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You’ve most likely been following the news of iOS 16 since it was announced back in June at WWDC 2022, and later today the latest update for your iPhone will be available, as long as you have an iPhone 8 and above.
However, as you may be waiting for the Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro if you’ve already pre-ordered, iOS 16 will already give your lock screen a refresh for starters.
But it doesn’t stop there - there’s some big gains in accessibility features to help detect when there’s objects in close proximity, alongside being able to lift subjects out of an image.
With this in mind, we’ll be live throughout the day to keep track of when the latest update will arrive, and which apps may be taking advantage of iOS 16 too.
[HEADING=2]Our hands-on impressions:[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]iPhone 14 Pro Max[/li][li]iPhone 14 Pro[/li][li]iPhone 14 Plus[/li][li]iPhone 14[/li][li]Apple Watch Ultra[/li][li]Apple Watch 8[/li][li]AirPods Pro 2[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]Today’s best iPhone 14 deals:[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]iPhone 14 Pro Max deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 Pro deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 Plus deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 deals[/li][/ul]
Hello, and welcome to the live blog of iOS 16’s launch. I’m Daryl, Software Writer at TechRadar, and I’ll be keeping you up to date throughout the day on iOS 16 and more.
[IMG alt=“iOS 16 Lock Screen”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3x...BqncRP4LaS.jpg
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
If anything, the lock screen is one of the biggest changes in iOS in recent years. Our US Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff spoke to Apple SVP of Engineering Craig Federighi back in June all about it.
[IMG alt=“Selfie on iPhone 8 Plus”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/of...Uv5MacjHD4.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
While iOS 16 will run on an iPhone 8 and above, that doesn’t mean you’ll get all the features available to someone on an iPhone 14.
With this in mind, I’ve written up exactly what won’t be available on certain iPhones running iOS 16.
[IMG alt=“Obscura 3 widget on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g8...ZAFrzBPvUa.png
(Image credit: Obscura)
If you’ve used Obscura 3 lately, we’ve got good news for you once iOS 16 arrives.
While it’s available on the App Store for $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$7.99, a new update is releasing very soon which will bring a widget to the redesigned lock screen, allowing you to launch the app in a much faster fashion.
Twitter user FloWritesCode sent this to us:
The lock screen is such a great place to personalise the device and it’s so easy for us developers to adapt too. Basically the same as a regular home screen widget, allowing so many great devs to add lock screen widgets to their apps this summer
See more
We couldn’t agree more. While I still think it’s slightly odd to have no way to change the flashlight and camera icons on the lock screen, it’s great to have alternative ways to open other apps, or have glanceable information.
[IMG alt=“iOS 16 Lock Screen Widget Edit”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jd...dgUCwvDuhL.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
If you want to make sure that you’re ready to update to iOS 16 later today, our US Mobile Editor Philip Berne has written up this mega-useful guide on how to do just that.
[IMG alt=“A man running with an Apple Watch”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3b...DvUw3WwLKX.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Let’s not forget that watchOS 9 is also scheduled to arrive later today, bringing new watch faces, the ability to control your Apple Watch using gestures, and much more.
It’s iOS16 day, folks. Pro tip: tap the album art of whatever is playing on the Lock Screen to minimise/maximise the artwork. https://twitter.com/darylbaxter/status/1569259219462889472 September 12, 2022
See more
Here’s a great feature that may relieve some frustrations from one of our great freelancers - tapping the album artwork in iOS 16 on the Lock Screen, will minimize it.
How about that?
[IMG alt=“Personal Best on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cm...yGctqPnyvB.png
(Image credit: Shaun Donnelly)
Here’s another app that’s ready to go once iOS 16 launches - Personal Best accesses your fitness and health, and turns it into leaderboards, insights and more.
On iOS 16, this now expands to the Lock Screen, so you can see all of these at a glance without reaching for the app.
[IMG alt=“Flighty app on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ob...2XparznWzA.png
(Image credit: Flighty)
If you find yourself tracking flights, then Flighty is one that’s about to also take advantage of iOS 16’s new lock screen.
Once you’ve installed both updates, you’ll be able to:
[ul]
[li]Use a daily countdown with the weather outlook [/li][li]View booking code, gate, and seat number at the right time [/li][li]Display an in-flight progress bar, even offline [/li][li]Also works well for tracking friends and family [/li][/ul]
There’s also a Live Activities widget that will make use of the ‘Dynamic Island’ on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models.
[IMG alt=“LockLauncher on iOS 16 Lock Screen”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hq...7WEzwPi6FF.png
(Image credit: Taher)
Here’s an app that makes you think ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’
LockLauncher allows you to place widgets on the iOS 16 Lock Screen to launch a variety of apps - from Instagram to BeReal and more.
