Apple WWDC 2022 | Apple iOS 16 unveiled with customizable multiple lockscreens, updated message features and more

(Image Courtesy: Apple)

Apple has announced major changes to the operating system that powers its iPhones - iOS. With iOS 16, Apple is taking customization to heart with new lockscreen customization and novel ways to share and upload content with the family.

New Lockscreen

Users can now fine-tune and customize their lockscreen using a variety of wallpapers, watch styles and for the first time, real-time widgets.

These widgets take some inspiration from the way complications work on the Apple Watch. They provide real-time information at a glance, allowing you to quickly check score for the game, for example, or be reminded of a meeting appointment.

You can also create multiple customized lockscreen's with different widgets, watch styles and aesthetics. Apple allows you to switch between them on the fly, by simply swiping. These lockscreens also tie in to your Focus modes, so you can have one lockscreen be dedicated to work, for example, and another dedicated to personal stuff.

Notifications now roll up from the bottom of the lockscreen in a carousel, giving users a full view of their personalized lockscreen.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

With Shared Library for iCloud, Apple allows users to share photos easily between family members. The feature can support up to six family members in one group, and each individual in that group has equal permissions. This means that they can edit photos, or crop them, add text or colorize them, and all of these changes will be synced across users and devices.

You can also upload photos directly from the Camera app, using a new toggle. Apple will also automatically sort these photos, and suggest which photos are shared with included participants in the group.

Messages

New updates to the Messages app, make it possible to edit or recall recently sent messages. You can also recover deleted messages, mark conversations as unread and for the first time, share content via Messages using SharePlay.

Mail

With the new updates, users can now schedule emails ahead of time. You also have a brief recovery window, where you can recall the email before it reaches the recipient's inbox.

Mail will also check to see if user's have forgotten attachments and prompt you if need be, along with the ability to recall any message anytime, using Remind Later.

Search has also received a big overhaul, now allowing users to view documents, files and collaborations, right in the search window. It also shows recent emails, contacts, documents and links.

Live Text can now translate videos

Live Text can now translate text on any part of a paused video, allowing users to interact with the frame and get a translation at a quick glance. You can also quickly convert currency and more.

Visual Look Up now allows to lift subjects from photos

With Visual Look Up, users can now tap and hold on an object or a subject in an image to extract it, and paste in supported apps like Messages. For example - You can extract just the dog from the image of a beach. It can now also look up and recognize birds, insects and statues.

Apple Pay Later, Order Tracking and more coming to Wallet

Apple Pay Later will give users the ability to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments, across four weeks, with zero interest and no fees. Currently, this is limited to the US.  Apple Pay Later works with establishments that accept Apple Pay and the Mastercard network.

Order Tracking will provide you details on your orders from participating merchants and tracking information, right in the Wallet app. Apple Keys stored in the Wallet, can be shared through messaging apps like Messages or Mail.

Updates to Safari, Apple Maps, Family Sharing and more

Shared Tab Groups within Safari allows you to share a collection of websites with friends and family easily. Like Shared Photos, these can be edited or added on to, and the changes will sync across all participants and all devices.

With Passkeys, Apple is introducing a new authentication tool, that aims to do away with passwords. These are unique, secure keys that are exclusive to each site. These also stay on device and can't be phished by hackers, since no two Passkeys are the same. Passkeys use Touch ID or Face ID for biometric verification and security. These work across apps, web and all Apple devices.

Apple Maps will now let you plan, "up to 15 stops in advance and automatically sync routes from Mac to iPhone when they’re ready to go." Maps will also you to view and recharge transit cards right from Maps.

Family Sharing will now make it easier to set-up parental controls for kid's accounts. It includes suggestions for age appropriate content, and a simpler process that gets you up and running quickly. Dictation now allows users to fluidly move between voice and touch, so users can combine both the inputs to send Messages faster.

The Fitness and Health apps will now be coming to all iPhone users, and include and tons of new features, including enhancements to running and swimming modes, customized workouts, the ability to track medicines and the ability to tell users when there are critical interactions between them.

A new Security feature called Safety Check, allows people who are at risk of domestic abuse to quickly remove all permissions they had granted their partners. It also allows users to sign out of iCloud on all their devices, with one touch, and limit messaging to just the device they are currently using.