Top Stories: iPhone 16 Features, iOS 18.1 Improvements, and More

Apple's latest devices have been in users' hands for about a week now, so the latest features and upgrades are getting thoroughly tested as users figure out how best to take advantage of the improvements.

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We're also still looking forward to additional enhancements like Apple Intelligence features coming in future software updates, while we took a look back at a long-term feature Apple launched with last year's iPhone models to see how it held up over the past year, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro: How to Use All the New Features

With some new things to get used to on Apple's latest iPhones, we've put together a thorough list of how-tos walking you through some of the new features like Camera Control, the Action button (for those who weren't on an iPhone 15 Pro model previously), updated Photographic Styles, Audio Mix, and more.
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Apple's 80% Charging Limit for iPhone: How Much Did It Help After a Year?

With the ‌iPhone 15‌ models that came out last year, Apple added an opt-in battery setting that limits maximum charge to 80 percent. The idea is that never charging the ‌iPhone‌ above 80 percent will increase battery longevity, so we ran a long-term test keeping a daily driver ‌iPhone‌ at that 80 percent limit from September 2023 to now, with no cheating.

iPhone 15 Pro lineup
Battery health definitely still took a drop over that yearlong period even with the limit engaged, but check out our report for the details and how it compared to other iPhones that didn't use the limit.

Apple Seeds Fifth Developer Betas of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 With Apple Intelligence

Apple is continuing work on its first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ operating system updates, issuing a fresh round of betas this week for iOS 18.1 and other updates.

Apple Intelligence Feature 2
There are quite a few changes and additions in this beta, including tweaks to Control Center functionality, a new Camera Control option to access the front-facing camera, and the ability to drag and drop files between iPhone and Mac while using the ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring feature.

25 New Features You May Have Missed in watchOS 11

While iOS is the star of the show for each round of operating system updates given the popularity of the ‌iPhone‌, Apple's other platforms also see significant updates most years.

25 Hidden Features in watchOS 11 2
This year is no exception, so we've put together a list of 25 new features in watchOS 11 that you may have missed. They range from new health and fitness features to entirely new apps and brand-new functionality, so be sure to check out the list.

iPhone 16's 'Revolutionary' Battery Removal Process Shown in Video

The iPhone 16 and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus include a clever new technology to assist in battery repairs, and that's the ability to use low-voltage electrical current to loosen the adhesive that holds the battery in, allowing a depleted battery to be easily removed and replaced.

iFixit iPhone 16 Battery Removal
The iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max do not include this technology, instead relying on the traditional stretch-release adhesive to secure their batteries, though the smaller ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ includes a metal-enclosed battery for the first time rather than a foil-wrapped one.

Apple Announces iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Come to These Additional U.S. States

Following through on a previous announcement from Apple, California last week became the seventh U.S. state to support digital driver's licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet, rolling out its mDL pilot program to iOS. The feature is also currently supported in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, and Hawaii.

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro
In addition, Apple announced that Montana, New Mexico, and West Virginia have signed on to support the feature. A time frame for those new states is unclear, as it has been several years since other states like Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah were announced as planning to support it but have yet to do so.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

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Top Rated Comments

mikebenton Avatar
20 weeks ago
Upgraded my 14 PM to 16 PM and kept my Ultra (1st). I have to admit, I’m over Apple devices…. My watch battery dies after a full charge in less than a day. My watch shows I was 100% active while I was sleeping, but also shows sleep cycles as I was sleeping. It now shows me sleeping from 9 PM to 10 PM while I was watching tv on the couch, and didn’t do this before. The touchscreen is not accurate and it has a mind of its own. I’m constantly being giving tips, so things I’ve been doing for years now require extra steps to dismiss all the useless info. The CarPlay apps show either ‘Loading’ or ‘Unavailable’ now. I could go on with all the issues. I’m over it…For the first time since the 3GS, I think I’m going to check out an Android.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stiksi Avatar
20 weeks ago
Easier battery replacements are a move into the right direction, maybe they will start coming back down in price so it doesn’t cost half the price of the phone?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
20 weeks ago



None of my music apps work properly, except for Apple Music. Sometimes they will load, but most times they won't.
Don’t know. Is that a BMW? Maybe a firmware update is needed.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TVreporter Avatar
20 weeks ago
The iPhone 15 I bought just 8 months ago loves the new features *cough*

Thanks Tim for AI!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
20 weeks ago
Looking forward to 18.1.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)