Its developer Taher tells me that the app will launch as soon as iOS 16 does, so do look out for it. It could be a much easier way of launching some apps without even going to your Home Screen.
[IMG alt=“Messages in iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ht...TAcLzcA9rR.png
(Image credit: Apple)
Back in July, I highlighted some more improvements that are in iOS 16, such as Messages. You’ll finally be able to undo sending one, alongside being able to edit one as well once it’s been sent.
However, you’ll only have two minutes to do these before it’s set in stone, so make sure that the error is corrected as soon as.
[IMG alt=“Countdowns iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/48...dWagQTzDhQ.png
(Image credit: Shayes Apps)
I’m a big user of this app, as is my wife, so to see Lock Screen widgets come to Countdowns is something we’re looking forward to trying out.
Its developer Stephen Hayes tells me that there’s going to be many iterations of how you can display these widgets on your iPhone, from small widgets to big ones to better exclaim a coming event in your life, however big or small.
Once again, it’s currently scheduled to be released as soon as iOS 16 is available.
[IMG alt=“Someone holding the iPhone X”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9V...f54Rfp5GGR.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
Just to note - I’ve been testing out iOS 16’s public beta since it came out in July on my old iPhone X, and found it to be very warm during use.
This would mainly happen when I’d switch between different Lock Screens such as the Earth view. It hasn’t improved throughout the beta period, so I’d proceed with caution if you’ve got an older iPhone that you’re planning to use iOS 16 with.
[IMG alt=“PlantDaddy iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cp...Ekf9irsEuQ.png
(Image credit: TechRadar)
I’ve been re-arranging my office lately to free up some space, but at the same time, there’s been some plants that have been in need of some extra care there.
PlantDaddy looks to solve this for me but with the addition of Lock Screen widgets, so I can be reminded to water them when they need it.
Its developer Jordan Hipwell tells me that it’s scheduled to release as soon as iOS 16 is available.
Developer Geoff Hackworth, creator of Adaptivity, reached out to me to clarify that for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max line, developers will need to rebuild their apps to take advantage of the slightly larger screen for both models.
Developers need to rebuild their apps with the latest developer tools (Xcode 14) in order to see the true native resolution of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Existing apps will show slightly scaled up versions of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max resolutions: https://twitter.com/geoffhackworth/status/1568185309380100097 September 12, 2022
See more
Some apps may look slightly stretched out - games come to mind, but to the casual user it’s not something to be concerned out.
Regardless, it’s something that many developers will need to look out for once the new phones are released for their apps.
Continue reading…
However, as you may be waiting for the Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro if you’ve already pre-ordered, iOS 16 will already give your lock screen a refresh for starters.
But it doesn’t stop there - there’s some big gains in accessibility features to help detect when there’s objects in close proximity, alongside being able to lift subjects out of an image.
With this in mind, we’ll be live throughout the day to keep track of when the latest update will arrive, and which apps may be taking advantage of iOS 16 too.
[HEADING=2]Our hands-on impressions:[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]iPhone 14 Pro Max[/li][li]iPhone 14 Pro[/li][li]iPhone 14 Plus[/li][li]iPhone 14[/li][li]Apple Watch Ultra[/li][li]Apple Watch 8[/li][li]AirPods Pro 2[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]Today’s best iPhone 14 deals:[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]iPhone 14 Pro Max deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 Pro deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 Plus deals[/li][li]iPhone 14 deals[/li][/ul]
Hello, and welcome to the live blog of iOS 16’s launch. I’m Daryl, Software Writer at TechRadar, and I’ll be keeping you up to date throughout the day on iOS 16 and more.
[IMG alt=“iOS 16 Lock Screen”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3x...BqncRP4LaS.jpg
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
If anything, the lock screen is one of the biggest changes in iOS in recent years. Our US Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff spoke to Apple SVP of Engineering Craig Federighi back in June all about it.
[IMG alt=“Selfie on iPhone 8 Plus”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/of...Uv5MacjHD4.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
While iOS 16 will run on an iPhone 8 and above, that doesn’t mean you’ll get all the features available to someone on an iPhone 14.
With this in mind, I’ve written up exactly what won’t be available on certain iPhones running iOS 16.
[IMG alt=“Obscura 3 widget on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g8...ZAFrzBPvUa.png
(Image credit: Obscura)
If you’ve used Obscura 3 lately, we’ve got good news for you once iOS 16 arrives.
While it’s available on the App Store for $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$7.99, a new update is releasing very soon which will bring a widget to the redesigned lock screen, allowing you to launch the app in a much faster fashion.
Twitter user FloWritesCode sent this to us:
The lock screen is such a great place to personalise the device and it’s so easy for us developers to adapt too. Basically the same as a regular home screen widget, allowing so many great devs to add lock screen widgets to their apps this summer
See more
We couldn’t agree more. While I still think it’s slightly odd to have no way to change the flashlight and camera icons on the lock screen, it’s great to have alternative ways to open other apps, or have glanceable information.
