Apple released iOS 16 for iPhones on September 12, 20:22, following the June 6 WWDC keynote announcement of its major annual operating system update and months of beta testing. IOS beta is the most significant OS update since the iPhone is Apple’s largest and most important platform and its consumers’ preferred operating system.
After iOS 15 was well received in 2021, several new features were anticipated to be included, and iOS 16 beta did not disappoint. In this post, we reveal all there is to know about iOS 16 and how it will change how you use your iPhone. Apple continues to work on iOS 16 beta, we talk about new features, changes to the interface, the expected release date, and how to get beta versions of the new software.
Update 10/04: Apple has made available iOS 16.1’s fourth developer beta.
iOS 16 is the most recent release
On September 12, Apple launched iOS 16 beta (build number 20A357), watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 following months of beta testing. You may download it right now if you have an iPhone that is compatible (see list below). However, iOS 16 is no longer the iPhone operating system that is the most recent. The current version of iOS is 16.0.2 as of September 22.
It includes a fix for a camera shake issue that iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max users were encountering, as well as a fix for a bug that numerous iOS 16 beta users were encountering: a new prompt to allow an app to paste from the clipboard was appearing with each attempt to paste, rather than just the first time. The update also resolves the following problems: During device setup, the display could look entirely black; after a reboot, VoiceOver might not work; and on some iPhones, touch input might become unresponsive.
You can also get a special update if you own an iPhone 14-series device: According to Apple’s support page, iOS 16.0.1 (build number 20A371) fixed a problem with activation and migration during setup that only affected iMessage and FaceTime.
The iOS 16.0.1 update, according to Apple’s release notes, fixes the following problems:
- Receiving FaceTime calls or messages is impossible.
- Green appears in place of blue when a message is sent to another iOS device.
- Conversations in messages are shown in two distinct threads rather than one.
- Instead of your phone number, your email address is displayed as the sender of messages.
Other iPhones won’t display that the update is available in Software Update because it is particular to the iPhone 14 model. For everyone else, Apple will allegedly provide an update to iOS 16 during the week of September 26. Should you immediately update? You can find the solution to that query in our guide. Also take notice that an update later this year will provide some of the iOS 16 features that were promised.
IOS 16 beta: Most Recent Beta Release
Following the release of iOS 16 beta, Apple began developing iOS 16.1, the following significant update. The initial release of iOS 16 beta on Apple’s tablets will be iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1. You may sign up for Apple’s Beta Software Program if you wish to test the beta. A week after beta 3 came on September 27 for the public beta, iOS 16.1 beta version 4 was made available to developers on October 4.
The following are features of the iOS 16.1 beta:
- The new iOS 16 beta feature, battery percentage, may soon be available on additional devices, including the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini.
- The possibility of deleting the Wallet app (in response to antitrust concerns in the European Union).
- By charging your iPhone when lower-emission power is available, Apple will attempt to lessen your carbon footprint.
Live Activities: Developers may use the Live Activities API.
After a long-press on the lock screen, customized choices are displayed. Matter smart home accessories use assistive technology for Matter. Adaptive Transparency showed up in the iOS 16.1 beta and was said to be coming to the first generation of AirPods Pro.
Adaptive Transparency for the original AirPods Pro in iOS 16.1 looks to be a problem, though. Some iPhone 14 Pro users who updated to iOS 16.1 beta have said that their GPS isn’t working right.
Finding the most recent version of iOS
Learn how to install iOS 16 or any operating system update by reading this.
The gist is this:
- Launch Settings
- Press General.
- Select “Software Update.”
You may install the update by following the instructions after finding it there. On your iPhone’s software update page, you can find iOS 15.7 available for installation and wonder where iOS 16 is. You can scroll down below the information about iOS 15.7 and select the option to update to iOS 16 if you don’t want to install iOS 15.7 first.
Compatibility
Which Apple devices support iOS 16 installation? Anyone with an iPhone 8 or later will be able to run iOS 16; this includes models from the previous five years. Although that is the headline, keep in mind that older devices could not receive the full benefits of iOS 16. Apple warns that some features, like the new accessibility feature Live Captions, are only available on iPhones 11 and later. Other features, like Door Detection and People Detection, require a LiDAR scanner, which is only available on iPhones 12 Pro and later.
