Posted on 09/12/2022 1:25:29 PM PDT by Red Badger
You can download the update on the iPhone 8 or newer today. Here are the 11 new features you'll want to try first.
The new OS is finally here after Apple Senior Vice President Craig Federighi announced it at WWDC 2022 in June. Apple
This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Apple's most popular product.
Apple's big fall software update is now available to download, bringing plenty of new features to most recent iPhone models.
Apple's new mobile operating system, iOS 16, is available for compatible iPhones on Monday. It's generally compatible with 2017's iPhone 8 and newer. The new iOS includes several upgrades focused on communication, personalization and privacy. Big changes are coming to the iPhone lock screen, Messages app and Wallet, but lesser-known features lurking in iOS 16 are worth checking out, too.
Here's every iOS 16 feature you should know about. Plus, check out the newly announced Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 14.
Apple event: Full coverage Everything Apple Announced: iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8 and More iPhone 14 and 14 Plus Start at $799 Featuring Camera Updates Apple's New AirPods Pro 2 Get Better Noise Canceling iPhone 14 Pro, Pro Max Get New Notch with Dynamic Island Feature Apple Watch Series 8 Unveiled The ability to edit and 'unsend' messages "Embarrassing typos are a thing of the past," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said at WWDC as he introduced three of the most requested features for the Messages app.
First, in iOS 16 you'll be able to edit sent messages. So if you notice a typo after a message, you'll be able to edit the message after the fact. A tiny "edited" appears in the status under the message.
A screenshot of the iOS 16 Messages app showing one that's been edited In Messages, you can edit previously sent messages.
Apple Next, and this might be my favorite new feature, you can immediately recall a sent message. If you accidentally send an unfinished message, you can use the Undo Send tool to prevent it from being read and hopefully look less chaotic to your friends and family.
Last, you can mark messages and threads as unread. This could be an excellent tool for when you don't have time to respond to a message in the moment, but want to make sure you come back to it later.
Now playing: Testing iOS 16 (Edit/Delete Sent Messages, New Lock Screen... 16:22 A new customizable lock screen One of the things you look at the most on your iPhone is the lock screen, especially if you have a Face ID-equipped iPhone. iOS 16 brings the most substantial update to the iPhone's lock screen yet. Press and hold to edit your lock screen. You can swipe to try out several different styles. Each style changes the color filter for the background photo and the font on the lock screen so everything complements each other. This feels a bit like Apple's take on Google's Material You, which launched with Android 12.
You can also customize the fonts for the time and date, and add lock screen widgets like temperature, activity rings and a calendar. The widgets are akin to complications on the Apple Watch lock screen.
Your iPhone will become more customizable in iOS 16. You'll be able to choose how your lock screen looks, down to the font and color.
Apple
You can even set up multiple customized lock screens with different widgets and easily swipe to switch between them. There's also a photo shuffle option that automatically changes the pictures on your lock screen.
One feature we'd been hoping to see Apple add was an always-on display. It's something nearly all Android phones have; even the Apple Watch does. Well, with the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the always-on display has finally arrived.
A screenshot of the Live Activities tool on the bottom of the lock screen iOS 16 adds a feature that developers can use called Live Activities. This is essentially a mini view of the real-time progress of a workout, sporting event or Uber ride from your iPhone's lock screen.
Apple
Notifications and live activities
Sometimes notifications can cover up your lock screen's photo, so iOS 16 moves notifications to the bottom of your display. As you receive them, instead of being compiled into a list, they appear like a vertical carousel. This not only looks better but should be a big help for one-handed use of your iPhone.
iOS 16 also aims to solve another notification problem. Sometimes you get a bunch of notifications in a row from one app, like the score of a basketball game. A new tool for developers called Live Activities makes it easier to stay on top of things happening in real time from your lock screen, instead of getting a series of interruptions.
Live Activities should make it easier to follow sporting events, workouts or even the progress of an Uber ride.
