MacRumors

Apple this week released iOS 16, the latest version of iOS with a new customizable Lock Screen, major new additions to Messages, and enhancements to Mail, Maps, and more.

Other than the headlining features, there are a number of quality-of-life changes, improvements, and new capabilities baked into iOS 16 that help improve the iPhone experience. We've listed 16 hidden features and changes from iOS 16 that you may not have known about below.

• Get Rid of Duplicate Photos - The iOS 16 Photos app can let you know if you have multiple identical photos, giving you the opportunity to delete the extras to save space. Duplicate photos are listed in a new "Duplicates" album that appears if you have duplicates to deal with.
• AirPods Updates - It's simpler to manage AirPods settings in iOS 16 with a dedicated section that pops up in the Settings app when AirPods are connected. iOS 16 also adds a Personalized Spatial Audio feature that uses the TrueDepth camera to scan your ears, providing a unique listening experience tuned just to you.
• Face ID in Landscape Mode - ‌iPhone‌ models running iOS 16 support Face ID in landscape mode, making it easier to unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when it's not held in the standard portrait orientation. The feature is limited to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and later.
• Hidden and Deleted Photo Protection - In iOS 16, you need to authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID before the Hidden and Recently Deleted photo albums can be accessed. This essentially locks these albums from view should someone gain access to your phone while it's otherwise unlocked.
• WiFi Password - If you've ever been frustrated by an inability to access the WiFi password of the network you're using, that's changing in iOS 16. In the ‌iPhone‌'s WiFi settings, you can see the password of the network that you're connected to.
• Haptic Feedback for Keyboard - There's a keyboard setting in iOS 16 that lets you enable haptic feedback that can be felt when you're typing. The vibrations are for each key tap, offering users a physical confirmation that a letter has been tapped.
• Copy and Delete Screenshots - When you take a screenshot on iOS, alongside being able to save the screenshot to ‌Photos‌, save as a Quick Note, and save to Files, you'll now be able to "Copy and Delete." The new option saves the screenshot to your clipboard and then deletes it from your Camera Roll, making it easier to use one-time screenshots without them being saved to your device and needing to be cleaned up later.
• Ability to Delete Find My, Clock, and Health - With iOS 14, Apple allowed users to offload some of the apps that come pre-installed on the ‌iPhone‌. With iOS 16, Apple is expanding the number of apps you can delete from your phone, which now includes Find My, Clock, and Health. Deleted apps can be redownloaded from the App Store later if needed.
• Built-In Currency Converison - Thanks to new features in Live Text, iOS now includes built-in currency conversion within the Camera and ‌Photos‌ apps. Simply hold your ‌iPhone‌ camera up to a price tag, wait for the Live Text icon to appear, tap and hold on the price, and select "Convert." Live Text also supports translation and measurement conversion.
• See Your Battery Percentage - In iOS 16, Apple is giving users the ability to display their battery percentage directly in the status bar inside of the battery icon, removing the need to swipe into Control Center to check on their battery level. The battery percentage toggle is not available on all iPhones.
• Use Siri to Hang Up a Call - A new settings in iOS 16 lets users use Siri to hang up an active call. By heading into Settings > Accessibility > ‌Siri‌ and activating Call Hangup, users can now say "Hey ‌Siri‌, hang up the call" to end an active call. Note that the other person/people on the call will hear your request to ‌Siri‌ before being hung up on.
• Prevent Accidental Call Hangups - Users on iOS 16 will now have the ability to disable the side button from ending an active call. In prior versions of iOS, pressing the side button and locking the ‌iPhone‌ while in a call would instantly end it. In iOS 16, Apple allows users to disable that to prevent accidents by going into Settings > Accessibility> Touch and toggling on "Prevent Lock to End Call."
• Sorting Options for Playlists - In Apple Music on iOS 16, users will now have the ability to sort playlists by title, artist, album, and release date. The new sorting option can be found by pressing the three dots in the upper right-hand corner when viewing a playlist.
• Full-Screen Music Player - One major but possibly lesser-known feature of iOS 16 is that Apple is bringing back the full-screen Lock Screen music player. When listening to a song from ‌Apple Music‌, Spotify, or other third-party music apps, press on the album art on the Lock Screen from Now Playing to enter the all-new player look. Tap the full-screen album art to minimize Now Playing.
• Spatial Audio Just for You - With the latest AirPods and some Beats earphones, iOS 16 users can activate Personalized Spatial Audio. Personalized Spatial Audio uses the LiDAR scanner on the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, or the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro to scan the geometry of the user's ears in order to deliver a better Spatial Audio experience.
• New Warning While Charging - On iOS 16, if your ‌iPhone‌ is warm, you'll get a new notification letting you know that charging will be paused until your ‌iPhone‌'s temperature cools down. This is done in order to prevent possible long-term damage to your ‌iPhone‌'s battery.

