Apple iOS 16 review (2024)

Apple launched iOS 16 after a lengthy beta in 2022, bringing an impressive range of new features to all compatible handsets (iPhone 8 and above). Apple continues to build on thisiOS 15to create a phone operating system with highly customizable lock screen elements, practical improvements to the Messages app, great camera-related improvements, and a number of small, impactful changes that make it a refreshing evolution of the mobile operating system that iPhone users know and love. Because of the many fun and useful features, iOS 16 is includedAndroid 13as an Editors' Choice winner for mobile operating systems.

The new features of Apple iOS 16.3

Apple iOS 16.3 introduces notable improvements in safety and security. In particular, you can now use physical security keys as part of two-factor authentication for logins to new devices. Additionally, Apple has tweaked Emergency SOS to prevent accidental emergency calls (you now have to press and hold the side button with a volume rocker and then release it).

Additional iOS 16.3 updates include support for 2nd generation HomePod,iPhone 14 Pro Maxgraphical bug fixes, Freeform app improvements,security keycompatibility as part oftwo-factor authenticationprocess when logging into your account from a new device and various bug fixes. Would you like to know more about OS? Read the entire overviewher.

If you own an iPhone with iOS 15, give it a tryhow to get iOS 16. But read on to find out more about what iOS 16 has in store.

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A fresh facade

The most immediate and noticeable changes in iOS 16 concern this revisionLock screen. It's no longer a static image that you set as your phone's wallpaper. Instead, it has several customizable elements that you can customize to your liking. This includes the clock font, widget placement, and even how notifications are displayed. If you're familiar with it at allAndroid's material youdesign, Apple's take on the lock screen should look very familiar.

The iOS 16 lock screen also features original features, including a multi-layer effect with compatible images. Powerful object recognition features allow the system to identify and isolate the subject of a photo. As a result, subjects (such as your cat) are dynamically positioned in advance, creating a cool layer of depth. Unfortunately, it has somewhat limited functionality, so it won't work if you also have widgets under the clock. Finding the right image size and angle is important, as the subject should be large enough to take up prominence on the screen, but not so much that it obscures the time display. It takes some finger work, but if it works, the extra image depth comes into its own.

However, you don't have to worry too much about this. You can choose from a pre-made lock screen image from an Apple-designed gallery that makes nice use of this layering functionality. Gallery options include emoji-laden backgrounds, a wide color palette of backgrounds, dynamic astronomy images, and even cultural themes (such asDespite). A personal favorite is the simple weather lock screen that changes dynamically throughout the day to show the time and weather in a particular area. You can customize multiple lock screens and switch between them with a simple swipe, just like faces on one screenApple Watch.

You can also customize the widgets that appear below the clock to include calendar events, weather, alarms, stocks, news, and other useful information. Or if you want to enjoy the beauty of the layered wallpaper, you can choose not to add anything at all. You can customize notifications in Settings to show them as a list, counter, or stack. A nice touch is that notifications appear from the bottom of the screen and take up much less space than in iOS 15. The new Live Activity, a feature that helps you stay informed about real-time events, has notifications that appear there, too. So if you arelistening to musicor waiting for an Uber Eats delivery, for example, you will receive updates at the bottom of the screen.

(Credit: Tim Gideon)

The lock screen taps on your iPhonesFocustool. Debuted in iOS 15, Focus is a specialized set of parameters that mutes calls and notifications based on your specifications. This includes activities such as driving, fitness, gaming, reading, sleeping and working. You can customize them to show notifications the way you want and with their own custom lock screen. Overall the system feels tighter, but with more freedom of adjustment. You can easily spend hours creating different lock screen looks.

Major improvements to notifications

Apple's Messaging platform gets new functionality with iOS 16, bringing it in line with what Facebook Messenger has to offer. You now have a 15 minute windowedit a sent messageand you can perform up to five operations per message. This is a gift for people who hate seeing typos in text messages. However, keep in mind that you and your recipient will both receive an alert that the message has been modified and the edit history can be viewed by either party.

Additionally, you can undo a sent message within two minutes of sending it. And just like editing messages, both you and the recipient will be notified that a message was not sent. As expected, this only works within the Apple ecosystem: Android users won't be able to see the changes you make to your messages. Android even lacks the ability to edit or delete notifications.

Another useful feature is the ability to mark messages as unread. Tap and hold a message thread to select this option. This is perfect for times when you can't reply to someone immediately, but you want to reply when you're free. This is a user-side flag so the sender still knows that you received and read the message.

