Like clockwork, Apple has released the latest software update. It’s exclusive to iPhone 8 and newer models, so tough luck if you’re still using the iPhone 7. This year’s massive software upgrade is larger than the last one as it adds a new lock screen, email scheduling, smarter dictation, and much more. iOS 16 brings with it a laundry list of new features, but here’s the gist:
Better dictation. Although exclusive to iPhones with the A12 Bionic chip (the iPhone XS and above), this new feature is a godsend for those who use it often. The improvement lets your iPhone automatically punctuate speeches with question marks, periods, commas, and even emojis. Email scheduling. The built-in Mail app on your iPhone will get better with iOS 16. In addition to allowing you to schedule emails, the update also makes the search feature more robust and accurate as well as lets you undo sent emails. Edit and unsend iMessage. iOS 16 will give users 15 minutes to edit and unsend messages in iMessage. The receiver will know if you edited or removed your message. Improved Android group texting. Android users can finally see laughs, hearts, and other Tapback reactions. Safety Check. Apple claims that it designed the Safety Check feature with the help of women’s groups. This lets users protect personal data and keep their location, among others, safe and secure. More ways to control notifications. iOS 16 users might have noticed their notifications are now at the bottom of the screen when locked. The new update also makes it easier to hide notifications. Lock screen customization. Users can add smaller widgets that use real-time data to their lock screens with the new update. Multiple Apple Maps stops. Apple is borrowing a feature from Google as it lets users add several stops to a route in Apple Maps. Transit card. This new feature lets users replenish their cards and see the cost of their trips, among others. More health app features. Users can now use Apple’s Health app to input medications and get notifications when it’s time to take them. The iPhone Health app will also be showing the sleep and heartbeat of Apple Watch owners. Improved photo AI. With iOS 16, the new artificial intelligence will translate the text on photos and videos. Users can also cut out subjects from pictures and stick them into other apps or images like a sticker. Apple promises to let people share pictures with the other people that it recognizes that are inside the frame. Apple Pay Later. Users can use Apple Pay to split purchases across four payments over six weeks. Apple Home app update. The redesigned Home app supports the open smart home hardware standard, Matter, like lights, blinds, and locks. Using the iPhone as webcam. The “Continuity Camera” feature lets users use their iPhones as webcams provided they use the right laptop mount and a laptop that has the new macOS version that’s coming out this fall. Make Siri hang up for you. Users can use Siri to hang up phone calls and FaceTime by saying, “Hey Siri, hang up.” Fitness+ support on iPhones. Apple Watch’s premium Apple Fitness+ subscription is finally available on iPhones, thanks to iOS 16. Move FaceTime across multiple iOS devices. iOS users can finally move their FaceTime calls from their iPhones to their Mac and iPad going forward. The said update will also make any connected Bluetooth headphone switch automatically over to the new device. The full implementation of this feature isn’t until later this year, which is when the latest iPadOS and macOS arrive. Live activities. This upcoming feature will let you place widgets on the home screen of your iPhone. You’ll have to wait for a few months for this smaller iOS 16 update to arrive.
To download the new iPhone software, go to the Software Update section in Settings of your iPhone. Be warned, these early updates aren’t always the most stable. Make sure to back up important files and photos first before trying it out. Better yet, wait for the second version to come out, which shouldn’t take longer than a couple of weeks.
