On Monday June 6, Apple is organizing its annual developer conference, WWDC 2022. Objective: to present the software features to come, in particular on the iPhone with iOS 16. Redesign of the lock screen, ApplePay Later, new CarPlay… The next operating system of the apple brand, which will be deployed in September or October, will arrive with many new features.
The lock screen
Personalization
To kick off its keynote, Apple announced the biggest lock screen update in iPhone history. With iOS 16, it will be possible, for the very first time, to change the font and color of the time and date displayed on the screen when the smartphone is locked. In addition, the photograph for the home screen may present a depth effect. It will also be possible to add widgets, such as the weather or the calendar, directly on the locked screen.
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Apple makes customizing its home screen very simple: just click on it to access the editor that allows you to modify it; and there will even be the possibility of creating several lock screens and changing it automatically during the day. The Cupertino company has taken care to provide different image galleries so that users can choose the visuals they like the most, with millions of different combinations accessible. Finally, just swipe to change its home screen.
iOS 16 will allow you to customize the locked screen. Picture: Apple
Live Activities
With Live Activities, Apple wants to allow its users to follow live events through a simple widget; it can work with a football game, or tracking the arrival of his Uber or his food being delivered. Also, the notifications will be displayed in a different way so as not to take up all the space on the redesigned locked screen, they will appear from the bottom.
Focus improves
Introduced at WWDC 2021, Focus allows iPhone owners to better manage their notifications and how they reach them. With iOS 16, this functionality will be further refined: it will be possible to link a particular Focus to a lock screen, but also to apply Focus filters according to the applications, making it possible to best balance the arrival of notifications.
SharePlay, launched on iOS 15 on FaceTime, arrives in Messages. Picture: Apple
Message app evolves
Undo send and editing finally available
These features are surely going to be welcomed by many iPhone users. With iOS 16, it will finally be possible to edit a message after sending it, or simply to cancel sending it.
SharePlay is coming to Message
SharePlay, a feature used 18 billion times a month since its deployment on iOS 15, is coming to Message. It will therefore be possible to enjoy synchronized content such as movies or songs and shared playback controls, while chatting in Messages.
Also, it will be possible to crop the elements of a photo and send them directly to a loved one in the Messages application.
Dictation update
With iOS 16, it will be possible to seamlessly switch from voice to touch. Users will be able to type with the keyboard, type in the text field, move the cursor, and insert QuickType suggestions, all without needing to stop dictating. Dictation will also offer automatic dictation of punctuation as well as emoji.
iOS 16 allows you to pre-register your identity card. Picture: Apple
Changes in Wallet
The pre-registered identity card
Apple will allow you to pre-register your identity card in the Wallet application. This should in particular allow you to directly give your data to an application that requires it, such as AirBnb for example, without having to scan or take a photo of a document.
To ensure a private and secure experience, only the information necessary for the transaction will be provided to the app, and the user can verify it and consent to share it using Face ID or Touch ID. Also, users will be able to securely share their house, hotel, office and car keys in Wallet through messaging apps including Messages, Mail, etc.
With Apple Pay Later, Apple is taking a step closer to e-commerce. Picture: Apple
Apple Pay Later
It’s official, Apple is making split payments. With Apple Pay Later, it will be possible to pay for a product in installments, a very useful feature for the e-commerce sector; moreover, the apple brand will launch this tool through a partnership with Shopify.
Payments will be displayed directly in Wallet thanks to an adapted summary page which will allow them to be displayed, tracked and reimbursed. Apple Pay Later may be selected as an option when paying with Apple Pay.
Family Sharing allows for more parental control. Picture: Apple
Apple is investing more and more to support families
Family Sharing
With Family Sharing, Apple wants to strengthen parental control. This feature provides an easier way to set up an account for a child with the right parental controls in place from the start. It includes suggestions for age-appropriate restrictions for apps, movies, books, music, and more, as well as an easier process for setting up a new device that automatically applies existing parental controls.
When a child asks for more screen time, guardians can approve or deny directly in messages. Another feature will be to create a family checklist that will include useful tips, such as how to update the child’s settings when they are older, how to activate the sharing of location and information on how to share your iCloud Plus subscription with everyone.
Safety Check
Set up with organizations fighting against domestic violence, Safety Check allows victims of violence who have shared their personal data with their partner to quickly delete this access.
It includes an emergency reset that helps users easily sign out of iCloud on all their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messaging to the device they have in hand. It also helps users understand and manage the people and apps they’ve given access to, and stop showing their location.
Photo sharing between relatives greatly facilitated
With iCloud Shared Photo Library, it will be possible to share photos with loved ones automatically thanks to a separate iCloud library on which up to six users can collaborate, contribute and enjoy.
So users can choose to share existing photos from their personal libraries, or based on a start date or people in the photos. A new button directly integrated into the Camera application will also automatically share a snapshot that has just been captured.
Additionally, users will receive smart suggestions for sharing a photo that includes participants from the shared photo library.
The Home app is improving to be smoother. Picture: Apple
Home automation gets a makeover
A new Home application will appear with iOS 16. On the program, fluid software that will make it easier to navigate, organize and view accessories, and to better control them.
Apple further announced that an update to iOS 16 will bring support for Matter, a connected home connectivity standard endorsed by many tech companies. It will allow a wide variety of accessories to work together seamlessly across all platforms, helping to build the true vision of the smart home, says Apple.
CarPlay is going to undergo a complete overhaul. Picture: Apple
CarPlay too!
This is probably one of Apple’s most interesting announcements. Indeed, CarPlay will undergo a maneuver update with an innovative design that immerses more towards the future of smart cars.
So drivers will be able to add trip information, control the car’s air conditioning, see the weather, check updated navigation information, fuel and battery levels, and much more. CarPlay will be able to adapt to different screen sizes.
Apple promises new announcements on this subject at the end of next year, and explains that many manufacturers such as Ford, Nissan or Jaguar Land-Rover already want to integrate it into their system.
The new Maps application arrives in France. Picture: Apple
Other novelties
In addition, the Apple brand announced new features in Live Text, but also Tap To Pay, which allows you to pay between two iPhones for stores without additional hardware. This feature can also work with a credit card, the iPhone becoming a payment terminal.
The Map application will also undergo a major update to look more like Google Maps, and Apple has announced important new features for Apple News across the Atlantic. A new section for sports will be introduced there, making it easy to follow your favorite teams and leagues, to receive articles from hundreds of leading publishers.
In addition to modifying the design of its operating system, Apple has decided this year to bet on communication and sharing. iOS 16 promises very interesting new features and continues the momentum of its predecessor with more customization possibilities, an aspect that was previously set aside by the Cupertino company.