As expected, Apple’s WWDC has brought with it iOS 16, the new operating system for iPhone. However, is it so different from iOS 15?
Next, we compare iOS 15 with iOS 16. We also tell you what are the new features that should make iOS 16 a good update.
lock screen
While iOS 15 did a good job of improving the look and feel of the system, it didn’t give the home screen much prominence. This has now changed in iOS 16 thanks to the revamped lock screen.
With this function you can customize how the information appears on the screen. Photos can be placed in front of the time and date, making the aesthetic more 3D than before, and certainly better than any other type of aesthetic you can find on Android right now. You can also choose from various fonts and color schemes to adjust images and text to your preferred look.
In addition to the classic time and date that you would find in iOS 15, the new version will also allow you to add widgets such as a calendar to see upcoming appointments, Activity to see how close you are to meeting your daily goals and weather apps so you don’t get caught in the rain. They are based on the widgets Apple Watch and they look impressive, for the little time we’ve had to see them in action.
Building on the Focus feature introduced in iOS 15, you can also set multiple lock screens that you can easily switch between. These will be linked to the Focus modes you’ve set up, so you can finish an afternoon’s work, swipe to the family lock screen, and activate all your Family Focus settings at the same time. Very well.
The widgets Live update feeds also let you stay on top of deliveries on the way, the latest match result or other useful information. Plus, when listening to music, you can now see full album art on the lock screen, above the playback controls.
Notifications
iOS 15 has begun the grand task of tidying up the iPhone’s notoriously complicated notification system, introducing the ability to mute conversations, have notifications delivered at preferred times, the addition of contact photos to instantly recognize who’s messaging you. , plus the Notification Summary feature that groups related alerts together and delivers them in the morning or evening or at another time you specify.
iOS 16 doesn’t change this too much. We’ve already mentioned being able to link the lock screen to your focus settings, but in the new update you’ll also notice that alerts slide up from the bottom of the screen so that lovely image you’ve carefully selected isn’t always left behind. hidden by notification boxes.
Messages
Some of the most useful updates to appear in iOS 16 are in the Messages app. First, you’ll be able to edit messages that have already been sent, allowing you to quickly correct a mistake before the recipient gets the wrong idea.
What if you shouldn’t have sent the message? Now you can delete it before the person sees its content. Lastly, you can mark a conversation in your inbox as unread, so you remember to look at it later.
iOS 15 introduced the Shared with you feature, which monitors your messages and automatically places any content sent by your friends – links to music, movies, interesting articles, etc. – in the corresponding application. So if a friend shared a song from a new album, it would be in the Shared With You section of Apple Music the next time you open it.
In iOS 16, Apple has taken this further by bringing the SharePlay feature, also introduced in iOS 15, which allows you and your friend to enjoy content simultaneously, and make it available directly in Messages.
This means you won’t have to open other apps to watch the movie or listen to the song with your friend. You can also continue chatting while the content is playing, all from a single app.
The Mail app can seem like a bit of an unwanted stepchild at times, as third-party offerings often boast a much larger set of tools for managing your messages.
iOS 15 introduced some privacy features that could hide your information from senders, such as your location, online activities, or even whether you’ve read the message. iOS 16 addresses this issue with some new features that should bridge the gap to the competition.
Scheduled emails will now be available in Mail, so you can set your important message to be sent at a certain time. In addition, you will receive a notice just before the message is sent, in case you want to change your mind and cancel it.
You can now have an email you’ve received return to the top of your inbox after a set amount of time, which should prevent you from forgetting about it if it arrives at a time when you’re busy.
Mail will also scan your messages to see if you’ve forgotten to include something important, like an attachment, and alert you before the message is sent. Not to mention that it will use its intelligence to draw your attention to any important emails that you have not yet received a response from and allow you to follow up.
maps
iOS 16 introduces a really great feature that has been missing from Apple’s navigation app: multi-pass routing. With it you can plan trips with up to 15 different stops along the way, all without having to put any additional information in Maps. Plus, it’s Mac-linked, so you can plan a vacation trip on your iMac or MacBook, sync it with your iPhone, and head out the door.
There are also new transit features that give users the expected cost of their trips, and iOS 16 adds transit cards to Wallet, which will track balances to remind you when to top up.
Shared photo library
Keeping photo libraries organized can be a real pain, especially when lots of people want access. Now, in iOS 16, Apple has created a unique new place where families (up to six people) can share photos and manage them together in iCloud Shared Photo Library.
They will be able to select from existing photos in their libraries, as well as make use of a new switch in the Camera app that will send photos directly to the library. All members of the group will be able to add, delete or edit the images, so you don’t have to take care of everything.
live text
One of the most impressive additions to iOS 15 is undoubtedly Live Text. This is a feature where you can point the camera at text (be it a menu or a sign) in a foreign language and your iPhone will translate it automatically. It also pulls text from photos so you can add it to notes or call the phone numbers that appear in the image.
Now iOS 16 also does it with videos. Simply pause the recording on the text in question so that the software can pull it out and translate it or copy the words to the clipboard.
visual search
A sister feature to Live Text that appears in iOS 15 is Visual Look Up, which helps identify certain things, such as landmarks, art, flowers, and dog breeds, by pointing the iPhone camera at them. The image is analyzed and the results are presented via Siri.
iOS 16 adds more themes, such as birds, bugs, and statues, and also introduces a new feature where you can long press on the theme and then lift it off the image. It’s like a Photoshop effect that allows you to share the cutout in messages, social media posts, or whatever. We don’t see the point of it, but it could be a lot of fun.
New Wallet Features in the US
US customers who want to spread payments for items over multiple weeks can make use of the Apple Pay Later feature in iOS 16. This allows you to order an item and then set up a six-week payment schedule. to pay it. Six weeks sounds a little weird to us (I’m sure most people charge monthly), but it’s meant to help people budget for purchases. You will also be able to track the delivery of those items in the Wallet app.
There’s also a new feature that can confirm your age without revealing your details to the caterer or waiter, plus the ability to share electronic keys to your car, hotel room, office, and more through Messages, Mail, and other apps, with the security provided by Wallet.
Apple went pretty crazy with iOS 16, adding a bunch of other features like improvements to CarPlay, Dictation, Kids Account Settings, Fitness, Home, accessibility, and more. You can read more about them in our guide to the main new features of iOS 16.
It should build on the great features introduced in iOS 15, bringing some much-needed additions to Mail, Messages, the lock screen and more. The public beta will be available in July so you can try it out before the full launch in September to accompany the new iPhone 14.
