In June, Apple is expected to pull the wraps off iOS 16 at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event. We previously reported that the OS update could bring a notification system update. A new report corroborates this information saying Focus modes could get more options for personalization.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that iOS 16 would bring an upgraded notification system to iPhone. He called it a “fairly significant enhancement” but didn’t elaborate much further. 9to5Mac took a closer look at the code for macOS 12.4 available to developers and discovered that significant changes to Focus modes are in the pipeline.

Apple introduced Focus modes with iOS 15 and macOS Monterey. The feature allows you to personalize which applications can send notifications at specific times of the day or while you’re doing certain activities. The best part of Focus profiles is that once activated on your iPhone, it applies to all other devices linked to your Apple ID. So, there isn’t the slightest chance that you would be disturbed by an unnecessary notification.

The report claims that the upcoming customization options for Focus modes won’t be compatible with iOS 15 and macOS 12. A new string of code in the iOS 15.5 beta suggests some Focus mode enhancements will work only with more recent versions of the operating systems. However, the description of the specific Focus mode features that mandate upgrading iOS remains shrouded in mystery. The error message string in the code reportedly reads:

“Using an allowed list for this Focus will cause these settings to be lost on your other devices with newer software.”

“A device with newer software has updated this Focus to use a new configuration this device doesn’t support. To continue editing notifications on this device, update to the latest software or use an allowed list for this Focus.”

Besides this, the code for iOS 15.5. beta also suggests new features are on the cards for Apple News. This implies that some new content in the app would require iOS 16. The error message for incompatibility with such features also has a line dedicated to devices that cannot be updated to iOS 16. This corroborates previous speculation suggesting Apple will drop support for a few outdated devices with the iOS 16 update. Specifically, the error message for Apple News reads:

“Sorry, you need to update your device in order to see this content.”

“Sorry, News is no longer fully supported on older devices.”

iOS 16 will be revealed at WWDC, which kicks off on June 6. What features do you wish for in the update? Tell us in the comments.