iOS 16 new features – Apple’s latest iPhone software update

Apple’s latest software update – iOS 16 – will be released today for all iPhone models from the iPhone 8 up.

First announced back in June, and with the launch date confirmed at Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event last week, the operating system includes a range of new features.

These include a redesigned lock screen, the ability to unsend messages and emails, and the option to set up an iCloud Shared Photo Library.

There is also a new ‘Lockdown Mode’ which reduces the device’s functionality in order to protect it from cyber attacks.

‘Designed to take advantage of the new capabilities of iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16 features a reimagined Lock Screen along with new communication, sharing, and intelligence features that together change the way users experience iPhone,’ Apple explained in a post on its newsroom. 

MailOnline takes a look at all the key features that come with iOS 16, and how you can download the update.

How to download iOS 16

iPhone users whose devices are eligible for the operating system update will be alerted its availability via an automatic notification. 

iOS updates typically become available to download at around 6pm BST (1pm EDT) on the day of release.

iPhone users will be able to go to the Settings App, click on ‘General’ and then ‘Software Update’.

They can then tap ‘Install’ if the iOS 16 update is available to download, and will be guided through steps to verify the decision and reboot the device.

The update can also be installed through a Mac or Windows computer with iTunes installed. 

It is a good idea to back up the iPhone before installing iOS 16, to ensure all data is secure in iCloud if anything goes wrong while updating.

This can be done by going into the Settings app, clicking the device owner’s name at the top of the menu, then clicking ‘iCloud’ and ‘iCloud Backup’.

When ‘iCloud Backup’ is set to on, tapping ‘Back Up Now’ will guide you through the back-up process, and enable you to restore the device’s data at a later date.

The new iPhone 14 series – iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max – will come with iOS 16 pre-installed. 

The equivalent operating system will not be available on iPads until later in the year.

Personalised lockscreen 

The biggest update coming with iOS 16 is the lockscreen, which can now be personalised. 

Users can choose whether they’d like to showcase their favourite photos, customise font styles, and display a set of widgets in the lockscreen. 

For example, if you regularly check the weather, you could choose to have a weather widget permanently in your iPhone’s lockscreen. 

There is also the option to have multiple lock screen tied to different ‘focus modes’, like one for work time and one for personal time.

New ‘Focus Filters’ can also be applied, that can hide distracting content from apps during work hours, or messages from colleagues when out the office. 

‘The Lock Screen is more personal, beautiful, and helpful than ever with a multilayered effect that artfully sets subjects of photos in front of the time, and newly designed widgets that offer information at a glance,’ Apple explained. 

‘For Lock Screen inspiration, the wallpaper gallery offers a range of options, including Apple collections, a Weather wallpaper to see live weather conditions as they change throughout the day, an Astronomy wallpaper for views of the Earth, moon, and solar system, and many more.’ 

Messages

If you’re always making typos, you’ll be happy to hear of a range of handy new tools coming to the Messages app. 

‘You can now edit a message you’ve just sent or unsend a recent message altogether,’ Apple explained. 

‘And you can mark a message as unread if you can’t respond at that moment and want to come back to it later.’ 

Sent messages can be edited or removed within the first 15 minutes of sending them.

Photos

Apple has introduced a new iCloud Shared Photo Library, which it describes as the ‘best way to share photos with your family.’

Users can choose what to include in their shared library based on a start date or the people in the photos, and can share it with up to five other people.

‘Once the shared library is set up, you can share photos instantly straight from Camera, choose to share automatically when other shared library members are nearby, and get smart suggestions for adding photos to the shared library in For You,’ Apple explained. 

Mail

The Search function in Mail has been improved to deliver more accurate and complete results.

And as with Messages, users can now unsend emails within 10 seconds of pressing send. 

‘Easily unsend an email you’ve just sent, schedule messages to be sent whenever you like, and get reminders to follow up or come back to a message later,’ Apple said.

Live Text

Live Text has been updated and is now available for video and features quick actions. 

‘Live Text gets more powerful with the ability to recognise text in video and quickly convert currency, translate text, and more,’ Apple said.

For example, if you were on holiday in France and wanted to quickly know how much a punnet of grapes cost in your local currency, you could take a photo of the price tag and your iPhone would instantly convert the currency. 

You will also be able to copy text from videos, and paste it straight into a message, web browser or call a phone number. 

Live Captions

The update will include real-time transcription for videos and audio, which is useful for those with hearing disabilities and who need to record a conversation.

This is called ‘Live Captions’, and can be turned on through ‘Accessibility’ in the Settings app, which will apply it to any audio played within the device.

Captions will then appear at the top of the screen during phone calls, FaceTime sessions and videos, and the font size can be customised.

‘My Sports’  in News

A new addition to the News app is ‘My Sports’, which lets you select your favourite teams across different sports. 

The app will then create a section that only features those teams, showcasing scores, articles and video highlights. 

Maps

Apple Maps will now let you add multiple stops to your routes in advance. 

‘Plan multiple stops along your route in advance or easily access previous routes in Recents,’ Apple explained. 

‘Maps also syncs across your devices, so you can look up directions on your Mac and see them on your iPhone when you’re ready to go.’ 

Visual Look Up 

A handy photo cropping feature will be available with the new operating system called ‘Visual Look Up’.

Owners of an iPhone XS or newer can now copy objects from the foreground of images, and then paste them into other apps without their background. 

This can be done with photos taken using the camera, screenshots, previews and images found online. 

It is also able to identify birds, dogs insects and statues which are the subject of an image.

Health and Fitness

Apple has added a new Medications feature in the Health app. 

‘The new Medications feature in the Health app helps you manage, track and understand the medications you take,’ it said. 

Meanwhile, users will now be able to benefit from the Fitness app, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch.

‘The Fitness app can help you track and meet your fitness goals, even if you don’t have an Apple Watch,’ Apple added. 

‘Now, using iPhone motion sensors, your steps, distance and third‑party workouts will give you an estimate of your calories to contribute to your daily move goal.’ 

Lockdown Mode

Lockdown Mode is a new security feature that iPhone users should hope to never have to use.

While in Lockdown Mode, the device strictly limits its functionality in order to reduce the possible ways hackers can break into it.  

This includes blocking all messages and calls from people the user does not know, as well as access to Shared Photos.

It switches off link previews in messages, as it has been found that IP address information can be transferred when a user sends a URL that appears with a preview.

It also disables certain features on web pages that could make the phone susceptible to attack, and blocks you from opening attachments.

The phone cannot receive FaceTime calls or invitations for calendar events from contacts the phone has never communicated with before. 

It also blocks wired connections to your device, preventing anyone with physical access to your phone or computer from being able to download its contents.

Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, said: ‘Lockdown Mode is the newest, and most heavy-duty weapon in Apple’s cybersecurity artillery.

‘It’s the sort of feature that is probably standard issue among intelligence agents, now rolled out to a far wider audience.

‘With just a few swipes users can set up the equivalent of Fort Knox on their iPhone, protecting data on their handset from the attention of would-be hackers. 

‘Once activated it restricts the activity allowed on your device, giving cybercriminals a far smaller target to aim at.

‘Yet using Lockdown Mode comes at a cost. Get behind the wheel of a tank and you’re unlikely to be setting any speed records and, in the same way, employing this security measure will limit your iPhone’s performance and what you can do with it.

‘The mode is not something you can simply toggle on and off without a full system reset.

‘Unless you are a high-ranking government minister or privy to priceless state or commercial secrets, engaging Lockdown Mode to safeguard your phone is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

‘And if bad actors genuinely have your device in their sights, running the feature could convince anyone tracking your phone that you have something worth stealing.’