Apple this week released iOS 16 to the public, the latest version of its iOS operating system with major changes and new features, including a customizable Lock Screen, the ability to edit and unsend messages, and more.
The biggest iOS 16 features, such as the personalized Lock Screen, will be available on all devices supported by the latest version. Other features of iOS 16, however, require devices with more powerful chips. We've broken down four features below that have specific device requirements on iOS 16 and will not be available on all compatible devices.
Lifting Subjects Out of Images
In iOS 16, you can select and isolate subjects from photos in the Photos app by holding down on a photo for a few seconds until you see a white glow appear around the subject. You can then drag the subject out of the Photos app and into Messages, Mail, Notes, and more.
In Safari, users can hold down on an image to copy the subject but will not be able to drag and paste it into other apps as they can do in the Photos app.
The feature works by using advanced neural networking and image detection to detect the subject in a photo, so it's not available on all the devices that support iOS 16. This feature is only available on devices with the A12 Bionic chip and above, which includes the iPhone XS and later.
All-New Dictation Experience
Coming with iOS 16 is a redesigned Dictation experience that better leverages on-device machine learning for more accurate voice-to-text and a new design that makes it easier to switch between voice and typing. The new Dictation experience allows users to convert voice into text while instantly switching to typing as the keyboard always remains visible.
Since the new Dictation experience uses on-device machine learning, it is limited to devices with processors that can handle the heavy lifting. The new and improved Dictation experience is only available on iPhones with the A12 Bionic chip and later, which includes the iPhone XS and above.
Live Captions for Videos and Calls
In iOS 16, users will be able to activate Live Captions for videos and even live FaceTime calls, providing real-time captioning for what's being said. The feature is part of several new accessibility tools coming in iOS 16. Live Captions will work on devices with the A12 Bionic chip and later, which includes the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, the second-generation iPhone SE, and iPhone 14 series devices.
Battery Percentage in the Status Bar
Starting with iOS 16, Apple is finally letting users see their battery percentage directly in their status bar without having to swipe down into Control Center. The new battery percentage toggle was added in an earlier beta of iOS 16 over the summer. If you're excited to try it out, we may have some bad news.
Apple this week updated the iOS 16 features page on its website with some additional information about the Wallet app on the iPhone.
First, the page now indicates that iOS 16 allows users to securely add new keys to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch directly from a website in Safari, without having to download the key issuer's app from the App Store.
Second, Apple has revealed that iOS 16 adds support for multi-stay hotel keys in the Wallet app. A single key allows users to check in and unlock their room with their iPhone or Apple Watch for all of their upcoming stays at hotels within the same brand. On iOS 15, users needed to add a new hotel key to the Wallet app for each new reservation.
Third, newly added fine print at the bottom of the page confirms that Apple Pay Later will be "coming in a future update" to iOS 16, but no specific timeframe is provided. Apple Pay Later will let qualifying customers in the U.S. split a purchase into four equal payments over six weeks, with no interest or fees to pay. The feature will be built into the Wallet app and available for purchases online and in apps on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple released iOS 16 to the general public on Monday following several months of beta testing. Key new features include a highly customizable Lock Screen, the ability to temporarily edit or unsend iMessages, availability of the Fitness app without an Apple Watch, and more. The free software update is compatible with the iPhone 8 and newer.
The Dark Sky weather app on iOS is reminding users that it will shut down and no longer be supported starting on January 1, 2023, as previously announced.
In a note on the App Store and a prompt shown to users, the app says that many of Dark Sky's features and capabilities have been integrated into the new Weather app on iOS 16, which was released to the public yesterday.
"Support for the Dark Sky app will be ending on January 1st, 2023. Dark Sky's forecast technology will be integrated into the Apple Weather app with iOS 16 this fall," the app's App Store description says.
Apple purchased Dark Sky in March 2020 and has since integrated many of its features directly into its Weather app on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In August of 2020, Apple shut down Dark Sky for Android and at the time said it had no plans to end support for the iOS app.
