Apple has a few exciting changes in store for users with its latest iOS update.
On Monday, the company announced that the lock screen and iMessage experience will look a lot different when iOS 16 drops. The tech giant also unveiled several other changes.
What is iOS 16 and when is it available?
The latest Apple operating system is called iOS 16 and a developer preview is now available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com. In July, a public beta version will become available to iOS users at beta.apple.com.
If you're not into the whole "early adopter" thing, you can take advantage of the new software features in the fall when the free update for iPhone 8 and later launches.
You can now personalize your lock screen experience
According to a press release from the company, the new lock screen is going to be more "personal, beautiful and helpful."
New features include the following:
- New font and color choices for the date and time displays
- At-a-glance information (similar to the Apple Watch interface) like weather, calendar events, battery levels, alarms, time zones and more
- Multilayered effect that sets the subjects of your photos in front of the time
- Brand-new lock screen gallery with weather wallpaper that shows live conditions, Apple collections to "celebrate special cultural moments," and astronomy wallpaper with views of the moon, Earth and solar system
- Multiple lock screen options: You can now create a lock screen using your favorite emoji or color combinations and switch back and forth between your favorite screens
- Live activities to keep up to date with the events of your day, from workouts and food deliveries to sporting events
- Notifications that now roll up from the bottom
You can now edit and unsend iMessages
Do you ever wish you could unsend an iMessage that you fired off in haste? The iOS 16 update lets users edit or recall a message they recently sent. Other updates include:
- The ability to recover recently deleted messages
- Keep track of your messages and mark something as unread
- SharePlay that enables synced content (like movies or songs) and shared playback controls
Other highlighted updates
There are plenty of other updates in store when iOS 16 drops, including the following:
- iCloud shared photo library
- New email tools like the ability to schedule emails and cancel delivery
- Enhancements to Live Text and Visual Look Up
- New Wallet features such as Apple Pay Later and order tracking