If you've ever watched an Apple's Summer WWDC, then you know that iOS, and software in general, tend to be the focus, and this year was no different, give or take a few exceptions. As Craig Federighi states, iOS software "helps you get so much done." It's largely about productivity, efficiency, and multitasking, especially after years of an increase in remote learning and remote work.
While the next generation iOS 16 is certainly going to help with all of that, it's also meant to largely provide "new intelligence, sharing, and communication features."
Lock Screen
Craig Federighi called iOS 16's Lock Screen revamp that "biggest update ever to the lock screen." After watching WWDC22, I have to say I haven't seen this many changes to lock screen, well... ever. So, I'd have to agree. The goal was to provide Apple users with "new ways to make it more, personal, beautiful, and helpful than ever."
With iOS 16, Lock Screen will be more customizable than any Apple User has yet to experience, which was pretty rad to see, to be honest.
You can easily customize themes, colors, and more with iOS 16 by doing the following steps:
- Press and hold the Lock Screen to personalize
- Click customize
- Swipe to edit
You can also tap on any element to start editing, such as the time, etc. This allows you to fully customize nearly every element of your lock screen for the first time in iOS history.
Widgets, which are "really useful for getting information at a glance," are going to be available on Lock Screen with iOS 16 as well as a "brand new Wallpaper Gallery."
The Wallpaper Gallery is complete with various wallpapers, Photo shuffle, and suggested photos to use for your iPhone background. Lock screens can then be animated too, if that strikes your fancy! And, just like you can create multiple desktops on a Mac, with iOS 16 you can create multiple lock screens that shuffle, so you never get bored with seeing the same image day-after-day.
Lastly, with iOS 16 Widget Kit makes it easy for developers to add information from their apps to the new Lock Screen widgets.
Notifications
With a special focus on the new Lock Screen and notifications that don't distract, iOS 16 also overhauls the way Apple users receive notifications on their iPhones.
Instead of getting an endless stream, notifications "now roll in from the bottom of the lock screen" and can be easily hidden during work hours or movie time!
Live Activities
A new addition to your fancy, customized Lock Screen with iOS 16, includes Live Activities. Live Activities is truly an extension of Notifications and the Lock Screen that allows you to pin various notifications much like a widget is pinned. You can have sports, news, etc., all at a glance. You can even track your Uber driver while you wait for them!
Focus
Focus, geared towards helping you, you guessed it, focus will also be extended to your lock screen with iOS 16. So, you can have a dedicated lock screen for work, home, school, etc., and shuffle them at just the right time for each of those activities.
Focus filters, dedicated to "let you filter out distracting content," can also help reduce distraction. You can also "filter conversations, accounts in mail, and events in calendar" to provide you with a distraction free few minutes, hours, or even an entire weekend.
Messages
Apple made what they referred to as "three of the most highly requested" changes to messages with iOS 16:
- The ability to change and edit messages after you send them
- The ability to "unsend" a message you regret sending
- The ability to mark any message as "unread" so you can come back to it later
Personally, these are all pretty exciting improvements to Messages, especially if you are a typo master like me.
However, probably the most exciting of the changes being made to Messages with iOS 16 is that Share Play is coming to Messages! Share Play allows Apple users to enjoy shared experiences over FaceTime (games, music, podcasts, etc.) With iOS 16, however, you can do this right in messages.
I can see why this was the most requested change from developers!
Dictation
With Dictation reportedly being used "18 billion times each month" (who knew?), it's no wonder Apple decided to make some major improvements with iOS 16. Referred to as an "all new on-device dictation experience," Dictation will now allow you to switch between voice and touch, fix mistakes via voice or touch more fluidly, and, to top it off, Dictation can fix punctuation automatically. Emoji dictation, adding emojis via dictation, has also been added.
Siri Shortcuts
Apparently, there are around "5,000 apps that use Siri and Siri Shortcuts", so with iOS 16, Shortcuts now work with zero set up! Which, to be honest, was a necessary step. While I love Shortcuts, they could be a pain to set up depending on the Shortcut, of course.
Live Text to Video
At WWDC21, Apple announced Live Text in Photos. Translating text or dialing a number from a photo became extremely easy. However, it's about to get even easier: now you can pause a video and interact with text from that video, translate a language, copy a phone number, etc., all from a video.
Developers will also have access to a Live text API, where "soon you will be able to grab text straight from photos and videos."
Additionally, users will be able to "touch and hold an image and place it in apps like messages." Suddenly, dragging and dropping pets right out of a photo is a wonderful possibility with iOS 16.
