After weeks and weeks of beta testing, Apple officially released iOS 16 stable version to public users today. You can now download and install the latest iOS 16 update with many new features on your iPhone.
iOS 16 Features
Announced back at WWDC in June 2022, iOS 16 brings many new features, including a new revamped Lock Screen, Passkeys, improvements to first-party apps, such as Messages, Mail, and more. Here are some of the major features that iOS 16 comes with.
1. Personalized Lock Screen Experience
Apple finally addresses the dated lock screen look on iPhone. iOS 16 introduces a new Lock Screen experience with a multilayered effect. The main subject in the lock screen photo is neatly set in front of the time on the lock screen. The end results offer a better look with a sense of depth.
2. Lock Screen Customization Options
This is straight from Google’s Material You implementation. Users can press and hold the lock screen, select customize at the bottom and open the editor menu to play with different clock styles, colors, fonts, backgrounds, and more.
3. New Widgets for Lock Screen
While widgets were only a swipe away on the iPhone lock screen, iOS 16 introduces a new form of small widgets specifically designed to be put directly on the lock screen.
You can check the weather, next calendar event, alarm details, connected device’s battery life, and more right from the lock screen. Apple has released Widgetkit for developers to create lock screen widgets in iOS 16.
4. New Lock Screen Gallery
You can now add an entire gallery of photos to your iPhone lock screen. Some of the default image collection includes weather wallpaper to see live weather conditions, Astronomy wallpaper to view Earth, moon, and solar system, Pride and Unity to celebrate special cultural moments, and more.
Users can also different lock screens using their preferred emoji and color combinations.
5. Edit and Undo Send Text Messages
You no longer need to clarify your typos in the iMessage conversation. You can easily edit the sent messages in iOS 16. Moreover, you can quickly unsend recently sent texts in the Messages app.
Interested in reading more about the iOS 16 update? Check out all the iOS 16 features right here.
iOS 16 Compatibility
iOS 16 is compatible with the following iPhones:
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- 2020 iPhone SE
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 8
It is worth noting that iOS 16 is compatible only with the iPhone 8 and models released after it. Apple has dropped support for many of the older iPhones with this release, including the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and original iPhone SE.
How to Download and Install iOS 16
Downloading iOS 16 on your iPhone is an easy and seamless process. However, we recommend that before you go ahead and download the OS on your device, connect the device to a power source. It’s also worth noting that it will take a few minutes to an hour for the update to install on your iPhone since it is over 3/4GB in size.
Step 1. Once your iPhone is plugged in and connected via Wi-Fi, open the Settings app, and tap on General → Software Update. Your iPhone will automatically check for available updates and will inform you that the iOS 16 software update is available.
Step 2. The OS will present you with a screen detailing all the new features and improvements coming to your device with the iOS 16 update.
Your iPhone will continue to download the update and will send you a notification when the update is ready. Go back to Settings → General → Software Update, and then tap Install Now to install iOS 16 on your device.
Have you received the iOS 16 update on your device? How’s your experience been with the iOS 16 so far? Which feature did you like the most? Drop a comment down below and let us know!
Source: Apple Releases