Skip CAPTCHAs using Private Access Tokens
The CAPTCHA -- which stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart -- has been a necessary evil across the internet. CAPTCHAs are designed to make sure that a person is accessing a website or service, and not a bot. I find them annoying, as they often involve reading strangely written letters or having to find all the images that have a truck. With iOS 16, Apple plans to start replacing these awkward interactions with Private Access Tokens.
According to a video on Apple's website demonstrating Private Access Tokens, websites that support the token will essentially log in and authenticate that you are indeed a human without your having to play any of the usual CAPTCHA games. Apple says in the video that the company is working with other companies to roll out support for this feature, so we can't say the CAPTCHA will be dead after iOS 16 rolls out to the public. But the concept could provide some relief if it gets adopted.
Wallet and Apple Pay Later
ID cards from more states will be available in your Wallet app along with more security and privacy features. In iOS 16 you can also protect your identity and age. So rather than showing your exact birth date, the Wallet app will display your ID and that you're over 21.
iOS 16 makes sharing keys easier with apps like Mail and Messages. When your friend receives the key, they can add it to the Wallet app on their iPhone. Apple said it's working to make sure that shared keys are an industry standard and free for others.
A screenshot of cards in the Wallet app for iOS 16 The Wallet app in iOS 16 gets a bunch of small but notable updates, including the Apple Pay Later payment plan.
Apple
Apple Pay will support new types of payments and adds a new feature called Apple Pay Later, a Klarna-like service that lets you split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. Upcoming payments are managed through the Wallet app, making it easy to keep track of dates and payments.
But Apple Pay doesn't stop there. A new feature will also help you track Apple Pay orders and lets merchants deliver detailed receipts and tracking information. This should make it easier to stay up to date on the status of all your orders.
A screenshot of a thread in Messages where a cutout of a dog is added You can tap and hold on the subject of a photo and separate it from the background. Then you can drag it into another app like Messages to share it.
Apple
Visual Look Up's tap and drag for photos
In iOS 15, Visual Look Up analyzes your photos and can identify objects like plants, landmarks and pets. iOS 16 takes this to the next level. When you touch a photo's subject like the dog in the image above, you can lift it away from the background and add it to apps like Messages. Essentially it's a tap-and-hold tool that removes a photo's background.
Apple sometimes overuses the word "magic," but this feature truly seems like it.
Craig Federighi introduces SharePlay in Messages in front of a giant screen
During the keynote for WWDC, Apple executive Craig Federighi introduces SharePlay for the Messages app.
Apple
SharePlay comes to Messages
SharePlay, which debuted in iOS 15, lets you have a shared experience while connecting with someone over FaceTime. You can watch TV shows, listen to music in sync and other things. iOS 16 adds the ability to discover more apps that support SharePlay from within FaceTime.
But perhaps one of the coolest things Apple did for SharePlay was to make it work within the Messages app. Apple said that this was one of the biggest requests from app developers. Now when you want to share a movie on Disney Plus, you can start SharePlay together with a friend while chatting in Messages.
An Apple executive presents the Safety Check feature during the WWDC keynote Safety Check lets you quickly reset location sharing and access to passwords. It's intended to be helpful for people in abusive relationships.
Apple Safety Check aims to help people in abusive relationships Safety Check is a new feature intended to be helpful for people in abusive relationships. It lets you review and reset who has access to location information as well as passwords, messages and other apps on an iPhone.
Focus mode updates and Focus filters
Focus mode gets several updates. The first applies Focus behaviors to widgets and lock screen looks. So you could have one lock screen set for when your Work Focus is enabled and another for workouts.
Apple added specific Focus filters that apply your iPhone's Focus mode within apps. For example, in Safari, you can limit what tabs are shown depending on what Focus mode you have active.
See also
WWDC 2022 Recap: iOS 16 and Everything Else Apple Announced Apple M2 MacBook Air Hands-On: Bigger Screen, Higher Price iOS 16 Features iPhone Users Are Going to Love Most
Apple Maps adds transit fare cards
Maps will get several updates. You'll be able to plan trips with up to 15 different stops along the way. If you start planning a trip with the Maps app on your Mac, you'll be able to share that to your iPhone.
