All the iOS 16 Features You Won't Get Until Later This Year

There are usually multiple features that Apple is not able to finish before the first official release of a major new version of iOS, and this year looks to be no different, with a total of nine iOS 16 features now confirmed to not be present in the first public version of the new OS.

ios 16 lock screen feature
Last year, SharePlay, Digital IDs in the Wallet app, and Universal Control were among a large number of features in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 that were not available in their initial release, taking several months to trickle out to users.

Apple previewed each of the following features upon announcing iOS 16 at WWDC earlier this year, but they will not be present in iOS 16.0 when it releases to the public tomorrow:

  • Live Activities: Follow activities happening in real-time like a sports match or a ride-share with just a glance at the Lock Screen. Third-party apps and App Clips can implement support thanks to the Live Activities API.
  • Game Center SharePlay support: Games that use Game Center multiplayer support have SharePlay integration. You can start playing automatically with friends on a FaceTime call.
  • Game Center Contacts integration: Contacts shows your friends' Game Center profiles. Tap through to see what they are playing and achieving in games.
  • Support for Matter: The new smart home connectivity standard that enables compatible accessories to work together seamlessly and across platforms. Matter allows users to choose from even more compatible smart home accessories and control them with the Home app and Siri on Apple devices.
  • Updated architecture for the Home app: Enhancements to the underlying architecture of the Home app to enable faster, more reliable performance and improved efficiency, especially for homes with lots of accessories and multiple controller devices.
  • Freeform app: A new digital whiteboard app with a flexible canvas for diagramming projects, aggregating important assets, and brainstorming, with real-time collaboration features and rich multimedia support.
  • iCloud Shared Photo Library: A new option in the Photos app to allow users to create a shared photos library and invite anyone with an Apple ID to view, contribute to, and edit it, including favoriting images and adding captions. There are no limitations, and all participants have the same permissions, making it ideal for families.
  • Key sharing: The ability to securely share keys in Apple Wallet via messaging apps and Mail.
  • Easy Shortcuts setup for iPhone 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, and ‌iPhone‌ X: ‌Siri‌ can run shortcuts from installed apps without any setup process (to be available for newer devices immediately without delay).

iCloud Shared Photo Library became the latest feature to be delayed following Apple's "Far out" event earlier this week, but all of the other delays were known upon the initial preview of iOS 16 at WWDC.

Apple says that all of these features are coming in an update to iOS 16 later this year, but it has not yet offered a more specific timeframe for any of them. After months of beta testing, iOS 16.0 will become officially available for download on every compatible ‌iPhone‌ tomorrow. For a detailed breakdown of all of the new features in iOS 16, see our comprehensive roundup.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

johnnytravels Avatar
37 months ago
Seems like that is actually what the title of the event referred to: “sorry but most of the features in our new release are still far out”
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mjs916 Avatar
37 months ago
As always, I prefer late and stable to early and buggy.

Looking forward to some of the new features, but I’ll be holding off for a couple weeks at least to see how performance is affected.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gimmesomemo Avatar
37 months ago

The point is why someone needs new hardware now if new software that fit that hardware won't here before six months? Apple sw team is more than one monkeycode? Its seems not, 'cause he was busy to develop gimmick Dynamic what else (something yet developed years ago from others, like Stage Manager that was here for Leopard, yet developed copied Looking Glass from Sun), something that could be developed also for notch but "Hey, we need to sell new iPhone!". Thanks God nobody needs that cr*p of iOS 16.
Maybe you should take a step back and breathe… Apple engineers and developers (yes they are real people) are very talented and have to work on a very tough update cycle, whilst also knowing the features will be used by tens or hundreds of millions of people.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
37 months ago
No rush! Apple get it right. I can wait.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Futurix Avatar
37 months ago

WFH is working out great. Only 9 new features are delayed. Oh that’s right, WFH people work the hardest out of everyone. ?
Features were delayed long before WFH at Apple was a thing.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HQuest Avatar
37 months ago
Disappointed by Matter being postponed again. I’m eager to get a once and for all smart home with devices for a Smart Home, not “made for XYZ home”.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)