Apple Releases iOS 16.1 With Support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Matter, Live Activities and More

Apple today released iOS 16.1, the first major update to the iOS 16 operating system. iOS 16.1 comes more than a month after the launch of iOS 16, which was released in September.

iOS 16
The iOS 16 update Apple's can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users due to high demand.

With this update, Apple is adding several features that did not make it into the launch version of iOS 16. There is support for iCloud Shared Photo Library for managing a photo library with friends and family, plus it adds Live Activities to the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.

Apple Fitness+ can now be used on ‌iPhone‌ without an Apple Watch, and the update adds support for Matter, among other features. Apple's full release notes are below.

This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don't have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

iCloud Shared Photo Library
- Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people
- Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library
- Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together
- Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos
- Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth

Live Activities
- Live Activities from third party apps are available in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro models

Fitness+
- Apple Fitness+ is supported on iPhone even if you don't have an Apple Watch

Wallet
- Key sharing enables you to securely share car, hotel room, and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp

Home
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

Clean Energy Charging
- New setting that can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available

Books
- Reader controls are automatically hidden as you start reading

This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
- Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages
- Dynamic Island content is not available when using Reachability
- CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app

iOS 16 addresses a long list of vulnerabilities, including a kernel issue that Apple says may have been actively exploited. More information is available in Apple's security support document.

iOS 16.1 is accompanied by iPadOS 16.1, the first launch of the iPadOS 16 software. Apple delayed iPadOS 16.1 because it wanted to do additional work on Stage Manager, a new multitasking feature. More information on all of the features introduced with the iOS 16 update can be found in our 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

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
35 months ago
Woo hoo! Good luck y’all! Hope it’s a smooth download, much anticipated.

Boom! Smooth as melted butter ? ?



Attachment Image
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Beautiful Opinion Avatar
35 months ago
Why does installing OS updates feel so good? It really is catnip for nerds.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lyleberman Avatar
35 months ago
Not seeing it
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Gabe Avatar
35 months ago
It's 1 pm, haven't gotten 16.1 or Ventura, will now be switching to Microsoft and Android.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yeetus Avatar
35 months ago
Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update Preparing Update
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AAPLGeek Avatar
35 months ago
Apple releases iOS 16.1 with more bugs, new privacy loopholes and more.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)