New tools for iOS/iPadOS 16
From productivity to fitness, there are plenty of changes on the way
iOS and iPadOS 16 share many new features, covering everything from communication, to fitness, to productivity. The Lock Screen on iPhone gets a new look, while photos will be easier to share than ever before. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, declared that “iOS 16 is a big release with updates that will change the way you experience iPhone.” There’s certainly packed a lot in there, with Messages and Mail are getting an overhaul too.
Significantly, Apple is introducing a ‘buy now, pay later’ option called Apple Pay Later, allowing payments to be spread over six weeks. It will be available anywhere that accepts Apple Pay. Consumers will also be able to track orders directly in the Wallet app. Elsewhere, the ability to share home, hotel, office and car keys stored in the Wallet is being expanded.
The Weather app will become available on iPad when the new operating system is released, with the animations and details taking advantage of the bigger screen size. Real-time collaboration on Apple’s tablet will also be possible thanks to the new Freeform feature, which will arrive later in the year. It utilises FaceTime and Messages to enable people to work on a project together at the same time. Apple Maps will let you plan as many as 15 stops on a route.
Apple is going to allow iPhone users who do not also have an Apple Watch to make use of the Fitness app. There is going to be a new Medicines app, which will help people set a personalised schedule for their meds and alert them to any clashes between prescriptions.
Content consumption
The ability to share your screen via SharePlay is coming to Messages. Sports is becoming a more important part of the Apple offering, with News getting a My Sports section in iOS and iPadOS 16. This will allow you follow live sports scores, read stories and watch highlights in-app.
As well as Centre Stage, which will allow windows to smoothly overlap on the iPad, new pro features help those with an iPad Pro or Air containing the M1 chip. There will be a new Reference Mode to help creative professionals and Display Zoom, which enables you to increase the pixel density of the display and view more in your apps. This should be particularly beneficial when using Split View. Virtual Memory Swap will let you access up to 16 gigabytes of memory, to help improve the multitasking experience.
As ever, there is set to be various security and privacy updates too. Most notable is Safety Check. This will enable people who are at personal risk from domestic or intimate partner violence to reset their privacy settings and quickly revoke the access others may have to their devices.