iOS 16 Is Officially Launched: Here's a Look What Features You'll Get & What Not!

Apple has finally released iOS 16 to the public. Here’s a look at what new features you’ll get with the update. Read on to learn more.

After being unveiled at Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2022 in June and through months of beta testing, Apple released iOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 to the public on September 12, 2022.

If you are reading this article just after the official iOS release and it hasn’t yet appeared on your iPhone, don’t be upset. It frequently takes an hour or more to appear on every iPhone worldwide. Along with the release of iOS 16, the Cupertino giant has also introduced iOS 15.7, which fixes several kernel vulnerabilities and resolves security vulnerabilities with Contacts, Safari, Shortcuts, WebKit, and Maps.

iOS 16 Is Officially Launched: Here’s a Look At The Features

iOS 16: Compatibility

The below-mentioned devices won’t receive the iOS 16 update, according to Apple’s confirmation that it will only be accessible on iPhone 8 or newer.

iPhone SE 2016
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus

And here are the devices that will get the new iOS update:

iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone X
iPhone XS
iPhone XR
iPhone XS Max
iPhone SE 2020
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12 Mini
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13 Mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone SE 2022
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max

iOS 16: How To Install

Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone, then tap on “General.” Now click on the “Software Update” here, and you will find the options to install iOS 15.7 or upgrade to iOS 16. Tap on whichever you want to install and download and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Wondering why there is an option to install iOS 15.7 with iOS 16 Upgrade? Here is why:

Apple allows you to stay iOS 15 with 15.7 if you are unsure about upgrading your iPhone to iOS 16. This will help users to be certain that there are no significant bugs in the final version of the upgrade. Meanwhile, you can get essential security updates via iOS 15.7.

iOS 16: Features

iOS 16 is indeed a significant update. Although it doesn’t completely alter your iPhone, installing it will give it a new look and make you grateful for its exciting new features.

iOS 16 Features: Lock Screen

Users will now get a deeper personalization through a revamped Lock Screen. With the addition of a depth effect, users can now creatively position the subject of the Lock Screen photo on top of the time. Users may also change the font type & style. The new, improved Lock Screen now has new widgets that make it simple to quickly access information like battery life, alarm settings, calendar events, activity ring progress, time zones, and more. You can also build original designs with your favorite emoji and color combos, and with several Lock Screens, you can quickly change between your favorites.

iOS 16 Features: Focus Mode

In iOS 16, the Focus mode is simpler to establish and becomes even more effective by linking the Lock Screen, providing users a method to quickly activate the appropriate Focus by swiping to a specific Lock Screen. Applications like Mail, Calendar, Safari, and Messages can employ Focus filters to show only the information that is important to a user’s Focus, assisting them in striking a proper balance.

iOS 16 Features: Notifications

Revamped notifications will now glide in from below the screen to allow a better view of the whole Lock Screen. Users can select whether to see notifications as stacked, an extended list, or a count view. Featuring “Live Activities,” simply notifications that resemble pinned widgets and let you check the game’s score, follow the status of meal delivery, and more.

iOS 16 Features: Messaging App Is Now Equipped With New Tools

The capability to alter a message you’ve just sent and unsend a message, both of which must be accomplished within 15 minutes, are two significant features of Messages. To return to a message thread later, the new OS also lets you label any conversation thread as Unopened or Unread. SharePlay is a feature that Apple added to Messages in iOS 16 that allows users to watch a film or listen to a song while conversing.

iOS 16 Features: Live Text

With iOS 16’s expansion of Live Text to video, you can freeze any moment that features text and translate, copy, or share it. Any frame in a movie can be paused to allow viewers to engage with the text and perform rapid actions like copying and pasting, translating, changing the currencies, and more.

iOS 16 Features: Safety Check

Individuals in danger for personal safety due to domestic and intimate partner abuse may find the new and unique privacy tool Safety Check useful. It enables users to quickly examine and revoke any access they’ve provided to others. Additionally, it has an emergency reset feature that allows you to quickly log out of iCloud from all your other devices, reset privacy settings, and restrict messaging to only the device in your possession. Additionally, users can see and control who has access to what apps and who.