Last June, Apple updated Dark Sky with new Apple Watch improvements and overall performance and stability enhancements.
A developer has set out to recreate Apple's Dynamic Island experience from the iPhone 14 Pro on Xiaomi's flagship smartphones by integrating the hole-punch cutout into an interactive and dynamic area of the display.
The new theme, called Grumpy UI, was shared on Twitter and shows the theme utilizing the hole-punch cutout at the top left of the display to show the currently playing song. The theme is currently being reviewed for approval by Xiaomi, according to its developer. Xiaomi reportedly rejected a previous attempt by a developer to bring Dynamic Island to its devices.
Dynamic Island Style Notifications / Now Playing on Xiaomi MIUI. Mi Theme Developers never disappoint 😎 pic.twitter.com/ImHmbkRZnb
— Vaibhav Jain (@vvaiibhav) September 11, 2022
Dynamic Island is a new area at the top of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max that integrates the TrueDepth camera array into the iOS experience. The iPhone 14 Pro uses the Dynamic Island to show relevant alerts, notifications, and information at the top of the display, such as Now Playing, Live Activities, AirPods alerts, and more.
Dynamic Island has received a positive reaction online, with some saying it's "Apple's best design in years." In addition to Dynamic Island, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max also feature an always-on display, a 48MP Main camera, better performance, and more.
The iPhone 14 lineup, which includes the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, was made available to pre-order last Friday. All models, with the exception of the iPhone 14 Plus, will begin arriving to customers on Friday, September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus will be available on Friday, October 7.
The Apple Watch Ultra features a 76% larger battery compared to the 45mm Series 8, according to newly uncovered specifications in a Chinese certification database.
The certification, spotted by MySmartPrice, reveals that the Apple Watch Ultra features a 542mAh battery. The 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 features a 308mAh battery, representing a 76% increase in battery size for the Apple Watch Ultra compared to the previous largest Apple Watch.
The documents also confirm that alongside the Apple Watch Series 8 featuring the same CPU as the Series 6 and 7, the new Apple Watch also shares the same battery size. The 41mm Series 8 features a battery capacity of 282mAh, while the Series 7 features a 284mAh battery. The minimal difference in battery size is unlikely to be noticeable. The 45mm Series 8 also shares the same battery size as the 45mm Series 7.
With the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple promises the same all-day battery life as previous generation models. With the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple says that users can expect up to 36 hours of normal use and up to 60 hours with Low Power mode enabled, offering the longest battery life ever in an Apple Watch.
Low Power Mode, which is available on all Apple Watch models supported by watchOS 9, extends battery life by disabling features such as background app refresh, the always-on display, background blood oxygen measurements, and more.
A new iOS 16 app lets users open any app of their choice directly from their Lock Screen without ever needing to navigate their iPhone.
The app called "Launchify" lets users configure one or more iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets that directly open any app of their choosing. Users can create a widget to quickly open Messages, Twitter, the Phone app, or Apple or Google Maps, for example.
While iOS 16 includes a redesigned Lock Screen with new customization features, Apple does not allow users to replace the flashlight and Camera app shortcuts with custom apps. Users can, however, customize a wide range of visual elements on the Lock Screen, including the font and color of the time, custom wallpapers with a depth effect, and more.
Launchify is available for free on the App Store but features an in-app subscription that enables more advanced features, such as adding more than one app shortcut on the Lock Screen.
Apple's suppliers are reportedly preparing to produce and ship Apple's next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, which are expected to feature M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
According to DigiTimes, suppliers within Apple's Mac supply chain are preparing for shipments of upcoming MacBook Pros by slowing down production on existing Macs. DigiTimes notes that Apple's suppliers are similarly ramping down production on the first-generation AirPods Pro following the second-generation's announcement last week.
