlay. CarPlay can also change the car’s speed, temperature, and fuel levels using the vehicle’s data.

Users can further personalize their driving experience by picking out a favorite gauge cluster design. They can also have at-a-glance information about Weather and Music on their car’s dashboard with added widgets.

Final Thoughts

Apple has always brought unique updates with every new iOS version. But the iOS 16 update is a massive leap to the future of technology after a long time. With this update, Apple reimagined the future of smartphones and what iPhones are going to be in the future. From completely revamping the Lock Screen to adding minor tweaks to nearly every app, Apple hasn’t disappointed. While users had long been waiting for some of these updates, like being able to change the date and time fonts and colors, Apple delivered with a touch of extravagance in every aspect.