At the show, the operating system for the iOS 16 smartphone was announced. Naturally, the firmware is not only an updated design, but also a whole lot of new features and capabilities. iOS 16 public beta will be available in July.
The Cupertino company has added a completely new and fully customizable lock screen to iOS 16, which you can now customize to your liking: Dynamic widgets, install 3D images, create multiple lock screens and switch between them. Notifications now start at the bottom of the screen and can be easily hidden The so-called “live notification” makes it easy to keep track of events in real time, such as playing music or doing exercises. Focus filters allow users to filter out misleading content within the app, such as tab groups in Safari, calendar events or message conversations.
Messages sent to iMessage can be marked as edited, deleted and unread. SharePlay has also been improved, which includes the ability to start a session on messages.
The new dictation feature lets you convert speech into text in real time. In addition, punctuation and emoticon recognition are automatically added to messages, including through Siri. The new App Intents API lets you start Siri shortcuts without any configuration.
Live text has now expanded to video, allowing users to identify text in video.
The Wallet app now lets users exchange keys via messages. Apple Pay Later is a new service that allows users to pay in four installments over six weeks without interest or fees. Apple Pay is available with every later Apple Pay purchase.
Apple Maps has been expanded to include more countries and cities around the world. Users can plan up to 15 stops in advance, plan a trip to Mac and send it to the iPhone, and add stops to the trip using Siri.
Apple TV can now display sports game information via live activity. Apple News lets users follow their favorite teams and leagues for a special viewing experience. New sports features are available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Family Sharing includes easy ways to manage your kids’ accounts, including quick ways to set age limits and set up new devices. And the Shared Family Library displays all photos taken by family members. All participants have equal rights and the photos will be displayed in everyone’s memory and widget.
iOS 16 has new privacy and security features. Security Review is a new set of settings for viewing and editing any access granted to other users, allowing you to quickly manage and revoke access, reset privacy permissions, protect access to messages, and stop sharing location data.
The interface of the home application has changed.
iOS 16 also includes local audio improvements with AirPods.