Apple will release iOS 16 as a free upgrade for iPhone 8 and newer on Monday, September 12. A customizable Lock Screen and the option to temporarily modify or unsend iMessages are just a few of the many new features in iOS 16.
When iOS 16 becomes ready, launch the Settings app on your iPhone and select General Software Update. Check out our list of six useful new features to test out after upgrading your iPhone to iOS 16 below.
The main new feature in iOS 16 is the ability to customize the Lock Screen with multiple-layered backgrounds, widgets, unique typefaces for the date and time, and more. A group of images may be chosen to shuffle on the lock screen all day.
A variety of Lock Screen alternatives are displayed in the new Lock Screen gallery, including a new Weather wallpaper that displays current weather forecast and an Astronomical wallpaper that offers images of the Earth, Moon, and Solar System. With support for numerous Lock Screen layouts in iOS 16, you may swipe between your preferred designs to change it.
With the release of iOS 16, users may now temporarily modify or unsend iMessages and designate chats as unread after opening them.
Up to five revisions are permitted per message, and Apple permits you to make changes to an iMessage for up to 15 minutes after you send it. On smartphones running iOS 15 or earlier, modified messages are received as a new message that states “Edited to [new message],” and recipients are able to see a record of alterations made to the message.
Simply press and hold on a bubble to bring up a menu, then choose the right option to modify or unsend a message. Edited iMessages are identified by the word “edited” beneath the message bubble. Messages sent by SMS (green bubbles) cannot be changed or cancelled.
On the Lock Screen, iOS 16 reintroduces a full-screen music player with huge album art and a color-coordinated backdrop.
In iOS 10 from 2016, Apple last provided a full-screen music player on the Lock Screen. Tap on the bottom of the screen to minimise the music player and return to your default Lock Screen wallpaper if you don’t like the functionality.
On iOS 16, iPhones may accept a large number of extra Bluetooth game controllers, including the Joy-Cons and Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch. With iOS 16, iPhones may use a single left or right Joy-Con or both at once to create a single controller.
This is in addition to the iPhone’s already-existing support for Xbox Series X and PS5 DualSense controllers since the introduction of iOS 14.5 last year.
For online purchases made with Apple Pay on iOS 16, new built-in order tracking data is available in the Wallet app. The tracker shows the anticipated delivery date for an order as well as when a product is available for delivery.
For online purchases made with Apple Pay, iOS 16’s version of Apple Pay now includes new built-in order tracking data in the Wallet app. When a shipment is available for delivery, the tracker lets you know when an order’s projected delivery date is.
With iOS 16, everyone with an iPhone, including those without an Apple Watch, may now use the Fitness app. The software has a daily Activity ring that calculates a user’s daily steps and calorie burn using the iPhone’s motion sensors.
Apple said that its Fitness+ programme will be accessible to iPhone users without an Apple Watch in the 21 nations where it is now offered later this year at its iPhone 14 launch. Fitness+ costs $79.99 per year or $9.99 per month.
