THE BEST OF iOS 16

LOCK SCREEN GLOW-UP, PHOTO SHARING MADE EASY & MORE

- LEANNE HAYS

There’s a lot to love about Apple’s newest iPhone software update. iOS 16 offers an impressive Lock screen makeover, a seamless new way to share photos, exciting Messages and Mail app upgrades, and improvements to Focus features. While most of these features aren’t technologically groundbreaking (indeed, Android phones have had many for years), iOS 16 is focusing on bringing iPhone users what they want. Because of this, we’re eagerly awaiting its release in the fall. Give the people what they want!

Apple will publicly release iOS 16 this fall, likely in mid-September. If you’re an early adopter, Apple offers a beta version of iOS 16 to the public starting in July. If you own an iPhone 8 or later, you will be able to run iOS 16, but certain accessibility features like Door Detection and People Detection are only available on the Pro models of the iPhone 12 and 13, and Live Captions only in beta on the iPhone 11 and later.

CREATE THE LOCK SCREEN OF YOUR DREAMS

Rumor has it that we’ll see an always-on display with the iPhone 14 (see page 14). While there’s no guarantee of always-on technology this year, a more useful and customizable Lock screen opens the door to more speculation. iOS 16 includes Lock screen updates such as Widgets, customizable color and font for the clock, and the new Live Activities feature, which includes real-time updates and visual trackers to allow iPhone owners to access timely information, like sports scores and food delivery status.