• Technology

iOS 16 Updates That Should Matter To You and Your Smart Home

Jun 16, 2022 by

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By Gracey Maala

4 min read

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Apple recently unveiled iOS 16, its latest software update for iPhones and iPads, and it has a number of new upgrades to enhance users’ experience more than ever. With all-new personalization features, more robust privacy and security functionalities, and seamless ways to communicate and share, the upcoming iOS update is definitely something to look forward to!

These new features will make you more secure, focused, and productive!

Revamped Matter-Ready Home App

APPLE IOS 16 HOME APP

From Apple Official Website

First, let’s talk about Apple’s redesigned Home app! Designed to make it easier for users to navigate, organize, view, and control their smart home devices, this major overhaul is also ready for the launch of the open-source protocol Matter.

Apple is one of the brands that came together to develop Matter, which is designed to overcome the problem of brand-specific limitations that stop smart home products from working together. Matter support is coming to the Home app later this year, so we’re looking forward to a more seamless smart home experience! (If you want to learn more about Matter, you can read our explainer here.)

Privacy and Security Improvements for Your Safety

Apple also continues to expand upon safety and security features, including the privacy tool called Safety Check. It’s a new section in Settings that helps people experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence quickly reset the access they’ve granted to others.

It comes with an emergency reset option that allows users to sign out of iCloud on all of their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messaging to the device they currently use. It also helps users understand and manage which people and apps they’ve given access to.

Passkeys for Easier and Safer Logins

Apple also introduced Passkeys – a more accessible and safer sign-in method. According to the tech giant, it is a next-generation credential that is more secure and easy to use. Passkeys are end-to-end encrypted and sync across your Apple devices through iCloud Keychain. Hence, it is safer to log in to apps and websites across your iOS devices, such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TV set-top boxes. Now, you won’t have to worry about forgetting your passwords!

Updates to Messages & Mail for Streamlined Communication

APPLE IOS 16 MESSAGES

From Apple Official Website

On the iOS 16 update, users will be able to edit or unsend messages after they’ve sent them for up to 15 minutes. Not just that, users may also recover recently deleted messages for up to 30 days. So whether you’ve accidentally or intentionally deleted them, you can still retrieve them!

SharePlay is also coming to Messages, making it possible to enjoy synced content like movies or songs and shared playback controls all while chatting in Messages when you need to multitask.

On the other hand, there are also a slew of new features coming to Mail. One of those new features is the Undo Send option, designed to let you quickly cancel an email within 10 seconds of sending. Plus, you can now schedule your emails!

Other new features include Remind Later, Follow Up suggestions, and a notification if your email has missing recipients and attachments.

iCloud Shared Photo Library for Seamless Photo-Sharing

APPLE IOS 16 iCLOUD

From Apple Official Website

Another iOS 16 feature is the iCloud Shared Photo Library, which lets users seamlessly share a collection of photos with family. To make the sharing experience even easier, the company has also introduced a new toggle in the Camera app that enables users to send photos to the Shared Library automatically. Users will receive intelligent suggestions to share a photo in the Shared Photo Library, too. Every user in the Shared Photo Library can add, delete, edit, or favorite the shared photos or videos, which will then appear in their Memories and Featured Photos, allowing everyone to recall more family moments. Of course, seamless photo-sharing on the iCloud could be achieved better with a fast and reliable internet like PLDT Home Fiber!

A More Personalized Lock Screen Experience

APPLE IOS 16 LOCK SCREEN

From Apple Official Website

Let’s not forget about the look, though! The lock screen in iOS 16 is also getting a major makeover. You can now change the clock font, font color, and wallpapers based on your preferred style and color choices. You can also organize widgets to quickly check out the information you need and want to see. It’s awesome that you can also create different lock screens, each with a unique backdrop and style, and easily switch between them.

Enhanced Focus for Better Performance

APPLE IOS 16 FOCUS

From Apple Official Website

Last but not the least, Focus now connects to the lock screen! On iOS 16, you can create new lock screens tied to your Focus modes, such as Work and Personal, each with customizations and widgets! With Focus filters, apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari can display only the content relevant to your chosen Focus, helping you achieve better balance, stay focused, and increase productivity!

While there are so many things to look forward to, we’re particularly excited about the Matter-ready Home app! The public beta will be available to iOS users from beta.apple.com next month. New software features will be available in late 2022 as a free software update for iPhone 8 and later. What do you think is the best part of this update?

 

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AUTHOR

Gracey Maala

Gracey is the lead content writer for Next Upgrade’s Technology and Gaming sections. She loves to explore and learn new stuff for work, while she enjoys telling stories, watching TV series, and bonding with her mom and dogs in her free time.

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