The software that will power the next Apple iPhone has been revealed. Apple’s iOS 16 has been shown for the first time on stage during the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote presentation, ready for its public release later this year. It will come pre-installed on the iPhone 14, but will also be compatible with a variety of existing iPhone models including the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12.
New lock screen
Apple is revamping the lock screen in iOS 16, giving it a brand new look. Press and hold the screen to show an editor, which contains different pre-made styles to swipe through. These will include the ability to add filters, different backgrounds, and even add text. You can create different lock screens with photos taken from your gallery and swipe through them, plus opt for a full-screen weather view, or even an emoji lock screen.
Notifications have been enhanced on the lock screen and now come in from the bottom of the screen, so they don’t cover the photo. The Live Activities notifications make it easier to keep track of what’s happening in real time, showing small notifications at the bottom of the lock screen for things like Uber rides and activity tracking. Some can be expanded to show more details, including showing album art in the Music player.
Focus now applies to the home screen, where you can swipe between different modes without opening the mode on the phone, and lock screen images and widgets are automatically tied to your selected Focus mode too. New Focus Filters can be used to get rid of distracting content, such as only showing specific tab groups in Safari when in Work Focus mode.
Messages
There are three new features. Messages can be edited after being sent, and there’s a new undo send feature, along with the chance to mark messages as unread. There are new sharing features too. Shared With You highlights things shared in messages in the relevant apps, such as a photo in the Photos app when you open it later, ensuring you don’t miss anything.
Visual Look Up recognizes what’s in an image. Now, items recognized in an image can be lifted out and placed in another app, such as Messages. Think of it as a photo-specific copy and paste effect, with some special machine learning intelligence added in.
Share Play
Previously only available in FaceTime, Share Play now comes to Messages. When you find something you want to share and watch with a friend, it can be sent directly in Messages so videos can be watched together in the app.
Dictation
Dictation is also improved to make the switch between touch typing and voice more fluid. The keyboard now stays active even when dictating, so you can actively edit text as you go, but you select with the keyboard and re-dictate the word. It also adds in punctuation automatically.
Wallet
Apple is working with 11 additional states in the U.S. to add drivers licenses and ID cards to Apple Wallet, and the first TSA locations are already working in selected airports. Outside this, new features will include the ability to prove your age using Wallet for services like Uber Eats, and sharing digital keys will be possible through other apps including Mail, Messages, and WhatsApp. Apple is also working to integrate the digital key feature with devices other than the iPhone.
For Apple Pay, a new Pay Later feature will be introduced so you can spread the cost of an item over four payments with zero interest and no fees. It’ll be available everywhere Apple Pay is available. Orders paid for using Apple Pay can now be tracked, starting with Shopify and coming to other merchants soon.
Apple News
There’s a new Sports news experience with iOS 16. It lets you follow your favorite teams and leagues, all wrapped up in a new My Sports section. Here, scores, schedules, and standings are all displayed in one place. It will be available in the U.S., the U.K.,
Apple Maps
Apple’s mapping app gets multi-stop routing for up to 15 stops, and will then store those routes in the Recents view, so you can re-use them. Planning these routes can be planned on the Mac and then sent to the iPhone, and additional stops can be added to the route just using Siri. Additionally, the Transit section has new information on fares, and Apple Pay will be integrated to pay for them.
Because the event is still ongoing, we only have a few details about the new features inside iOS 16, but we will update here as all the information is confirmed. Make sure you check back soon to get all the latest news.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information is announced. In the meantime, you can take a look at what else Apple has announced at WWDC 2022 here, and also how to watch the event if you haven’t already started. Finally, you can see all the rumors that spread about iOS 16 before the big reveal here.
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