Apple has officially announced iOS 16, the next major update of the operating system powering the company’s iPhones. iOS 16 will be quite a big update for iPhone users, and one of the biggest new features is the ability to personalize your lock screen in brand new ways.
iOS 16 also brings updates for Messages, Maps, Dictation, Apple Pay, Photos, and CarPlay. You can find more details about the most important new features below:
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New Lock Screen: iOS 16 will let iPhone users customize every element on the lock screen including the style of the time and date, and add widgets to keep track of the weather, calendar events, and fitness activity. The Lock screen will also support Live Activities including sports games scores, Uber rides, and more.
Messages updates: Apple’s Messaging app is getting support for an Undo Send feature, message editing, and the ability to mark any thread as unread. SharePlay is also coming to Messages, allowing users to easily start a SharePlay session with their contacts
New Dictation experience: iOS 16 will let users replace selected text in a message by using just their voice. When writing long messages, Dictation will also automatically add punctuation.
Apple Pay: The new Apple Pay Later will allow iPhone users to split the cost of a purchase into four payments occurring every two weeks, with zero interest and no fees. Apple Pay Order Tracking will also add details about upcoming orders right into the Apple Wallet app.
Maps: Apple is bringing its new Maps to eleven more countries including France, Switzerland, and New Zealand. The Maps is also getting support for Multi-stop routing, allowing users to plan up to 50 stops in advance and ask siri to add additional stops when they’re driving
Photos: The new iCloud Shared Photo Library will let everyone in a family can contribute to a shared photo library that’s separate from personal photo libraries.
Safety Check: This new feature will allow users to immediately stop sharing their location, reset privacy permissions for all of their apps, and protect access to their messages on all their devices. This feature has been developed to protect people in abusive relationships, Apple explained.
That’s just a quick look at some of the biggest new features coming with iOS 16 later this fall. A private beta will be available for developers today, with a public beta to follow next month.