iOS’ sweet 16. What’s new in iOS16?

By now, we all know that every new iOS release heralds notable performance gains. Hardware improvements are no longer big news. Instead, the tech commentariat is focused on iOS’s changes to the lock screen. The interest is understandable. The lock screen is the first thing you see when you pick up your phone and features the most immediately obvious place changes.

With iOS16, users have access to a plethora of customisable lock screen features. For instance, a new multi-layered photo effect displays images over the clock, giving the lock screen a more natural and dynamic feel.

The inclusion of a lock screen gallery allows users to have as many wallpapers as they want. Each can be customised with unique backdrops, stylised date and time displays, and easily accessible information.

Some may question whether the new lock screen is a little too much. But everyone has their own tastes, so we’ll leave that to you to decide. And you can always use the customisation options to strip back the display if you prefer a minimalist look.

Users can also attach different lock screens to separate Focus Mode profiles. Prefer an information-heavy lock screen when working? You’ve got it. Want an all-green colour scheme when gardening? That’s cool, too.

iOS 16 also introduces the ability to securely share passkeys through popular apps like Messages, Mail and Whatsapp. This could be a very useful feature. How many times have you had to sit back and wait as a family member tries to find and share the Netflix password?

Never again.

Although this feature boasts secure data transmission, making it so easy to share sensitive information seems as though it would create a different type of security risk.

Another new feature is the ability to pay multiple merchants in a single Apple Pay transaction. Now you can specify purchase amounts for several merchants in a single Apple Pay payment sheet. This gives you the flexibility to make bundled purchases — such as a travel package with flight, rental car and hotel — but send payments to individual merchants.

Furthermore, updates to Wallet and Apple Pay now include Order Tracking. With participating merchants, users can receive detailed receipts and order tracking information for Apple Pay purchases via their wallet.

Apple introduced SharePlay in iOS15 to bring us closer together by letting us share experiences over Facetime. iOS16 builds upon this by extending SharePlay to Messages. For example, users can now start a shared movie with friends while remaining in the chat.

iOS16 brings a considerable number of new features to Maps. Users can plan trips with up to 15 stops along the way and see travel estimates within the app. This seems like a great addition for people planning long trips for leisure or work. Additionally, users can add travel cards to their Wallets, check their balance, and replenish their cards in the Maps app. Trips planned on your Mac also automatically sync with iPhone devices.

iCloud gets many new features, one of which is the inclusion of a family checklist with tips for updating device settings for your kids as they get older.

Due to space constraints, we omitted several iOS16 features and updates from this article. App clips, Books, Contacts, Game Centre, Keyboard, Memoji, Music, Notes, Photos, Podcasts, Reminders, and Weather all received slight tweaks. You can read more about these features on Apple’s website.

To make up for that, here are four fantastic hidden features you can find in iOS16.

Hidden and recently deleted albums are now password protected

Historically, the hidden album was never hidden or protected, making it an ineffective (almost comical) attempt to offer users some privacy. iOS 16 fixes this by adding biometric or password protection to the album.

Apple has always allowed iPhones to share passwords by placing them close to each other. This feature was known to be unreliable and quite frustrating when it failed. iOS16 now allows users to view the actual WiFi password as a contingency for iPhones.

This feature also benefits Android or PC users, as the password can be copied and shared orally or electronically. However, it is not groundbreaking stuff for Android users, as the QR code feature enables them to scan and instantly connect to the Wi-Fi.

We’ve all been guilty of having one too many tabs open on our browsers. Currently, Safari caps at 500 tabs. However, the closer you get to that limit, the harder it is to find the exact tab you want.

iOS16 has updated Safari so you can press down on an open tab and the option to hit Pin Tab appears. This permanently pins that tab as a tiny preview at the top of Safari. 

It is hard to tell if this will fix this problem. Will users make the most of it and update it with their favourite tabs? Maybe. But it also seems like it could be a feature that is used for a while and then forgotten. Let’s see!

Here at The Distance, we research each new iOS and Android release so we can develop the most up-to-date and relevant apps for our clients.

If you are interested in learning how The Distance can help you develop your app idea, please do not hesitate to get in touch and talk to one of our experienced team members.