Apple is expected to update its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the yet-to-be-announced M2 Pro and M2 Max chips sometime in the near future. Bloomberg'sMark Gurman has reported that Apple is planning an event next month that will be Mac and iPad-focused. Gurman has said that the development of the updated machines is well underway and could see a launch as soon as this fall.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch models are expected to retain the same design as the models announced in October 2021 but with the added performance and power efficiency of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The chips are expected to be based on the 5nm process and will likely have increased GPU core counts and RAM compared to their M1 equivalents.
Other than updated MacBook Pros, Apple could also be planning to announce an updated Mac mini with the M2 chip, new iPad Pro models, and potentially the Apple silicon Mac Pro at an event next month.
Following iOS 16's public release, Apple has confirmed that users of older generation iPhone models will miss out on the ability to show their iPhone's battery percentage directly in the status bar.
In an updated support document, Apple says that the new battery percentage display is not available on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 mini, and the iPhone 13 mini. Apple provides no additional information about why these devices will miss out on the new feature.
Apple added the battery percentage display icon in an iOS 16 beta over the summer. The new toggle, which can be found within Settings and Battery, lets users always see their battery percentage directly in the status bar without having to swipe down into Control Center.
Ever since the iPhone X with the notch, users have asked Apple to make it easier to see their iPhone's battery level directly in the status bar. Still, Apple's recent implementation has proven to be controversial.
The new icon includes the battery percentage within the icon rather than to the left of it. The white battery icon remains completely filled in until the battery reaches 20% or lower, at which point a fifth of the icon turns red and the rest of the icon becomes translucent.
Apple's website in several countries erroneously displays $777,777 a month as the price of several products, including all iPhone models, the Apple Watch Ultra, the Apple Watch Series 8, and the second-generation AirPods Pro.
The bug only impacts Apple's main product pages, as purchasing a product from Apple's online store displays its actual price and not $777,777. At the time of writing, the bug is impacting a handful of Apple's websites, including its website in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Update: Apple has fixed the bug on its website and is now displaying accurate pricing on product pages.
Starting with iOS 16, users may see a "Cannot Verify AirPods" alert on their iPhone if they try to connect fake AirPods to the device. Apple shared more information about this alert today in a new support document spotted by developer Steve Moser.
The support document indicates that unverified AirPods can still be connected to an iPhone, but may not perform as expected.
Apple's alert features a prominent "Don't Connect" button, but users can tap on the smaller "Connect in Bluetooth Settings" link to proceed with connecting the unverified AirPods if they choose to. Twitter user "Tommy Boi" shared a video of the alert in action a few days ago after connecting fake AirPods to their iPhone (NSFW warning: the video's background music contains profanity and viewer discretion is advised).
Apple today shared a video explaining how to use the new car crash detection feature enabled by default on all iPhone 14 models, the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch Ultra, and the second-generation Apple Watch SE.
In a new support document published today, Apple says the crash detection feature is designed to detect severe car crashes, such as front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions or rollovers involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars. Apple warns that the feature cannot detect all car crashes.
Apple says if a severe car crash is detected, users will interact with the Apple Watch if they are wearing one. Otherwise, users interact with the iPhone.
When a severe car crash is detected, a supported iPhone or Apple Watch displays an alert and sounds an alarm, according to Apple. If a user is able, they can call emergency services by swiping the Emergency Call slider on the iPhone or Apple Watch, or dismiss the alert. If they do not respond to the alert after 10 seconds, the device begins another 10-second countdown. If they still haven't responded, the device calls emergency services.
The car crash detection feature utilizes sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope on a supported iPhone or Apple Watch. In a press release, Apple said the feature also relies on "advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained with over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data" for increased accuracy.
Apple's video and support document outline additional information about the car crash detection feature, including important safety considerations.
watchOS 9 introduces a new Low Power Mode for the Apple Watch Series 4 and later that is designed to extend battery life by disabling or limiting some features and sensors while enabled, such as the always-on display and background heart rate monitoring.