For the ultimate walkthrough of everything new in iOS 16, see our comprehensive roundup.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Apple revealing the iPhone X, one of the biggest redesigns in the ‌iPhone‌'s history. Among other innovations, the ‌iPhone‌ X introduced the notch to the ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID and a design language that has persisted through the last several years.

In memory of the notch turning five years old this week, we thought we'd look back at the history of the ‌iPhone‌'s display bezels and how they have evolved into the pill-shaped cutout it is becoming today.

The Thick Bezel Era

For the first decade following the ‌iPhone‌'s 2007 debut, all iPhones featured relatively thick bezels at the top, bottom, and sides of the display. The bezels were either black or white, depending on the color of your device. The bezels were particularly thick at the top and bottom, given the need to house the front-facing camera, earpiece, and the Home Button, which gained Touch ID in 2013.

Throughout those initial years, Apple hardly touched the bezel design around the ‌iPhone‌'s display, keeping the thick "forehead and chin" bezels as displays gradually grew from 3.5 inches in the first few generations to as large as 5.5 inches with the "Plus" variants of the ‌iPhone‌ 6, 6s, and 7. It wasn't until 2017 that things started to radically change.

Say Hello to the Notch

When Tim Cook announced the ‌iPhone‌ X at the Steve Jobs Theater in 2017, he used Apple's iconic "One more thing" phrase to mark the unveiling of the most significant redesign in the ‌iPhone‌'s history. The ‌iPhone‌ X introduced several new features to the ‌iPhone‌, with the most notable being ‌Face ID‌ housed in a new notch that protruded into the top edge of the display.

With that significant change to the ‌iPhone‌'s display, Apple had to rethink how iOS handled content. The new design also meant that third-party apps needed to be updated to support the notch and be sized correctly for the new display. The notch remained a key design element of the ‌iPhone‌ for four years until it was ever touched again.

The Notch Gets Smaller

With the notch remaining essentially unchanged through the ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XS/XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, and ‌iPhone‌ 12 generations, Apple finally managed to reduce its width with the ‌iPhone‌ 13. The notch on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 was made smaller in width but slightly taller. The change was a subtle one, but it emphasized Apple's efforts toward minimizing and ideally removing the notch, which would see another significant step a year later.

Welcome to Dynamic Island

Five years after the notch's debut, Apple is finally moving on, upgrading the notch on the latest ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max to a pill-shaped cutout separated from the display bezel. While the cutout may look like one large pill-shaped display intrusion, it is actually two separate cutouts digitally merged and hidden within the iOS user interface through a feature Apple calls Dynamic Island.

‌Dynamic Island‌ is an entirely new way to interact with the ‌iPhone‌ that integrates the pill-shaped cutout into the iOS experience by moving alerts, notifications, and other information to the top of the display and around the cutout, which digitally resizes to respond to what's being displayed. ‌Dynamic Island‌ has received praise since its unveiling last week, with some calling it the "best design work from Apple in years."

What's Next?

With the shift to a pill-shape and hole-punch cutout on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max, the question becomes about what comes after the ‌Dynamic Island‌. While the end goal may be a fully unintrusive design with no notch or cutouts, that may be far out in the future until the technology to adequately hide the various cameras and sensors beneath the display exists.