And in something similar to what Google announced for Google Wallet in Android 13, you'll be able to see transit fare estimates as well as add more money to a fare card from within Apple Maps.
Craig Federighi shows off the new Quick Start feature during the WWDC keynote In iOS 16 you'll be able to customize Quick Start with a specific child's iCloud parental controls and settings.
Apple
iCloud family checklist
iCloud gets several new features. One of the more interesting ones is the option to quickly set up a new device for your child. When Quick Start appears, you have the option to pick a user for the new device and use all the existing parental controls you've previously selected and configured. However, this is not what many of us still want: the ability to set up separate users for the same device.
There's a new family checklist with tips for updating settings for your kids as they get older, like a reminder to check location-sharing settings or share your iCloud Plus subscriptions.
For more, check out everything Apple announced at its Sept. 7 "Far Out" event. Plus, here's how to download iOS 16.
First published on June 6, 2022 at 10:06 a.m. PT.
Tech Ping!......................
Thanks for posting. New iPADs coming out next month. Time to trade mine in.
Every time Apple updates my phone it pulls the old Microsoft trick of turning things on that I want OFF, especially iCloud.
I am running off an old iPhone 7. Maybe I am through with updates. I wish my Linux Pine Phone was more useable than it is.
LOL - I tried to upgrade to iOS 16 but somehow accidentally managed to update to iOS 15.7 (the security update only). I should have paid closer attention to what I was doing. I bet there will be a number of others making the same mistake inadvertently.
iPhone 7 just got left behind with iOS16.
Apparently it would be too much to ask of CNet to list those models. Because I have an "SE-2020" so where does that come in?
Here's what Wikipedia says are "8 or newer":
I hope they upgrade this one enough that I can finally read the internet, and talk on the phone, and even take pictures. That would be swell.
Yeah, I was offered 15.7 on my SE-2020 but after scrolling down to the bottom I saw "ALSO AVAILABLE" and under that was 16.
I updated my Homepod, my Mom’s iPad, my Macbook pro 2021, and I just updated my iphone 13 to 15.7(Weird how it had BOTH updates available) figured Id update to 15.7 BEFORE updating to 16
yeah I saw the same thing, so I was nervous after reading some horror stories of some bricked iphones, so first I updated to 15.7 now gonna update to 16
Apple should release an iLand Line ... then I might be interested.
If they’d just get rid of dual factor authentication.
If they haven’t fixed the most retarded fails of previous updates, I’ll pass.
Urgent update notification on the lock screen? Unlocking dismisses the notification before I’ve had a chance to read it.
Biometric unlock? Please enter the passcode first. FFS. The biometric is more secure than the passcode, you cretins.
Banking app sends an app notification? Let’s kill the browser session when it loses focus as you read the code.
Outlook still doesn’t have the facility to use Exchange search folders like “Unread” and “Flagged” so if an unread message gets filled into a folder other than the inbox you’re screwed. Ten years ago, Outlook on Android had them enabled by default.
I need apps for the Middle East, Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Installing these apps on multiregional Android is effortless but on the iPhone each app only installs and updates if I switch the device to the right country.
I gave up on the iPhone and switched to Android, which has none of these ridiculous annoyances.
You can make the fonts bigger or change it to another font. Apple must have how to page to walk you through it. Same for expanding type in the browser - a gesture expanding fingers on the screen. See Apple Suport for more info
Never had all that trouble on an 8.
I agree. I’m tired of human factors engineers screwing with a product so they can keep their priced up jobs.
I don’t want CNET news, tips and advice. I don’t need Apple to suggest a damned thing for me and I don’t want to use iCloud, or Wallet or Apple Pay or any of that mess. I want a PHONE to use, send text messages and look at sites on the internet I want to visit. And I don’t want to sign in using my Apple ID to take advantage of all their crap. Nothing more.
“You can make the fonts bigger or change it to another font. Apple must have how to page to walk you through it.”
You do realize I was being volume 11 facetious?
NO you sounded straight - a lot of people do have similar real problems. Sorry for being helpful.
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