Five iOS 16 Features Still Coming in 2022

Apple this week released iOS 16.1, the first major update to the iOS 16 operating system since its public release, and also released iPadOS 16 to the public. While both updates brought many features to iPhone and iPad users, Apple still has more features planned for 2022.

Below, we've listed five features and new apps for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 that Apple has promised to release before the end of 2022 through subsequent updates.

iPadOS 16: External Display Support

One of the hallmark features of iPadOS 16 is that the ‌iPad‌ is finally gaining proper support for external displays. The feature is incorporated into Stage Manager, a new multitasking windowing system for select ‌iPad‌ models.

While ‌Stage Manager‌ is available with iPadOS 16.1, released yesterday, external display support is not. Apple delayed external display support until "later this year," so we'll have to wait until possibly iPadOS 16.2 before we see it available.

Gaming Together Over SharePlay

One new feature of SharePlay on iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 is that later this year, users will be able to use SharePlay to play games with friends and family over FaceTime. This will work for games with Game Center integration and that support multiplayer. In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple already expanded SharePlay to be built-in on apps like Messages.

Freeform

A new app coming later this year from Apple is Freeform. Freeform is a productivity app where teams can easily collaborate in a single place with notes, shared files, web links, drawings, documents, photos, videos, and more. Freeform will be available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Emergency SOS Via Satellite

Exclusive to the iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and launching in November, users will be able to make emergency SOS texts via satellite on their ‌iPhone‌. Emergency SOS via satellite will initially only be available in the U.S. and Canada and will be free for users for the first two years. Pricing beyond the first two years has not been made public.

Apple Music Classical

In August 2021, Apple acquired Primephonic, a streaming service that specialized in classical music. In that announcement, Apple said it would release a dedicated Apple Music experience app specifically designed and tailored for classical music in 2022.

With just a few months left before the end of the year, Apple has not yet released the app, but traces of its development have been found in iOS 16 code, hinting we could see its release alongside an upcoming iOS 16 update.