iOS 16 | NEW UPDATES | TECHNOLOGY

What’s new in iOS 16?

You’ll be missing out too much if you don’t update

Joy

Published in

Predict

7 min readOct 13, 2022

The eagerly awaited iOS 16 is out!

The good news is that anyone with iPhone as old as iPhone 8 can enjoy these advanced technological updates by our beloved, Apple.

You would have to agree with me that such updates renew our love for iPhones every time they are launched.

The iOS 16 update is awesome.

It comes with a diverse range of new features that are sure to excite anyone and everyone. Well, there are loads of updates big and small, herein I’ll be talking about the most loved ones.

Without further ado, let’s see what they are!

# 1 The Lock Screen, tailored to your pleasure

You select “Update to iOS 16”.

You wait for the update to be completed.

You pick up the phone.

Touch the screen for 3 seconds.

Then, voila! Here are the million(not literally) options to customize your lock screen in a way you have never done before.

The options for wallpapers in iOS 16 — The million options! __source

Choose the font and color of the displayed time and date from 8 distinct fonts and numerous amazing colors
Add up to 4 widgets of your choice on the lock screen ( For now, it’s Apple’s own apps that are supported but soon third-party apps will make your screen even more helpful and of course, interesting)
Choose from the animated wallpapers, provided by Apple, of Astronomy, Live weather(live!), Emojis ( your choice again),
and Photos, and Photo Shuffle. This is a new point because you can further apply filters on the photo(s) you choose as the wallpaper ( that is totally awesome)! Not only this, iOS 16 recommends photos that are particularly well-suited for your lock screen wallpapers from your own photo library.

New lock screen in iOS 16 in iPhones — The brand-new lock screen looks of the iOS 16 ___source

Well, I am super-excited about this not only because of the above customizations but also some further intelligent upgrades —

Notifications are now displayed at the bottom of the screen to make room for all of these widgets. While tapping on them causes them to fan out and stack on top of one another by default, you can return to the previous list view of all alerts. For those minimalists, a new notification option simply displays the total number of alerts that have arrived. Though, the notifications expand when you tap the number, allowing you to see them.
To further lock off distractions when you need to focus on work (or the opposite, if you don’t want work distractions interfering with your spare time), you can connect a specific lock screen to a Focus mode. By switching lock screens, you can enable a Focus Mode; when you unlock your phone, you’ll be sent to the home screen with the widgets and apps associated with that specific Focus mode.

Focus and lock screen in iOS 16 — This is simple, easy and useful. __source

#2 iMessage that lets you do more than just send

Edit and Unsend

Well, with iOS 16 you can edit the message you have already sent or unsend the message altogether. Pretty awesome, but there’s one drawback — the receiver can also see your unedited text and is notified if you unsend a message. In my perspective, this makes them a little less helpful than they could be, especially the visible edits. But still, it depends on the content of your message and the unsend feature can surely save you from embarrassing situations.

Also, keep in mind that you can unsend the text within two minutes of sending it and edit it within the first 15 minutes. These time windows have been created to prevent the bad actors to delete proof of their activity in a case of abuse.

Edit and Unsend messages in iOS 16 — The Unsend option is a Life Saviour! __source

Sharing content

Additionally, you may exchange spreadsheets, presentations, and other sorts of files. By tapping on one of these shared files, you can immediately start working together in apps like Files, Freeform, Keynote, Notes, Numbers, Reminders, and Safari. (Third-party app support will arrive later this year.)

#3 The Photo Sticker

This is one feature trending on Instagram reels as well as “blowing people’s minds” on TikTok. I’m sure you have seen it already.

But for those who haven’t, let me tell you. You can now make the subject of a photo stand out from its background by touching and pressing on an image in Photos, Safari, Quick Look, or screenshots. Copy it and then paste it into Notes, Texts, or unleash your creativity by making stunning Instagram stories using this feature.

Visual look-up/ Sticker in iOS 16 — Ooooh, pick up the main character!___ source

#4 Mails just got smarter

Schedule mail to send later

Written the right mail at the wrong time? No worries, Apple got you.

Long press on the send icon (the blue arrow) and select the time you want to send it.

Schedule mail to send later in iOS 16 — Schedule mail to send later ___source

Improved Search

Now the search shows you a wider range of suggestions as you type, correct typos, and use synonyms to find the exact mail you are looking for.

Really convenient.

Undo Send

Unsend the mail within 10 seconds if you clicked the send button by a mistake. The period is shorter than Gmail( 30 seconds) but it is better than having no undo send option at all.

Mail Reminders

You can set the Mail app to remind you to answer an email later if you opened it but didn’t have the time to do so.

To ensure that nothing is lost, Apple lets you choose a date and time for messages to reappear in your inbox.

Now this one’s really smart. Agree?

Follow Up

To allow you to send a follow-up email if you don’t hear back from the recipient of your email, Apple has incorporated a “Follow Up” feature that elevates sent emails to the top of your inbox. Nothing new for Gmail users, but new for Mail users.

Notifications for Missing Recipients and Attachments

The Mail app will alert you if you include a reference to an attachment or a recipient in the email body but forget to include them later. Again, already there in Gmail.

Rich Links

In iOS 16, URLs to websites, Apple Music songs, and other content are shown as rich links rather than plaintext.

Thus, if you receive a link in the mail app from a friend, you can preview its contents without clicking the link.

Interesting.

Many of the features were already there in Gmail for a long time but are new to Apple. Apple must keep up with the pace if it wants to compete.

#5 Life’s better with Maps

Bus and subway fares

iOS 16 brings several updates to Apple’s navigation app, including more comprehensive city views in more locations and the price of bus and subway fares being displayed when you look up a route utilizing public transportation.

Multi-stop routes

Moreover, Maps allow you to plan multi-stop routes. With iOS 16, a driving route can include up to 15 stops in total, and you can use Siri to add additional as you drive. The Maps app will not automatically optimize your route to be the most efficient, even though you can add up to 15 stops. But, you must manually drag & drop the stops into the desired order.