Wallet
Apple states that they are working hard to "replace your physical wallet," and while I don't necessarily think that's a necessary technological step, I could see how it could come in handy. TSI security check points are even accepting, or in the process of accepting, "in app ID verification."
Keys
Apple is also working on Keys, allowing you to unlock your "home, car, hotel, and office all with just your iPhone." While this technology is a long way off being readily available for everyone in every home, car, hotel, and office, it's an interesting advancement and Apple states that they are "working to make it industry standard."
Apple Pay
Apple is also expanding acceptance for Tap to pay on iPhone and expanding Apple Pay to Apple Pay Later, Pay Later allows you to make "four equal payments with zero interest and no late fees" using your Apple Pay account.
Apparently, developers and merchants work with Apple Pay as usual, so no additional work is needed for Pay Later to work in various locations.
Maps
Last year, Apple released a new and improved Maps app, one that provided immersive, 3D cities. With iOS 16, Apple Map's redesigned map will be available to 11 more regions, include improved driving and transit navigation, and have 6 more cities with 3D city view capabilities.
The updated Maps app will also include multistop-routing, which means that with iOS 16, you can now plan stops in advance; while you are driving, Siri can even add more stops without you having to take your eyes off-road. Personally, this sounds lovely for road-trips!
Lastly, you can add transit card to wallet and use within the Maps app.
Using Map Kit, developers can also use apps to create detailed Maps. Look Around will also be added to Map Kit so that "users get an immersive ground-level view."
Apple News
If you are a big sports fan, you can keep up with game scores on the Lock Screen, check out the "My Sports" section in Apple News, and explore your Favorites on any of your Apple devices since Favorites are synced.
You can also enjoy Friday night Baseball on Apple TV plus. Every Friday you can stream up to 2 free games. This service is FREE to subscribers and available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia
Family Sharing
With iOS 16, you can create child accounts with built-in parental controls, "making it even easier to create accounts for kids." This new way to set up child accounts that have the "right" parental controls, takes just a few taps. The device will then be set up with all the parental controls already configured.
iOS 16 will also allow parents to respond to purchase requests right in messages.
Photos
This year, Apple is "introducing a better way to share photos with family," and it's pretty inventive.
With an iCloud shared Photo Library families can create a separate iCloud Photo Library that everyone can contribute to, or up to 5 people at least. What's great about this is that users can choose the photos so that only the photos you want to share are being sent to the shared library.
Essentially, this allows you to have both a personal library and a family one, maintaining your privacy while allowing all your family photos to be in one place! Pictures can be shared automatically and users will receive intelligent sharing suggestions when they take family photos.
Privacy
Apple states they are "always working hard to protect our users and their privacy," and, indeed, privacy has become a huge priority for Apple and their users. So, WWDC22 wouldn't be a WWDC without a little privacy and safety talk.
Probably my favorite changes in all of iOS 16 are the additional personal safety features. Safety Check, a new feature designed with those who are survivors of intimate partner violence in mind, will allow users to disable their location sharing, reset privacy permissions, and protect access to messages.
Safety Check was designed to help people escape abusive relationships, so a new section will be added in settings, so users can review or reset an abusers access to their data, location, restrict and manage their information, with the hopes that people can more safely flee their abusers.
Home
Apple acknowledged that not all Apple users have access to Home and Home accessories, and they "want to help bring these powerful experiences to as many homes as possible."
Matter, and the "Matter standard" provides the underlying foundation to connect smart home accessories." It also provides users with exceptional safety and privacy, encrypting data so that "even Apple can't see." It's also easy to set up and easy to use and gives users more accessories to chose from.
Additionally, the new Home app will allow you to "navigate, organize and view accessories differently." There are new, organized categories for accessories, a multi-camera view (4 at once), redesigned tiles, and more. The new app will be available on iOS, iPadOS and macOS.
CarPlay
Apple knows that "cars have changed a lot," and, with that in mind, has overhauled CarPlay in the hopes that iPhones will "play an even more important role" in how we drive, navigate, etc.
Apple refers to this as the "next generation of carplay. It will provide content for all drivers screens, which is fluid and consistant. It will let you tune your car's radio or change temperature durectly in CarPlay. You will also be able to customize widgets. The goal: "Information at a glance" that shows all your driving information, has different, customizable information clusters, as well as different backgrounds, layouts, themes, and styles.
Compatible vehicles will be announced late next year.