This week, the long-awaited preview of Apple’s newest developments for 2022 was unveiled at the WWDC 2022 Keynote Presentation, like a slew of new MacBooks, a new M2 Chip, and updates to the Apple Watch and iPad software. But the revelation that had everyone talking was the new iOS 16, which is set to deliver the biggest update ever to iPhone users.

“iOS 16 is a big release with updates that will change the way you experience iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, via a company statement.

“We have reimagined how the Lock Screen looks and works with exciting new features that make it more personal and helpful, introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library for families, streamlined communication through new capabilities in Messages and Mail, and harnessed enhanced intelligence with updates to Live Text and Visual Look Up.”

iOS 16 is set to change how you use and interact with your iPhone, making it a much more seamless and fluid user experience. From personalised lock screens to new iCloud sharing capabilities, and welcomed updates to iMessage (plus more), here’s a roundup of the best new features to be included in the new iOS 16 software update.

Dedicated Lock Screen Experience

You will notice that one of the biggest updates to be included in iOS 16 will be that of your Lock Screen. The update will see a lock screen that is more personal, beautiful and tailored to the specific user. With a new multilayered effect, the subjects of photos are artfully set in front of the time on the Lock Screen, creating a sense of depth. Users can also change the look of the date and time with expressive type styles and colour choices.

Lock Screen features widgets have been designed similarly to Apple Watch complications, ensuring that the information you need is easily obtained by just a quick glance of the screen. Users can also create Lock Screen designs using their favourite emoji or colour combinations, which can be swapped over as you see fit with just a simple swipe.

Live Activities is a new feature to be added to your lock screen that will help users stay on top of things that are happening in real-time, such as a live sports game, workout, ride-share, or food delivery order.

You’ll also notice that notifications have been redesigned to roll up from the bottom rather than come down from the top, ensuring that users have a clear view of their personalized Lock Screen at all times.

Apple iOS 16
Apple

Focus Like Never Before

If you find that sometimes you just need to drown out your incoming notifications to focus on a task at hand, then Apple’s Focus is a fantastic tool to do so. It is now more powerful and easier to use, connecting directly to your Lock Screen for easy access. To activate a Focus, simply swipe to the corresponding Lock Screen.

Apple iOS 16
Apple

 

Delete That Text Message 

Have you ever sent a text message and wished you could delete or recall it? We’ve all been there, but now, thanks to Apple, the ability to delete recently sent messages is a (welcomed) reality. Thanks to iOS 16, users can now edit or recall recently sent messages, recover recently deleted messages, and mark conversations as unread so they can come back to them later.

Updates to Mail

Schedule emails ahead of time and cancel an email before it reaches a recipient’s inbox with the new updates to Mail. There’s also the option to resurface a message at any date and time with ‘Remind Later’. The new ‘Follow Up’ suggestion is a super handy tool that automatically remind users to follow up on an email if they have not received a response. The Search bar receives a massive overhaul, using state-of-the-art techniques to deliver more relevant, accurate, and complete results.

Next-Gen CarPlay

We all know that Apple CarPlay has fundamentally changed the way people interact with their vehicles, and the next generation of CarPlay goes a step further by deeply integrating with a car’s hardware. If you have multiple screens within your vehicle, CarPlay will be able to provide content for each screen, creating a truly fluid, integrated experience. The new integration will allow users to do things like control the radio or change the climate directly through CarPlay. More information about the next generation of CarPlay will be shared later this year, including which vehicles will be able to utilise the updated software.

Apple iOS 16
Apple

What iPhone Do I Need to Access iOS 16?

According to Apple, if you’re currently running iOS 15, your iPhone will be able to run iOS 16, too. The complete list of compatible devices includes:

  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone SE (second generation)
  • iPhone SE (first generation)
  • iPod seventh generation

When Will iOS 16 Be Available?

The public beta will be made available to iOS users next month with iOS 16 to live officially in the coming months.

For more feature updates and to watch the WWDC Keynote Presentation, click here