Apple previews iOS 16, finally with a customisable lock screen
Plus there are a bunch of updates for Messages, Photos, Family Sharing, Wallet and more
Apple has previewed the next-gen version of its iPhone operating system, iOS 16 at its WWDC22 event. First up on the feature list is a completely redesigned lock screen. It may not be a groundbreaker, but you can essentially completely customise your lock screen. Notifications ‘roll in’ from the bottom of the screen to reduce distraction, while you can change the font the time is displayed in, plus get a rolling photo gallery and more.
A new feature called Live Activities means you can get reactive app widgets on your home screen – such as the latest sports scores, though the area dedicated for this seems somewhat compact. Apps will be able to develop their own Live Activities widgets, as you’d expect. Again this is hardly a new era, but it is the first time you can get this kind of stuff on the iOS lock screen. The Focus feature also ties in, so you can have different info on the lock screen when you’re at work compared to when you’re not.
Messages will also now enable you to retrospectively edit texts or even delete a message you regret sending. SharePlay has also now come to Messages, so you can start a conversation with SharePlay immediately from a video you’re watching, for example.
Wallet also now enables you to share ID info – such as confirming you’re over 18 – to an app without sharing full ID info, such as your date of birth. Maps is also getting improvements, such as multi-stop routes – but if you use Google Maps you’ll have seen it all before.
Photos now has a new shared library feature for iCloud (called iCloud Shared Photo Library), where you can auto-share certain types of photos with your family or particular people. You can even auto-share when you’re in the vicinity of other contributors to the shared library, such as when you’re all on holiday together.
There are also a few new enhancements to Family Sharing, so you can more easily keep on top of when your child asks for more time and get suggestions for better ways to use Sharing. There’s still way to have multiple accounts on the same iOS device though.
Apple’s Tap to Pay tech is also coming to the US shortly (as we already knew) so watch this space for a wider rollout.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
