Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) is now live, but the keynote speech has already delivered some big news. The new M2 chips will be going into new MacBook Airs, there will be a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, and there are operating system upgrades coming across the board. The biggest of these OS updates is iOS 16, which Apple promises is going to mark a large step forward from iOS 15. We’re going to get into the main points below, but you can check out and sign up for the iOS 16 beta program below, which should go live in July.
The biggest headline-grabbing update coming to iOS 16 is the new lock screen customization features. These include an impressive array of lock screen widgets, filters, new backgrounds, and text options for your clock and date display. If you’re thinking Android has had lock screen widgets for years now, you’d be right. However, in true Apple style, the company has taken longer to bring out the feature but looks to have produced a significantly higher quality offering that goes beyond just widgets.
Your new iPhone lock screen can be completely customized, with the option to set up multiple lock screens that you can easily flip between. Say, for example, you have a work lock screen with prominent notifications and calendar and scheduling widgets, a fitness lock screen with Activity and Health widgets, and a personal lock screen that may just have the time and weather.
Another iOS 16 update is shared photo libraries coming to iCloud. These will be an easy way for multiple people to contribute to a single hub of photos that everybody can access.
A long-awaited update for iOS 16, which is now on the horizon is the ability to edit sent messages on Messages. When the update drops, you will be able to edit or unsend messages you’ve just sent meaning nobody will have to see those embarrassing little typos anymore.
A few other features getting updates include Share Play which will also be available on Messages as well as Face Time, Dictation which will allow for easier switching between voice and touch typing as the keyboard will stay active while you’re talk typing, and Apple is working to include driver’s license and ID card compatibility to Apple Wallet too. Another big update that will land with iOS 16 is multi-stop routing for up to 15 stops, which is coming to Apple Maps.
We’ve tried to walk you through all the biggest updates that are coming to iOS 16. It is clear that this going to be one of the biggest iOS updates for quite some time, particularly after iOS 15 only marginally improved on its predecessor. If, however, you are an Android user, you may be interested to learn about all the new features coming to Android 13 when Google’s mobile OS drops this Fall.
Image via: Apple
