iPhone updates get all the press attention and that is why the launch of iPhone 14 in September will be the most important moment of 2022 for Apple. But the updates that Apple makes to iOS, the software of iPhone, are equally important. And free.
Possibility to customize your locked screen, function to edit text messages, ways to select text also in video and a feature to make payments in installments: this and much more will also arrive in the fall when the company officially launches iOS 16.
This is how Apple has advanced during the key note opening of the WWDC 2022, which each year serves to learn about the news that the company’s various operating systems will introduce that year. This is everything you need to know about iOS 16, including its release date.
When will iOS 16 come out?
It was easy to predict that iOS 16 would not arrive right after Apple announced it during the key note inaugural of the WWDC, this June 6, 2022. That means that we will have to wait until the next fallwhen the iPhone 14 should also arrive.
Also as we had predicted, the first beta version of iOS 16 arrives this same June 6 for developers and developers. Instead, the first public beta will not arrive until July, although for now we do not know the exact date.
Which iPhones will be compatible with iOS 16?
We also already know which iPhones will be able to install iOS 16 once it comes into our lives. While in 2021, Apple surprised by announcing that iOS 15 could be installed with many older models (including the iPhone 6S), in 2022 the opposite was surprising.
iOS 16 can only be installed on iPhone 8 or later:
- iPhone SE (2022)
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 ProMax
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 ProMax
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11Pro
- iPhone 11 ProMax
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XSMax
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8Plus
To this list, we must add any iPhone that announces this 2022, surely the iPhone 14 in September.
The 10 most interesting new features coming to iOS 16
Millions of combinations in a new customizable lock screen
WWDC 2022 is off to a strong start, and Apple already warned us that we were about to see the biggest update in iPhone lock screen history. And so it has been: the company has reimagined the way it works and its design.
With iOS 16, users of compatible iPhones will be able to personalize it like never before, changing the font and color and using filters to make everything match the photo. Just long press an element and use the editor to customize it.
As the rumors advanced, they can also be added finally widgets on the locked screen. From a widget from the temperature to your Apple Watch rings, as well as the calendar: you will find all this and more in the gallery of widgets.
Notifications change places and you can follow what is happening in real time
Continuing with the locked screen, Apple has heeded the complaints that have been made about notifications and has now changed the way they appear. Thus, so that they do not accumulate, with iOS 16 they will start appearing at the bottom.
On the other hand, the company has introduced “Live Activities”, which is nothing more than a function that allows you to be aware of what is happening in real time, be it the Uber, your fitness or the results of a football match.
The Messages app now allows you to edit messages (and that’s not all)
Apple has also announced new features in the Messages app. Surely the one that attracts the most attention is the possibility of editing a message that you have just sent and thus erase any misspelling that you are ashamed to have made.
Also, if you regret sending a message (and to whom has this never happened), now you can select the option to undo the action and thus delete that message as if you had never sent it.
One feature that I’m personally happy about is that it allows you to mark SMS or messages as ‘unread’ so that you can come back to them later. It’s a feature I use often in WhatsApp and it’s about time it came to Messages as well.
On the other hand, the option ‘Shared with you’ that Apple introduced last year has expanded its capabilities, since you can not only use it in FaceTime. With iOS 16, you can also share and watch series and movies with your friends through Messages.
If you’ve ever used the ‘Dictation’ feature, you’ll be interested to know that it’s now much easier to use your voice to type and then switch to using your fingers to type. The keyboard will always appear while you dictate and you can also select a part of the text with your fingers and rewrite it using your voice.
Live Text now works on video too
From now on, you will be able to pause a video and interact with the frame using the ‘Live Text’ feature. Also, on any photo, you will have access to quick actions to, for example, convert currencies or translate text into another language.
There are also new features in ‘Visual Search’, since you can touch the element of a photo, press and hold and drag it to another app, such as Messages, and send it as if it were a sticker.
More concentration when using (or not using) your iPhone
In iOS 16, the ‘Focus’ feature should be even easier to use. It also brings new possibilities to make it easier for you to concentrate while you work, for example, because your locked screen will also adapt to that mode.
Using the new filters, apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari will automatically adjust to show only relevant content based on the Focus mode you’ve selected.
‘En familia’ now keeps the family even closer
In addition to introducing new ways to create and manage child accounts on Apple One and adding the ability to set parental controls from within Messages, Apple has created a better way to share photos with family.
It is a new shared photo library in iCloud, with which family members can choose if they want to share all the photos in their folder, just some or only those in which the whole family appears.
You can also choose directly in the Camera app if you want the photo you are taking to be shared in the common folder or if you only want to save it in your personal gallery.
Apple still wants to protect our privacy
The company has introduced a new feature called ‘Safety Check’. It is a privacy tool intended for those people who fear for their safety, especially when escaping from an abusive relationship.
It is common for couples to share passwords and give each other permission to access each other’s accounts. With ‘Safety Check’, you can remove all those permissions. You will be able to log out of all their devices and know which apps you gave them access to.
Apple Pay will allow you to pay in installments
Although it seems that for now it will only be available in the United States, one of the most surprising new features of iOS 16 is the ‘Apple Pay Later’ function, which is nothing more than the possibility of making installment payments.
Specifically, US users will be able to divide the cost into four equal payments spread over six weeks. In principle, all of this will have no extra cost or interest and can be used on any site that offers Apple Pay.
New maps reach more countries
Spain was already among the privileged countries to use the new maps of the Apple navigation app. Now, these reach 11 more countries, although for now there are no Latin American countries among them.
Another of the significant novelties of Maps is the possibility of planning a route with several stops. Specifically, you can plan up to 15 stops. You can also do it on your Mac and then send them to your iPhone when you leave home.
Customize spatial audio from your iPhone’s TrueDepth camera
The new personalized spatial audio will allow you to create a more precise, immersive experience to your liking. Specifically, Apple has advanced that you can use the TrueDepth camera of your iPhone to do so and thus create a personal and unique profile.