[IMG alt=“iOS 16 Lock Screen Widget Edit”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jd...dgUCwvDuhL.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
If you want to make sure that you’re ready to update to iOS 16 later today, our US Mobile Editor Philip Berne has written up this mega-useful guide on how to do just that.
[IMG alt=“A man running with an Apple Watch”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3b...DvUw3WwLKX.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Let’s not forget that watchOS 9 is also scheduled to arrive later today, bringing new watch faces, the ability to control your Apple Watch using gestures, and much more.
It’s iOS16 day, folks. Pro tip: tap the album art of whatever is playing on the Lock Screen to minimise/maximise the artwork. https://twitter.com/darylbaxter/status/1569259219462889472 September 12, 2022
See more
Here’s a great feature that may relieve some frustrations from one of our great freelancers - tapping the album artwork in iOS 16 on the Lock Screen, will minimize it.
How about that?
[IMG alt=“Personal Best on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cm...yGctqPnyvB.png
(Image credit: Shaun Donnelly)
Here’s another app that’s ready to go once iOS 16 launches - Personal Best accesses your fitness and health, and turns it into leaderboards, insights and more.
On iOS 16, this now expands to the Lock Screen, so you can see all of these at a glance without reaching for the app.
[IMG alt=“Flighty app on iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ob...2XparznWzA.png
(Image credit: Flighty)
If you find yourself tracking flights, then Flighty is one that’s about to also take advantage of iOS 16’s new lock screen.
Once you’ve installed both updates, you’ll be able to:
[ul]
[li]Use a daily countdown with the weather outlook [/li][li]View booking code, gate, and seat number at the right time [/li][li]Display an in-flight progress bar, even offline [/li][li]Also works well for tracking friends and family [/li][/ul]
There’s also a Live Activities widget that will make use of the ‘Dynamic Island’ on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models.
[IMG alt=“LockLauncher on iOS 16 Lock Screen”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hq...7WEzwPi6FF.png
(Image credit: Taher)
Here’s an app that makes you think ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’
LockLauncher allows you to place widgets on the iOS 16 Lock Screen to launch a variety of apps - from Instagram to BeReal and more.
Its developer Taher tells me that the app will launch as soon as iOS 16 does, so do look out for it. It could be a much easier way of launching some apps without even going to your Home Screen.
[IMG alt=“Messages in iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ht...TAcLzcA9rR.png
(Image credit: Apple)
Back in July, I highlighted some more improvements that are in iOS 16, such as Messages. You’ll finally be able to undo sending one, alongside being able to edit one as well once it’s been sent.
However, you’ll only have two minutes to do these before it’s set in stone, so make sure that the error is corrected as soon as.
[IMG alt=“Countdowns iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/48...dWagQTzDhQ.png
(Image credit: Shayes Apps)
I’m a big user of this app, as is my wife, so to see Lock Screen widgets come to Countdowns is something we’re looking forward to trying out.
Its developer Stephen Hayes tells me that there’s going to be many iterations of how you can display these widgets on your iPhone, from small widgets to big ones to better exclaim a coming event in your life, however big or small.
Once again, it’s currently scheduled to be released as soon as iOS 16 is available.
[IMG alt=“Someone holding the iPhone X”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9V...f54Rfp5GGR.jpg
(Image credit: Future)
Just to note - I’ve been testing out iOS 16’s public beta since it came out in July on my old iPhone X, and found it to be very warm during use.
This would mainly happen when I’d switch between different Lock Screens such as the Earth view. It hasn’t improved throughout the beta period, so I’d proceed with caution if you’ve got an older iPhone that you’re planning to use iOS 16 with.
[IMG alt=“PlantDaddy iOS 16”]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cp...Ekf9irsEuQ.png
(Image credit: TechRadar)
I’ve been re-arranging my office lately to free up some space, but at the same time, there’s been some plants that have been in need of some extra care there.
PlantDaddy looks to solve this for me but with the addition of Lock Screen widgets, so I can be reminded to water them when they need it.
Its developer Jordan Hipwell tells me that it’s scheduled to release as soon as iOS 16 is available.
Developer Geoff Hackworth, creator of Adaptivity, reached out to me to clarify that for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max line, developers will need to rebuild their apps to take advantage of the slightly larger screen for both models.
Developers need to rebuild their apps with the latest developer tools (Xcode 14) in order to see the true native resolution of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Existing apps will show slightly scaled up versions of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max resolutions: https://twitter.com/geoffhackworth/status/1568185309380100097 September 12, 2022
See more
Some apps may look slightly stretched out - games come to mind, but to the casual user it’s not something to be concerned out.
Regardless, it’s something that many developers will need to look out for once the new phones are released for their apps.
Continue reading…