iOS 16 Wishlist: Features MacRumors Readers Want to See in the Next Version of iOS

There's just over a week to go until the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, which is one of the biggest Apple events of the year. We've heard surprisingly little about iOS 16 this year, so we're in for some major surprises when June 6 rolls around.

iOS 16 mock for feature wishlist
As we wait for the keynote event, we thought we'd share some iOS 16 wishlist items from MacRumors readers, because who knows? We just might see some of these features in the next-generation version of iOS. Everything on this list is sourced from iOS 16 discussion on the MacRumors forums.

Interface

  • More control over placement of app icons on the Home screen
  • Option to hide or move dock
  • Option to add more apps to dock
  • Always-on clock on Lock screen
  • Customizable quick launch buttons to replace Camera and Flashlight
  • Dark mode icons
  • Split view on iPhone
  • A screen for most recently used apps
  • Battery percent in status bar
  • Support for themes and a theme store

Widgets and Control Center

  • Lock screen widgets
  • Interactive/live widgets
  • Control Center API for third-party apps

Notifications

  • Clear all button for notifications
  • LED visual for notifications
  • Mac-style browser notifications
  • Option to snooze notifications
  • Universal notifications - notifications clear from all devices when read on one

Apps

  • Scheduled texts in Messages
  • RCS support for Messages
  • Read receipts and typing indicator for Messages group chats
  • Option to delete all attachments in Messages
  • Edit feature for Messages
  • Scheduled sending and snooze in Mail
  • Equalizer settings for the Music app
  • Non-precise location sharing in Find My
  • Find My location history
  • HomeKit guest mode
  • Better organization in Settings, including submenu for third-party apps
  • Option to prevent a photo from being synced to all devices

Miscellaneous

  • Different ringtones for each SIM
  • Better budgeting tools for Apple Card
  • Folder/app locking
  • Face ID authentication instead of CAPTCHAs
  • Stock keyboard haptic feedback
  • Option to share actual Focus status (working, sleeping, etc)

For the iPad

  • Calculator app
  • Weather app
  • Support for separate app windows
  • Support for multiple users

What's Rumored

In years past, we've had early versions of iOS leak out, giving us a fairly good idea of what to expect. That's not the case this year, and we only have a few details on what could be included in iOS 16.

The iPhone 14 Pro models won't have a standard notch, which means we could see some minor design changes, and there are rumors about Health app improvements, such as a medicine management tool.

Unspecified notification updates are in the works, and we could see emergency satellite messaging features and updates related to car crash detection. iPadOS 16 might be getting new multitasking features, and we could also see support for services that Apple is working on, such as a hardware subscription service.

You can read a bit more about what might be coming in our dedicated iOS 16 roundup.

What Else Do You Want to See?

Hoping for suggestions that aren't featured in our list? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Forum: iOS 16

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Top Rated Comments

49 months ago
The ability to mark a text message as unread after reading it or flag it for later action.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
49 months ago
Also, unread/unsend option in iMessages, please ??‍♀️
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
49 months ago
Wow that’s an exhaustive list.
iOS 16 is already baked so it is what it is - but my guess is we’ll be extremely lucky to get even one of those items on the wish list. They’ll likely string them out for the next 15 years.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shoju Avatar
49 months ago



* Universal notifications - notifications clear from all devices when read on one

This. Can’t believe this hasn’t been fixed already…
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FaustsHausUK Avatar
49 months ago
Option to prevent all apps from outputting, interrupting audio except the one currently playing music.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tech Haven Avatar
49 months ago
Search functionality in Messages is an abomination of both iOS and MacOS. Why can't I search a single user's thread - and have to search all messages? Why can't I specify a date range to search in? Why have we had over a decade of messages and there's been zero improvement here????????????????????
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)