Apple unveils an all-new lock screen experience and new ways to share and connect in iOS 16

Apple today  showcased iOS 16  , which brings the biggest update ever to the Lock screen, and new sharing, communication and intelligence features that work together to transform the user experience with the iPhone. iOS 16 also introduces a shared iCloud Photo Library for seamless sharing of memories with family, updates to Messages and Mail that help users communicate easily, and powerful improvements to Live Text and Visual Global Search.

“iOS 16 is a big release with new updates that will transform the user experience with the iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “We’ve reimagined how the Lock screen looks and works with exciting new features that make it more personalized and useful, introduced shared iCloud Photo Library for families, made communication easier with new capabilities in the Messages and Mail apps, and leveraged improved smart technology in Live Text and Live Text updates. Visual public search.

Custom lock screen experience

With iOS 16, the lock screen has become more personal, beautiful and useful. With the new multi-layer effect, photo themes are intelligently set against the time on the lock screen, creating a sense of depth. Users can also change how the date and time are displayed with expressive writing styles and color choices.

The Lock screen features widgets inspired by the additions on Apple Watch, making it easy to get information like upcoming calendar events, weather, battery levels, alerts, time zones, activity ring progress and more, all with just a glance.

The new lock screen gallery features a range of inspiring options, such as Apple Collections, Pride and Unity collections to celebrate special cultural moments, a weather app wallpaper to see live weather as it changes throughout the day, and an Astronomy wallpaper for views of the Earth, moon and solar system. Users can also create lock screens using their favorite choices of emoji or color combinations. With multiple lock screens, users can switch between their favorite selections with just a swipe.

Live Activities is a new feature that keeps users up to date with real-time events or activities, such as a sports game, workout, sharing a ride, or ordering a food delivery, right on the lock screen. ¹

Notifications have been redesigned to display at the bottom, ensuring that users can clearly see the customized lock screen.

Focus leads to balance

Focus is more powerful, easier to set, and now connects to the lock screen, providing users with a way to associate lock screen wallpaper and widgets with a specific focus pattern. To activate a specific focus, the user can simply swipe to select the respective lock screen. When you use Focus, it filters apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari to display only content related to the focus style the user has chosen, helping them achieve the best balance.

Family photos in one place, with shared iCloud Photo Library

Shared iCloud Photo Library gives families a new way to seamlessly share photos. With a separate iCloud Library, up to six users can collaborate, save, and browse photos. Users can choose to share existing photos from their personal libraries, or share them based on the start date or people in the photos. The user can also choose to automatically send photos to the shared library using a new toggle in the Camera app. In addition, users will receive intelligent suggestions to share a photo that includes participants in the shared photo library. Each user in the shared photo library has access to add, delete, edit, or favorite shared photos or videos, which will appear in each user’s Memories and Featured Photos so that everyone can relive more family moments.

Message updates

Users can edit or restore recently sent messages, retrieve recently deleted messages, and mark conversations as unread so they can come back to them later. ²  In addition, SharePlay has been added to the Messages app, providing the user with the ability to enjoy simultaneous content such as movies or songs and shared playback controls, all while chatting in the Messages app.

New tools for Mail app

Users can now schedule emails ahead of time, so they have a chance to cancel delivery of the message before it reaches the recipient’s inbox. The Mail app intelligently detects if a user has forgotten to include an important part of their message, such as an attachment. Users also have the option to re-view messages at any time and date via the Remind Later feature, and Follow Up suggestions use smart technology to automatically remind users to follow up on an email if they don’t get a response. The Mail app also includes the largest search review process, and uses advanced technologies to deliver more relevant, accurate and complete results. Users can see recent email messages, contacts, documents, and links as soon as they start searching for emails.

Live text feature and visual global search feature improvements

Live Text uses on-device smart technology to recognize text in photos on iOS, and is now expanding to include videos. Users can pause a video on any frame and interact with the text. The live text feature gives users a quick ability to convert currencies, translate texts, and much more.

The global visual image search feature takes it to another dimension by introducing a new feature that allows users to tap and hold on images to lift them from the background and place them in apps like Messages. The general visual search feature has also been expanded to include identification of birds, insects, and statues.

Wallet app additions, Apple Pay Later, Order Tracking, and more

Apple Pay Later provides US users with a seamless and secure way to split the cost of Apple Pay purchases into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with no interest and no fees of any kind. ³  Designed with users’ financial safety in mind, Apple Pay Later built into the Apple Wallet app makes it easy to view, track, and make Apple Pay Later payments within the Wallet app. Users can request Apple Pay Later when they pay with Apple Pay or in the Wallet app. Apple Pay Later is available everywhere Apple Pay is accepted online or within apps, using the Mastercard network. ⁴  Also, by using Apple Pay Order Tracking, users can receive detailed receipts and order tracking information in the Wallet app for Apple Pay purchases from participating merchants.

Expanded support for saving keys and ID cards in the Wallet app. Users can use their ID in the Wallet app for apps that require ID and age verification. To ensure a secure and private experience, only the required information necessary for the transaction in the respective app will be provided and the user can review and agree to share it using Face ID or Touch ID. Additionally, users can securely share their home, hotel, office, and car keys to Wallet through the messaging app, including Messages, Mail, and more.

