Apple iPhone iOS 16 , Apple’s latest iPhone software, is now available for download. And if you’ve been following along from Apple’s developer conference in June through the subsequent public beta release, you’ll know exactly what to expect.
But what happens if you don’t? No need to worry, we’ve got a rundown of iOS 16’s top features and how to use them, as well as profiles of the most significant changes coming to your iPhone. Our iOS 16 public beta hands-on also provides a sneak peek at how iOS 16 will perform on your iPhone.
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When will iOS 16 be released?
Apple announced last week’s September event, where the iPhone 14 made its debut, that iOS 16 would be released sometime today (September 12). Apple is eager to get iOS 16 out to existing iPhones ahead of the release of three iPhone 14 models that ship with iOS 16 on Friday (Sept. 16). Today, Apple also released tvOS 16.
Just after 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, iPhone users began taking to Twitter to announce that the update was now available for download, complete with screenshots. It hasn’t yet appeared on our iPhone 11 Pro Max running iOS 15.7, but Apple typically distributes updates to different regions. If it hasn’t appeared on your iPhone yet, please be patient.
Here’s how to download and install iOS 16 on your phone, but in a nutshell, open the Settings app and navigate to General. Select Software Update, and iOS 16 should be available for download.
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What iPhone is compatible with iOS 16?
If you’ve used the iOS 16 public beta, nothing has changed with the official release of iOS 16. However, keep in mind that you’ll need an iPhone 8 or later, which means any device released since the fall of 2017. This means that any iPhone 6s or iPhone 7 models capable of running iOS 15 will be unable to update to the new version; the original iPhone SE will also be excluded, though the 2020 and 2022 releases will be able to do so.
It should be noted that some iOS 16 features, such as Live Text and Visual Look Up, require an iPhone with an A11 Bionic chip or later. (This is the same as in iOS 15.) If you have an iPhone XR or later, you will be OK
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Top features of iOS 16
So you’ve got iOS 16 installed. Which features should you test first? Based on our time with the iOS 16 public beta, here are our profiles of all the major changes coming to the software update.
iOS 16 Messages
Messages now allows you to mark texts as unread, which is useful if you want to review them later when you have more time. You can also access SharePlay from Messages, allowing you to collaborate with other users in apps such as Files, Keynote, and Notes. The most significant change in iOS 16 Messages is the addition of new editing tools.
You will be able to edit text messages after they have been sent and unsend text messages if you have replied to the wrong text message. After you’ve sent your text, the editing and unsending features are only available for a limited time.
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Apple’s iOS 16 lock screen
The most noticeable changes with this software update are probably to the iOS 16 lock screen, as you can now customize your iPhone’s lock screen with different fonts and colors. An even bigger change is the ability to add widgets to the lock screen, which will be especially useful if you own an iPhone 14 Pro with the new always-on display.
iOS 16 Safari
iOS 16 Safari expands on the Tab Groups feature introduced with iOS 15 last year by allowing you to share Tab Groups with other people.
The other major change in iOS 16 is passkeys, a password replacement that will necessitate the adoption of third-party apps and websites.
iOS 16 Mail
Messages isn’t the only app that now allows you to undo a mistakenly sent message; iOS 16 Mail does as well. In addition to the ability to unsend emails in iOS 16 Mail, you can also schedule an email to be sent later, similar to Gmail.
iOS 16 News
A major addition to the News app is a feature called My Sports, which allows you to select favorite teams from a variety of sports. This creates a separate section within News for those teams, displaying scores, articles, and video highlights.
iOS 16 Live Text and Visual Look Up
Apple added Live Text and Visual Look Up to iOS 15, allowing you to copy text out of photos and look up information about things you’ve photographed by tapping into the neural engine on its latest processors. iOS 16 expands on these capabilities by allowing you to copy text in videos just like you can in photos — action buttons associated with that identified text allow you to jump to phone calls and web pages, as well as look up websites in Safari.
Visual Look Up now includes a far more useful tool: you can copy the subject of a photo and paste it into other apps like Notes, Messages, and more. Visual Look Up can now recognize birds, insects, and statues.
That is only one of the major changes in iOS 16, which also includes new Memoji options and the ability to track medications in the Health app. Siri in iOS 16 also gains several new capabilities. Check out the best hidden features in iOS 16 that you may have missed.
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iOS 16 Photos
Apple adds the ability to copy and paste edits to photos and videos in iOS 16 Photos, saving you time when you want to make identical changes to a batch of photos at once. Undo and redo edit commands allow you to undo and redo image edits, and the Hidden and Recently Deleted folders now use Face ID unlocking for added security. A new Duplicates folder simplifies the removal of identical folders from your library.
iOS 16 Focus
Another feature introduced in iOS 15 gets a minor update in iOS 16, as Apple streamlines the Focus setup process. When you set a Focus mode, new filters let you fine-tune what’s permitted and what’s blocked out, and while those filters are limited to Apple’s built-in apps at launch, Apple has released a tool to let developers add filters to their apps.
iOS 16 Fitness
You no longer need an Apple Watch to track your physical activity. iOS 16 introduces a separate Fitness app that tracks your steps, distance traveled, and calories burned. Fitness on the iPhone may be a simplified version of a similar app available to Apple Watch owners, but it can motivate you to get up and move every day.
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iOS 16 Maps
More detailed city maps are coming to iOS 16 Maps, and you’ll be able to calculate trip costs when you plot routes using the navigation software’s public transit option. Even better, the new Maps app allows you to replenish the balance on any transit cards you’ve saved in the Wallet app.
The most significant change to Maps is the ability to plan multi-stop routes while driving. In fact, you can make up to 15 stops on a single journey.
What features will not be available in iOS 16 when it is released?
Apple previewed a new iCloud Shared Photo Library in June, with the goal of making it easier to share photos with family members. You can include up to five other people in your iCloud Shared Photo libraries, each of whom can add their own photos and make changes to photos in the album.
We expected iCloud Shared Photo Library to debut alongside the rest of iOS 16’s new features throughout the beta process. However, The Verge(opens in new tab) reported last week that iCloud Shared Photo Library would not be included with the rest of iOS 16 today. Indeed, according to Apple’s iOS 16 features(opens in new tab) page, iCloud Shared Photo Library will be available “later this year.”
We already knew that Live Activities would not be ready alongside the rest of iOS 16. This is a new type of notification that alerts you to ongoing information, such as the score of a baseball game or the status of a ride-share vehicle arriving to pick you up. Live Activities rely heavily on third-party developers using Apple’s developer tools to create new widgets, which won’t be available until after iOS 16 is released. Apple does provide a preview of how Live Activities will interact with its Timer widget, which provides a live countdown on the lock screen.
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