In a new support document published today, Apple detailed specific features that are disabled or affected when Low Power Mode is turned on:
Low Power Mode turns off these features - Always On display - Heart rate notifications for irregular rhythm, high heart rate, and low heart rate - Background heart rate measurements - Background blood oxygen measurements - Start workout reminder
Low Power Mode turns off these features when your iPhone isn't nearby - Wi-Fi and cellular connections - Incoming phone calls and notifications
Low Power Mode affects these features - Making a phone call can take longer - Background app refresh happens less frequently - Complications update less frequently - Siri can take longer to process a request - Some animations and scrolling might appear less smooth
For safety purposes, Apple says Fall Detection continues to work in Low Power Mode.
To enable Low Power Mode, swipe up on the watch face to open Control Center, tap on the battery percentage button, and turn on Low Power Mode.
When an Apple Watch's battery percentage drops to 10%, a Low Power Mode alert asks users if they want to turn on the feature. Low Power Mode turns off automatically when an Apple Watch is charged to 80%, unless users manually turn it on for a set number of days.
Apple says users can have Low Power Mode turn on automatically when they begin a workout, with metrics such as heart rate and pace still measured.
Apple notes that when Low Power Mode is enabled without your iPhone nearby, and you open an app that requires a data connection, Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity will resume so that the app can function properly, which can cause "significant battery consumption."
watchOS 9 was released today as a free software update for the Apple Watch Series 4 and later. The new Low Power Mode is separate from the Apple Watch's existing Power Reserve mode that only displays the clock when enabled.
In a support document updated today, Apple says customers who have an Apple Watch Ultra or another larger Apple Watch model with a 44mm, 45mm, or 49mm case size might need to adjust the angle of the MagSafe Duo Charger or lay it completely flat in order to ensure the charger makes a proper connection with the Apple Watch.
If an Apple Watch Ultra still won't connect reliably to the MagSafe Duo Charger, Apple says to try removing the watch's band before placing the watch on the charger.
As noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week, the Apple Watch Ultra is not included in the list of devices compatible with the MagSafe Duo Charger, likely due to its larger 49mm case size and bulkier design making it a poor fit. On the contrary, the new Apple Watch Series 8 is listed as compatible, as are all Apple Watch SE models.
MagSafe Duo fans: the Apple Watch Ultra is NOT listed as compatible. I wonder if it actually doesn’t work or just is a little off. pic.twitter.com/Ww53KlbUfB
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 8, 2022
Priced at $129, the MagSafe Duo is a foldable mat with both a MagSafe charger for iPhones and an Apple Watch magnetic charging puck. Apple released the accessory in late 2020, prior to the existence of 45mm and 49mm Apple Watch models. Note that the MagSafe Duo Charger cannot fast charge the Apple Watch Ultra, Series 8, or Series 7.
During the iOS 16 beta testing period, MacRumors wrote a series of in-depth feature guides highlighting every new addition in the update, along with how that walk you through using the new features.
This is a comprehensive guide with all of our coverage, and it's a great resource for casual users who haven't had a chance to test out iOS 16 prior to its launch. Everything is organized by app or feature to make it easy to find what you might be looking for, and for those of you with iPads, many of these features are also available in iPadOS 16, with the exception of Lock Screen customization.
Lock Screen Customization
With iOS 16, Apple overhauled the iPhone's Lock Screen, introducing one of the biggest visual changes we've seen on the iPhone in years. You can set custom wallpapers, change the font of the time, and even choose widgets that you can view on the Lock Screen.
Apple added a number of highly requested features to the Messages app in iOS 16, including iMessage editing, undo send, and Mark as Unread, plus the Messages app now supports SharePlay.
The Focus experience has been improved in iOS 16, making it easier to set up Focus modes. Focus modes can now be linked to different Lock Screens and Home Pages, for more customizability when you're doing different things.
With the latest version of Safari, it's now possible to pin tabs, just like you can on the Mac, plus shared Tab Groups are now supported. Apple is working on replacing passwords with Passkeys, a more secure authentication method, and web push notifications are coming to iOS devices.