Rumors currently suggest that Apple is planning to bring ‌Dynamic Island‌ to the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models next year as the feature trickles down from the highest-end models, so it seems likely that Apple's notch replacement is here to stay for at least a few more years. What would you like to see as the next major design change on the ‌iPhone‌? Let us know down in the comments.

Following a leak earlier this year, Sonos today announced the Sub Mini, a new wireless subwoofer with a more compact design and lower price than the full-size Sonos Sub. Sonos said the Sub Mini will be available globally starting October 6, with pricing set at $429 in the United States, compared to $749 for the full-size Sub.

Sonos says the Sub Mini features advanced digital signal processing that "maximizes bass response and reproduces the full-toned low frequencies expected from a much larger subwoofer." The subwoofer can be paired with AirPlay-enabled Sonos speakers and sound bars like the Beam, Ray, and One via Wi-Fi for a complete home theater experience.

Using the Sonos app for iPhone or iPad, users can easily add the Sub Mini to their Sonos system. With a supported iOS device, Sonos says Trueplay tuning technology "adapts the bass for the unique acoustics of the room so it never sounds harsh, muddy, or flat," even if the Sub Mini is placed next to a wall in a room.

Design wise, the Sub Mini has a cylindrical shape and is available in matte black or white. The subwoofer is equipped with dual inward-facing six-inch woofers and two Class-D digital amplifiers, along with dual ARM Cortex processors and a 10/100 Ethernet port.

Verizon this week is helping soon-to-be iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro owners get ready for the smartphone's arrival with 20 percent off MagSafe bundles and 25 percent off MagSafe chargers. This follows Verizon's sale on iPhone 14 cases that began last Friday and remains ongoing.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the direct discounts on the MagSafe accessories, you can get the MagSafe Charger for $29.99, down from $39.00. The MagSafe Duo Charger is down to $96.74, from $129.00; and the MagSafe Battery Pack is down to $74.24, from $99.00.

For the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger, these are the best prices we've ever tracked on the accessories. The regular MagSafe Charger is about $2 higher than the best-ever price we saw in the past, so it's still a solid second-best price.

Additionally, Verizon has a variety of MagSafe Accessory Bundles on sale for 20 percent off this week. For these bundles and the above accessories, Verizon offers free two day shipping and free returns within 30 days, and you don't need to be a Verizon Wireless customer to purchase these deals.

• iPhone 14 Silicone Case + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $91.97 ($23 off)
• iPhone 14 Plus Silicone Case + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $91.97 ($23 off)
• iPhone 14 Pro Silicone Case + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $91.97 ($23 off)
• iPhone 14 Pro Max Silicone Case + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $91.97 ($23 off)
• MagSafe Leather Wallet + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $99.97 ($25 off)
• MagSafe Battery Pack + MagSafe Charger + 20W Power Adapter - $131.17 ($32 off)

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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.

• iOS 16: How to Lift Subjects From Images on the Web

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.

The new battery percentage toggle will not be available on a number of iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini.

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.

As we previously reported, the Wallet app on iOS 16 also features detailed receipts and order tracking information for Apple Pay transactions.

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 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's Mark 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.

• iOS 16: How to Display iPhone Battery Percentage in Status Bar

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).

The alert was first discovered in code for the iOS 16 Release Candidate last week.

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.

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.

We have a guide on all of the new changes with the Lock Screen, and a long list of how tos that will help you set up your ‌iPhone‌ Lock Screen to suit your needs.

• iOS 16 Lock Screen Guide: Widgets, Customization Options and More
• How to Customize the Lock Screen
• How to Create a New iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Set a Photo As Your Lock Screen Wallpaper
• How to Shuffle Between Photos on Your iPhone's Lock Screen
• How to Change Your Lock Screen's Photo Shuffle Frequency
• How to Create an Emoji Lock Screen Wallpaper
• How to Set a Dynamic Weather Lock Screen Wallpaper
• How to Set a Dynamic Astronomy Lock Screen Wallpaper
• How to Change the Color of Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Change the Clock Style on Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Change the Lock Screen Clock to Arabic Indic
• How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Change the Lock Screen Clock to Arabic Numerals
• How to Change the Lock Screen Clock to Devanagari
• How to Display Activity Rings on Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Set a Unique Lock Screen for Your Focus Mode
• How to Show Upcoming Calendar Events on Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Show the Weather Forecast on Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Display iPhone Battery Percentage on Your Lock Screen
• How to Change Notifications Layout on Your Lock Screen
• How to Delete a Lock Screen Wallpaper
• How to Disable Lock Screen Depth Effect
• How to Automatically Switch to a Lock Screen at a Set Time
• How to Automatically Switch Lock Screens at a Set Location
• How to Hide Notifications on Your iPhone Lock Screen
• How to Crop a Lock Screen Wallpaper