(Credit: PCMag)

Live text and visuals are magical

Live Text is not a new feature, but it is an extremely useful and impressive feature. This tool allows you to copy and paste text in images or photos wherever you want. In iOS 16, this feature now works with video. If you pause a video that contains a frame of text, you can long-press on the text and take it out of the video.

In fact, Apple has expanded this technology to identify subjects in an image. This feature is called Visual Look Up and is best used on photos or images with a clear subject and background. At its simplest, you can copy and paste the subject (for example, a silly cat photo) in the same way you create text. In our tests, iOS 16 does surprisingly well at capturing the object and cleaning up background noise. It looks functionalPhotoshoppen's subject selection, except it's baked right into Apple's Photos app.

But Visual Look Up is more than just a fun photo editing trick. As the name suggests, AI identifies the subject of the photo by using your iPhone's internet connection and Siri's extensive knowledge base to give you information about it. Visual search works best with landmarks and monuments, art, pets, and plants. In practice, the feature is shockingly fun to use. View our practical experience withLive text and visual displayfor more information about these tools.

(Credit: Apple)

Turn your iPhone into a webcam with macOS Ventura

Smartphone cameras have become extremely powerful in recent years, making it easy to take stunning, high-quality photos and video. Alas, rinky-dinkwebcambuilt into your laptop can't come close to competing with your handset. So why not just use your iPhone as a webcam? EnterContinuity camera.

To use Continuity Camera, you need an iPhone with iOS 16 and a MacBook with macOS Ventura. You can mount your iPhone on a stand, connect it wirelessly to your MacBook, and let the software use your iPhone's camera. This is a great opportunity if youwork from home. With Continuity Camera you can use Center Stage to keep yourself in view as you move around the room; Portrait mode to blur the background; and Studio Light to soften the background and accentuate your face.

A particularly unique feature is Desk View. Using the iPhone's ultra-wide camera while mounted on your laptop, you can split the video feed to show your face, as well as what's on the desk in front of your laptop. There are many situations where this can be useful, such asstreaming video games. For example, you can point the camera at your face while you talk, or at your hands when you use the controller orarcade-stickinput. You can read our first impressions of this potentially cool webcam feature in ourmacOS Ventura review.

Enhanced privacy and security measures

New privacy features are continually being introduced in iOS 16 to keep you safe as technology evolves toward a more unified, always-connected infrastructure. Safety Check is one such feature and acts as an emergency reset when you are in danger.

We hope you never find yourself in a situation where you have to avoid the people you interact with. That said, Safety Check lets you instantly reset everyone's access to all apps, change your Apple ID password, and view your emergency contacts. Fortunately, Apple doesn't notify anyone you've stopped sharing with for personal security reasons. VisitApple Security Check: How to Lock Your iPhone from Abusive Partnersfor a deep dive into this new feature.

Additionally, you'll be happy to know that iOS now supports security keys for two-factor authentication purposes. This is an extra layer of protection that keeps prying eyes away from your valuable information.

(Credit: PCMag)

Other cool iOS 16 features

There are many small changes in iOS 16 that significantly improve the user experience, and there are too many to list here. Depending on your preferences, these changes can range from minimal to absolute game changers. Here are some examples:

• We love that Face ID now works in landscape mode on supported iPhone models – you no longer have to turn your phone over to unlock the handset.

• The new OS release introduces haptic feedback for keyboard presses. Haptics has been in iPhones for several generations, but with iOS 16 you now get satisfying feedback with every keystroke. This subtle change makes typing much more tactile and intuitive.

• The Weather app displays weather forecasts for every day of the week with detailed graphs showing how temperature, humidity, precipitation and wind will move through your area.

• The home screen now has a Search/Spotlight button. Tapping an icon is so much more intuitive than swiping right on the home screen.

• If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, you can enjoy the unique Dynamic Island functionality with iOS 16. Dynamic Island is a radical evolution of the iPhone's indescribable pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen. This space is now used to provide information about notifications and apps running in the background.

An excellent update

Apple iOS 16 doesn't shake things up too radically, but its cool Lock Screen additions, impressive Photos app functionality, and security improvements expand the lineup to make iPhones more convenient, secure, and fun, making it our Editors' Choice price. . The operating system will no doubt see further improvements, but the current version is so polished and stable that we recommend you download it right now for your compatible iPhone.

Head to our comments section and share what you like most about iOS 16. For more information about Apple software, visitHands On with Apple's WatchOS 9 Beta: New fitness features stand out, as well as oursiPad operating system 16InmacOS is comingreviews.