It’s a significant improvement over the previous year. Apple said at WWDC 2021 that iOS 15 would function on very ancient devices like the iPhone 6s (2015) and original SE (2016). They are both no longer listed as supported, and the iPhone 7 is also no longer available. It might be time to upgrade your iPhone if you own one of these models.
iOS 16: New features
IOS 16 is a significant update. Although it doesn’t completely alter your iPhone, it is packed with interesting new features, such as these five fantastic iOS 16 innovations that will alter how you use your device. Continue reading to learn more about the new features that, if installed, will make your outdated iPhone seem brand new:
Screen Lock
With widgets for monitoring the weather, your activity rings, or any other information you require quick access to, the iOS 16 Lock Screen is highly customizable (changing colours and fonts, for example). Additionally, it will be possible to create many lock screens, each with its own wallpaper and widgets, and quickly switch between them, much like the faces on the Apple Watch.
Battery-life indicator
Although it may seem unimportant, many iPhone owners were quite irritated when the useful battery percentage indicator vanished from the top of their smartphones’ screens in 2017. (The iPhone X’s notch, of course, was to blame.) These users will be happy to know that, although it will only be available on a few devices, the battery percentage indicator is returning in iOS 16. This function is not available on the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 mini, or iPhone 13 mini.
Notifications
They now roll in from the bottom of the screen, which seems like a more reasonable approach to show them. This is a change to how they previously appeared.
Focus
Focus modes may now be linked to your preferred lock screen, widgets, and notification settings. Apple recommends a “data-rich Lock Screen” when using the Work Focus, but a “picture Lock Screen” when using the Personal Focus. Swiping to a certain lock screen will activate the associated focus mode. Additionally, Focus Filters are now available. For instance, if you’re in work focus mode, you may opt to view only the Safari tabs related to a project you’re working on or to filter out pointless communications in Messages and Mail.
Dictation
Improved Dictation lets you type and edit text with your voice and the keyboard at the same time. As you dictate and add emoji with your voice, commas, periods, and question marks will be added automatically.
Audio assistance
The TrueDepth camera on the iPhone is used by the new Personalized Spatial Audio feature for AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), and AirPods Max to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio. This makes listening more accurate and immersive.
Kinesthetic keyboard
The iPhone keyboards will (finally) offer haptic feedback as you text in iOS 16. When you touch a key on the keyboard, the keyboard haptics will use the Taptic Engine to provide a little “tick” sensation.
Siri
With the new Easy Shortcuts setup, you can use Siri to perform shortcuts as soon as you download an app without having to complete any upfront setup. Additionally, you’ll be able to send texts without Siri requesting your confirmation. Users will be able to learn about Siri’s capabilities in iOS and applications by using the new “Hey Siri, what can I do here?” command. Additionally, you may stop calls by telling Siri to “Hang up.”
Search
Spotlight can now be accessible right from the Home Screen’s bottom thanks to Search on the Home Screen, making it simple to launch applications, look for contacts, or surf the web for data.
Alterations to applications
The integrated Apple applications will undergo a lot of modifications as normal, including:
Messages
Apple revealed three significant updates to Messages. After a message has been sent, it can be edited, resent, and any topic can be marked as unread. Significantly, there are many other aesthetic components for personalizing your Memoji, such as various stances, haircuts, headgear, and nose forms.
Scheduled sends and, briefly, the capability to recall transmitted messages are new features here. In addition to the new Remind Later and Follow Up tools for nagging the user when they or a recipient have not reacted to an email, Mail should identify and notify users of forgotten attachments.
Maps
With the new multi-stop routing feature, up to fifteen stops may now be added to your driving route in Maps with the new multi-stop routing feature. When you add transport cards to Wallet, you can check low balances and reload transit cards without ever leaving Maps. Additionally, transportation rates in the San Francisco Bay Area, London, New York, and San Diego display the cost of your trip.
Safari
Shared Tab Groups in Safari enable you to collaborate on a group of tabs while seeing the Tab Group update immediately. Each Tab Group’s start page may be personalised with a unique background picture and favourite tabs. Using pinned tabs in Tab Groups, you can save websites you visit often for each Tab Group. With Safari’s web page translation feature, you can now translate pages written in Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Polish, Indonesian, and Dutch.
FaceTime
The “handoff” feature of FaceTime lets you move calls between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac without any breaks.
Memoji
More sticker positions, hairdos, headgear, noses, and lip colours will be added to Memoji.
Quick Note
With Quick Note, you can take notes in any app on your iPhone and include links to quickly discover material and provide context.
Home
The Home tab combines all of your scenes, rooms, and accessories into one page for a whole-house view, allowing you to quickly scan your entire house. You can quickly access all of the necessary accessories arranged by room using the lighting, temperature, security, speakers, TVs, and water categories.These categories also provide more extensive status information. Throughout the Home tab, a new camera view shows up to four cameras up front; scroll to see any more camera views in your house.