Our iOS 16 Safari guide details everything that's new with the Safari browser.
Like Messages, the Mail app in iOS 16 gains some features that are much needed to bring it in line with competing apps. An Undo Send feature gives you 10 seconds to change your mind on an email, and there are options for scheduling an email, and getting notified about missing attachments.
The iOS 16 Maps app brings long-awaited multi-stop routing feature, plus it includes some new transit features and interface updates. For a full list of everything that's new in Maps in iOS 16, we have a dedicated guide that lists the changes.
Siri has new capabilities in iOS 16, such as automatic message sending and the ability to insert emoji in when you're sending a text or an email, plus Apple has made some major improvements to dictation. Our full iOS 16 Siri guide lists all of the new features, and we've also highlighted relevant how tos below.
iOS updates often include new health and fitness-related features, and iOS 16 is no exception. Sleep tracking has improved, and there's a dedicated medication tracking feature so that you can keep tabs on what you're taking and get medication reminders.
Other new features include health sharing invitations and fitness tracking without an Apple Watch, with complete details available in our iOS 16 Health and Fitness guide.
iOS 16 introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library to make it easier to share photos with friends and family. A Shared Library is basically identical to a standard personal library but it can support up to five people.
We have full details on everything that you need to know about iCloud Shared Photo Library in our dedicated iCloud Shared Photo Library guide. Apple says that iCloud Shared Photo Library will not be available when iOS 16 launches and will instead be coming in an update to iOS 16 later this year.
Videos in iOS 16 support Live Text, allowing you to pause a video and select the text inside like you would in an image. Text in a paused video frame can be copied, pasted, translated, and more.
With iOS 16, there are a number of security and privacy-focused updates that include landscape Face ID, Security Check, faster security updates, Passkeys, and more.
Apple hasn't spent a lot of time talking about the new features in Notes and Reminders in iOS 16, but Quick Notes now work on iPhone for the Notes app, notes can locked with a device passcode, and there are updated smart folders.
The Photos app has all kinds of neat feature additions, such as the option to copy and paste edits and more secure hidden and recently deleted albums that are biometrically locked.
There's an option to delete duplicate photos, the people album can be sorted alphabetically, and for the Camera app, there's now an option to use it for real-time translations.
There's a new "Search" button right on the Home screen in iOS 16 to make it easier to get to Spotlight search, plus it now supports Quick Actions for doing things like starting a timer, activating a Focus, or running a Shortcut.
Siri suggestions have improved, and when Live Activities launches in the future, Spotlight will be able to start a Live Activity trackable on the Lock Screen. There are also more rich results and improvements to image search, with a full rundown on Spotlight available in our Spotlight guide.
Weather App
The Weather app now lets you tap into any of the Weather modules to get way more information on metrics like temperature, precipitation, air quality, UV index, and more, plus there's a dedicated Weather Lock Screen and weather widgets to add to any Lock Screen.
Apple in iOS 16 added a new Rapid Security Response feature that's meant to make it quicker and easier for the company to deploy security improvements to iPhone users without a full iOS update. By default, Rapid Security Responses are installed automatically, but Apple has implemented a way to remove them.
In an updated support document shared today, Apple says that you can remove a Rapid Security Response from your device by going to Settings > General > About, tapping the iOS version, and then tapping Remove Security Update.
Apple says you can then reinstall the Rapid Security Response at a later date, or wait for it to be installed permanently as part of a standard software update. It is not clear why a Rapid Security Response would need to be removed, but it's nice that users will have the option.
Apple with the introduction of the Apple Watch Ultra showed off a redesigned and more expansive Compass app, which, as it turns out, is available to existing Apple Watch models in watchOS 9.
Available today, watchOS 9 adds the redesigned Compass app to the Apple Watch Series 5 and later and the Apple Watch SE, though select features are limited to the Apple Watch SE and the Series 6 and later.