Messages App

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.

Our dedicated Messages guide covers everything that's new with the Messages app in iOS 16.

• How to Unsend a Sent iMessage
• How to Edit a Sent iMessage
• How to Mark a Message as Unread
• How to Recover Deleted Messages
• How to Report Junk SMS and MMS Messages

Focus

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.

Everything new with the Focus app is explained in our iOS 16 Focus guide.

• How to Use Focus Filters to Hide Content in Apps
• How to Switch On Dark Mode With a Focus
• How to Activate Low Power Mode With a Focus
• How to Link an Apple Watch Face to a Focus Mode
• How to Stop Focus Modes From Sharing Your Status
• How to Limit Browsing to a Specific Safari Tab Group in Focus Mode
• How to Associate a Mail Account With a Focus
• How to Silence Notifications From Specific People When in a Focus Mode
• How to Silence Notifications From Specific Apps When in a Focus Mode

Safari

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.

• How to Pin Tabs in Safari on iPhone and iPad
• How to Create Favorites Within a Safari Tab Group
• How to Customize Suggested Strong Passwords

Mail App

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.

For a full rundown of everything new in the Mail app, we have a dedicated iOS 16 Mail app guide.

• How to Unsend Emails in Apple Mail
• How to Schedule Emails in Apple Mail
• How to Get Email Reminders in Apple Mail
• How to Use the 'Follow Up' Feature in Apple Mail

Maps

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.

• How to Use Multi-Stop Routing in Maps

Siri

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.

• How to Automate Messages Sent With Siri
• How to Make Siri Wait Longer for You to Finish Speaking
• How to Make Siri Announce Notifications Through Your iPhone's Speaker
• How to Use Siri to Hang Up a Call on iPhone

Health and Fitness

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.

• How to Add a Medication or Vitamin to the Health App
• How to Remove an Item From Your Medication Log in the Health App
• How to Share Your Medications List in the Health App

iCloud Shared Photo Library

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.

• How to Control When iPhone Camera Shots Are Saved to Your iCloud Shared Photo Library
• How to Invite Someone to Your iCloud Shared Photo Library
• How to Create an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• How to Enable or Disable Deletion Notifications for an iCloud Shared Photo Library

Live Text

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.

Other new Live Text features include a live Translate Camera, Quick Actions, and more, with full details in our Live Text guide.

• How to Convert Currencies, Time Zones, Temperatures, and More in Inline Text
• How to Copy and Translate Text That Appears in Videos on Your iPhone

Security and Privacy

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.

We have a dedicated Security and Privacy Guide that highlights every new feature you need to know about.

• How to Quickly Reset Your Data and Location Access Permissions on iPhone
• How to Disable Rapid Security Response Software Updates on iPhone

Notes and Reminders

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.

As for Reminders, lists can be pinned, there's a completed smart list that shows finished tasks, and you can save and load list templates. A full overview of everything new in Notes and Reminders is available in our guide.

Photos and Camera

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.

A complete list of everything new in Photos and Camera can be found in our guide.

• How to Translate Text in the Camera App
• How to Lock Hidden and Recently Deleted Photo Albums
• How to Find, Merge, and Delete Duplicates in Your Photo Library
• How to Copy and Paste Edits to Photos
• How to Undo and Redo Individual Edits to Photos

Spotlight Search

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.

If you want to know more about the Weather app, we have a dedicated Weather app guide.

• How to Get Severe Weather Notifications

Guide Feedback

Have questions about iOS 16, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.