Photos
Duplicate detection helps you find duplicate photos in Photos so you can organise your collection more easily. Additionally, the Foreground Blur feature in Camera will blur the foreground objects to create a depth-of-field appearance that seems more natural (iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max).
Translate
Using the camera in the Translate app, you can translate any nearby text.
Reminders
You can go to your favourite lists fast with the aid of pinned lists.
Wallet
gets in-app ID verification, a useful feature if, for example, you need to show someone that you are over 21 but don’t want to give any personal information. Wallet can now send digital keys to Messages, Mail, or WhatsApp.
Google Pay
Apple Pay Later, a method of paying in four equal instalments over the course of six weeks that is initially only available in the United States, and Apple Pay Order Tracking are two new initiatives announced by the company today (which provide receipts and order tracking information in Wallet for Apple Pay purchases).
Health
A new medication function will help you keep track of your prescription drugs, vitamins, and dietary supplements by letting you make a list, create personalised schedules and reminders, and then look at logs over time. You may use the camera on your iPhone to add drugs (iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later).
When you add a new drug, interaction alerts will let you know if there is a potentially dangerous interaction. If your reported menstrual cycles show a pattern of irregular, long, or chronic spotting, you will get reminders about cycle changes. Family members will be able to quickly and securely share their health data with you, and you will be able to share information with them.
News
You can quickly follow your preferred teams and leagues with My Sports, and you can view highlights directly in the News app. The channels and subjects you read about the most will be easily accessible to you at the top of your Today feed thanks to Favorites. A graphically improved main page with subject feeds for regional news sources, sports teams, and leagues will be easier to explore.
Improve security and privacy
As usual, Apple is making a number of changes to improve security and privacy. These changes include:
Passkey
Passkeys facilitate the replacement of passwords with a simpler, more secure sign-in process. Passkey synchronisation with iCloud Keychain will keep your passkeys end-to-end secure and make them accessible across all of your Apple devices.
Improved kid account creation will make it simpler to set up an account for a child with the proper parental controls, such as media age limitations. Using Quick Start, you may quickly set up a new iOS or iPadOS device for your child using the parental controls you’ve chosen. Requests for screen time in messages will make it simpler for you to accept or reject requests from your youngsters.
Family Checklist will also give you tips and suggestions, like changing a child’s parental control settings, turning on location sharing, or just reminding you to let everyone know about your iCloud+ membership.
Security Check
This crucial privacy feature enables you to keep track of who has access to your permissions and simply withdraw them. It was created to help those who are dealing with domestic abuse or other similar problems. It may be used to reset the privacy settings for system apps and to limit messages and FaceTime to the device you’re using right now.
Users will be able to rapidly take action to reset access across all users and applications, including turning off Find My Location sharing, resetting app privacy permissions, and more.
Future versions of iOS 16 will include future versions.
Some anticipated improvements and new features won’t be included in the initial release, although they might still show up later in the year. For instance,
Photo library on iCloud
This is obviously promising, and Apple calls it “the finest way to share images with your family.” When you set up a shared library, everyone can see the same photos, along with changes, descriptions, and keywords. The clever automation you can use to share images depending on when they were taken, who is in them, or who is around right now could, however, be the most intriguing component. The bad news is that iCloud Shared Photo Library will be added in a later software update and has been deleted from the first iOS 16 release.
Live Activities
Live Activities are a brand-new way to track sporting events, Uber trips, exercises, and other activities from the Lock Screen.They can be compared to persistent alerts that are dynamically updated by the connected apps, although they won’t be available in the first iOPS 16 public release. Later this year, the functionality will be accessible.
Game Center
SharePlay will soon be supported by Game Center, allowing you to immediately begin playing a game while in a FaceTime conversation, although not immediately. Later this fall, an update to iOS 16 will include this capability.
Freeform
The iPadOS 16 presentation at WWDC featured this new whiteboarding and collaboration tool, but it was always a longer-term project because Freeform was always advertised as “coming later this year.” Freeform’s release date is uncertain because iPadOS 16’s delayed debut means that it might happen as late as 2023.
Issue support
Support for Matter is one of the updates coming to Apple’s Home app in iOS 16. Matter is a new and desperately needed smart-home interoperability standard that includes, among others, Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home. Although Apple is still one of the early adopters, we now know that Matter support won’t come until later this year for all the devices to ship with Matter certification.