The new generation of CarPlay

CarPlay has fundamentally changed the way people interact with their cars, and the new generation of CarPlay goes even further with deep integration with in-vehicle hardware. CarPlay can now deliver content to multiple screens within the vehicle, creating a unified and consistent experience. Deeper integration with the vehicle allows users to do things like control radiation or change the climate directly through CarPlay, and using vehicle data, CarPlay will seamlessly display speed, fuel level, temperature and more on the dashboard. Users can customize the driving experience by choosing different instrument designs, and with the added support of widgets, users can get quick information from the weather and music apps right on their car’s dashboard. More information about the new generation of CarPlay will be shared in the future, and the vehicles will begin to be announced late next year.

Additional Features

•  Safari adds  Shared Tab Groups to share websites with friends and family, making it easy to add tabs and see what others are watching. Browsing in Safari is made safer with  passkeys , which are unique numeric keys that are easy to use and more secure. They are never stored on any web server, and only remain on the device so that hackers can’t steal them if the data is compromised, or try to trick users into sharing it. . Designed to replace passwords, Passkeys use Touch ID or Face ID for identity verification, and iCloud Keychain syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV with end-to-end encryption. It will also work across apps and the web, and users can sign in to websites or apps on non-Apple devices using their iPhone.

• Apple Maps offers  multi-stop routing, so users can plan in advance for up to 15 stops, and automatically sync routes from Mac to iPhone when they’re ready to go. The Maps app also provides transportation updates to users, making it easy for passengers to know the cost of their trip, add transit passes to the Wallet app, see card balances low, and renew transit cards—all without leaving the Maps app.

• Family Sharing offers  an  easier way to set up a child’s account with the right parenting tools right from the start. It includes suggestions for age-based restrictions to control apps, movies, books, music and more, and makes it easy to set up a new device that applies preset parental supervision automatically. When a child requests an extension of screen time, parents can approve or decline directly via the Messages app.

• Dictation provides   a new on-device experience that allows users to seamlessly switch between voice and touch. Users can type using the keyboard, click in a text field, move the cursor, and insert QuickType suggestions, all without having to turn off the dictation feature. Additionally, the dictation feature allows automatic use of punctuation and emoji dictation.

•  Siri adds  the ability to launch shortcuts as soon as the app is downloaded, and requires no upfront setup. Users can add an emoji when sending a message, choose to send messages automatically, skip the confirmation step, and end a FaceTime call without using your hands at all. Simply say “Siri, hang up.”

• The Home app makes it easier  for users to navigate, organize and view home accessories, and improvements to the infrastructure provide users with more efficient and reliable control over their smart homes. A software update in iOS 16 will bring support for the Matter smart home connectivity standard once it becomes available later this fall, allowing a variety of accessories to work seamlessly together across platforms, realizing the true vision of a smart home.

• The Fitness app  is available to all iPhone users to help track and achieve their fitness goals, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch. iPhone users can set a daily movement goal in the Fitness app to see how much active calories help close the cycle of movement. iPhone motion sensors can track steps, distances, floors climbed, and exercises from third-party apps, which can be converted into active calorie estimates to contribute to users’ daily movement goal. Users can also share their Action Loop with friends for added motivation.

• My Health app  adds medications, allowing users to easily create and manage a list of medications, create schedules and reminders, and can track users’ medications, vitamins, or supplements. In the US, users can simply point their iPhone’s camera at a drug label to add it, read about the medications they’re taking, and receive an alert if there’s any potential interactions with their medications. ⁵  In addition, users can share their health data with their loved ones, and create a PDF of their health records easily available from connected health institutions, all right from the My Health app. ⁶

• Apple  News introduces   the new My Sports section to easily follow your favorite teams and leagues, get stories from hundreds of top publishers, access the results, schedules and standings of the top professional and college leagues, and catch highlights live in the News app.

• Game Center features  a redesigned dashboard that displays friends’ activities and achievements in Game Center games in one place, making it easy for players to join in or compete with their friends.

• The customized spatial sound feature enables  a  clearer and richer listening experience. Listeners can use the True Depth camera on iPhone to create a dedicated SAC account that allows them to enjoy a music experience that has been tuned just for them.

• The tool is called the  new privacy feature Safety Check  and is a setting that can benefit users whose personal safety is at risk of domestic or intimate partner violence by quickly removing all access they have granted to others. It includes an emergency reset that helps users easily sign out of iCloud from all their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messaging services to only the device in their hands. It also helps users to know and manage the people and apps they have allowed them to access.

• Amenities include   door detection, which allows blind or visually impaired users to use their iPhone to see the last few steps between them and their destination, and Apple Watch Mirroring for users with physical and mobility impairments, who may rely on assistive features such as voice control Switch Control for full control of your Apple Watch from your iPhone. ⁷  In addition, Live Captions makes it easy for hearing impaired people to follow up on feedback while on a phone call or FaceTime call, when using video calls or social media apps, streaming media content, or chatting with someone next to them.