The redesigned Compass app features an analog compass that displays a digital view of your current bearing and direction. You can tap into a zoomed view that shows your bearing, elevation, incline, latitude, and longitude for more information.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later, you can mark points of interest in the Compass app using the Waypoints feature, which has customizable colors and symbols. The Waypoints app adds a little marker to your current coordinates, and all Waypoints show up on the main Compass view so you can find your way back to them.
You can also use a new "Backtrack" feature if you have a Series 6 or later. Backtrack uses GPS to record the path that you take, so if you get lost, you can find your way back later. watchOS 9 is available on the Apple Watch Series 4 and later and it can be downloaded now.
Apple in iOS 16 introduced a customizable Lock Screen, complete with widgets. You can have up to five separate widgets on your Lock Screen, including four below the time and one above the time. There are several widgets available from Apple for apps like Weather, Calendar, Clock, Fitness, and Reminders, but third-party app developers are also able to create widgets for the Lock Screen.
We've rounded up a bunch of third-party apps that have implemented widget support as of today, so you can see some of the widget options available to you. Note that if you're planning on getting an iPhone 14 Pro, widgets will be available even when your screen is off thanks to the Always-On display.
Flight tracking app Flighty offers several different widget options. You can see a countdown to your trip before you go, and when you're ready to travel, you can see your gate code, seat number, and take off time. When the flight's in the air, you can see an in-flight progress bar, and then when you land, you can view your arrival gate, weather, and baggage carousel information.
Reddit app Apollo has added several fun widgets that you can choose from. There's a widget to get you right to trending posts, a distance scrolled widget, a karma widget, and an inbox widget so you can see if you have any unread messages. There are also widgets that show you how your most recent post or comment is performing, and an option to get to a favorite subreddit or a random subreddit.
With Fantastical's Lock Screen widget, you can see your upcoming events and a mini calendar. Fantastical also supports Focus Filters, another iOS 16 feature.
Scanner Pro's simple widget lets you tap to get right to the camera for scanning documents.
Gmail, Chrome, and Maps
Google added a number of new widgets across its apps, as we highlighted earlier this morning. There are widgets for Google Maps Chrome, Google News, Gmail, and more.
Google: Initiate a search via text, voice, or the camera by opening up the app
Gmail: View the number of messages in your inbox
Chrome: Initiate a search, including by voice or in incognito mode
Google Drive: Quickly access starred files and folders
Google Maps: View real-time traffic updates and estimated travel times to frequently traveled places like home and work
The Things widget allows you to set up a widget that takes you directly to your Today list, Inbox, Deadlines, and more. You can set up a widget for any list that you use. Things has a rectangular widget below the clock that shows three tasks, and a smaller widget that can be added above the clock that shows a single to-do.
There are also widget options for adding a new to-do and showing the progress that you've made with your daily to-do list.
The Halide widget lets you access the Halide camera app from the Lock Screen. Tapping it opens up the Halide app so you have quicker access to the Halide camera.
CARROT Weather has more than a dozen weather widgets to choose from. You can select a Snark widget that shows typical snarky comments, or opt for different widgets that include conditions, high and low, daily forecast, wind, UV index, humidity, visibility, and more. Many of the widgets require a Premium subscription.
As expected, Apple has published a new support document with release notes for standard AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max firmware updates. Going forward, Apple says the page will outline new features and changes included in AirPods firmware updates.
The latest firmware version for AirPods is 4E71 and was released in May. Sadly, Apple's support document is not particularly helpful for this version, with the release notes only mentioning "bug fixes and other improvements," without any specific details. Hopefully the release notes are more detailed for future firmware versions.
On an iPhone updated to iOS 16, a link to Apple's support document for AirPods firmware updates can be found by opening the Settings app, navigating to General → About → AirPods, and tapping on Firmware Version. The support document is similar to one that Apple has maintained for AirTag firmware updates since earlier this year.
There is still no manual way to update AirPods, with new firmware installing automatically over time while the AirPods are charging and in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. There are some tips and tricks that may help with the process.