iOS 16 Features: New Tools In The Mail App

Now, users can either proactively plan email delivery or postpone it until it reaches the recipient’s inbox. You can also utilize “Remind me” to establish reminders to return to messages at a later time, get automatic recommendations to check up on emails if they haven’t heard back from them, and receive notifications when they forget to add an attachment/recipient in a mail.

iOS 16 Features: Remove Background From Photos

You can separate subjects from an image in Photos, crop them out of the background, and then create a cutout with a simple background. This is a fantastic feature you will get in iOS 16. You can immediately copy and paste it into the messages app or anywhere you want.

iOS 16 Features: You Can Now See Battery Percentage

Image Credit: IDG

Apple has been using a visual battery indication for years that just “empty” the status bar’s virtual battery indicator to indicate the battery’s vague level. However, with iOS 16, you can display a battery percentage within the battery icon if you desire a more accurate understanding. Open the Settings app, navigate to the Battery option, and turn on the “Battery percentage” option.

iOS 16 Other Features:

Maps: Apple Maps updates improve driving, transit, and multistop routing, allowing for more global exploration. Drivers may readily create routes with several stops, and when they’re set to leave, routes are automatically synced from the Mac to the iPhone. Users may add transport cards to Apple Wallet to view low balances and recharge transit cards without leaving Maps. Transit instructions will now show how much a trip would cost.
Dictation: Dictation provides a brand-new experience that lets users easily switch between speech and touch. Without pausing Dictation, users can use the keyboard to type, reposition the cursor, tap inside the text area, and input Quick Type recommendations. Additionally, Dictation offers emoji dictation and automated punctuation.
Home App: Users now have simpler access to the Home app’s navigation, organization, and accessory viewing features.
Apple News: Users can follow their favorite teams and tournaments in the new My Sports area in Apple News, where they can also get schedules, scores, and rankings for the best collegiate and professional leagues, as well as view highlights directly within the News app.
Family Sharing: The necessary parental controls can be put up from the beginning when creating accounts for kids using Family SharinIt offers recommendations for restrictions on movies, apps, music, books, and other media that seem to be adult, as well as a streamlined procedure for establishing a new phone for a kid that instantly activates parental controls.
Revamped Health App: The Health app now includes Medications, enabling users to easily create and maintain a list of their medications, set up appointments and reminders, and keep track of any vitamins/supplements they may be taking. In the United States, users can add a medicine by just pointing their phone’s camera at the label, learning about their prescriptions, and getting a warning if there are any potentially dangerous reactions.
Fitness App: All iPhone users can now use the Fitness app to track their fitness progress and reach their objectives without owning an Apple Watch. You can examine your trends, establish a personalized Move goal, and share activities to boost motivation. Motion sensors in the iPhone measure steps, distance traveled, and flights ascended to calculate active calorie expenditure. Any exercises finished in third-party applications also help to empty the user’s Move ring. The updated Fitness app widget on the Lock Screen provides a quick view of the Move ring status, steps done, and distance.
Game Center: The revamped dashboard in Game Center makes it simple to play with someone or compete against your friends by viewing all of your friends’ game activities in one location.

iOS 16 Features You Will Get Later By The Year End

iCloud Shared Photo Library
Live Activities
Clean Energy Charging
Matter Smart Home Activity
Emergency SOS feature via Satellite

Wrapping It Up

So, this is all about the new and exciting features you will get with iOS 16. However, after installing the new iOS 16 OS, you’ll gradually find that there are a lot more little tweaks you will get by the fall. Some may marginally affect how you live your life, while others will have a deeper meaning. So, that’s it for today, guys, and I hope you will find this helpful. And if you do, share it with your family and friends. Also, let us know the names of features that will surely change how you use your iPhone in the comments below.

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iOS 16 Is Officially Launched: Here’s a Look What Features You’ll Get & What Not!