How To: All 350+ New iOS 16 Features for Your iPhone

All 350+ New iOS 16 Features for Your iPhone

Apple's new iOS 16 software update is finally here, and there are over 350 new features and changes for you to enjoy on your iPhone. There are major lock screen and home screen improvements, a pleasant surprise for the Contacts app, and tons of new upgrades to Safari, Mail, Messages, and more.

There are so many new features on iOS 16 — many of which are hidden — that we're finding more and more every day. Almost every app has a nice surprise for you, so check out all the sections below to see all the fresh tools and services.

Apple released iOS 16 to everyone on Sept. 12 — the same time iOS 15.7 came out — and five days after Apple announced the new iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max models. The iOS 16 update was in beta testing for 98 days total. To update your iPhone, go to Settings –> General –> Software Update.

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Lock Screen

  1. You can add more than one lock screen wallpaper and switch between them. (more info)
  2. There's a new lock screen wallpaper gallery. (more info)
  3. You can choose a weather lock screen wallpaper that updates automatically when the weather changes. (more info)
  4. And you can choose an astronomy lock screen wallpaper that updates automatically when astronomical conditions change. (more info)
  5. An "Emoji" option in the lock screen wallpaper gallery lets you set one to six emoji as your wallpaper in grid, ring, or spiral arrangements. (more info)
  6. You can pick a solid color or gradient color in five different styles as your lock screen wallpaper. (more info)
  7. There is a collection of additional wallpaper from Apple including pride, unity, dynamic options, and other designs. (more info)
  8. A "Photo Shuffle" option in the lock screen wallpaper gallery lets you auto-change your wallpaper every time you tap or wake your iPhone, or every hour or day. You can choose images from collections, featured photos, or manually selected pictures. (more info)
  9. You get suggestions from your Photos library when making a custom photo wallpaper. (more info)
  10. There's a "People" category in the lock screen wallpaper gallery to help you find people images faster. (more info)
  11. Photo wallpapers can be in their natural state or use a black and white, duotone, color wash, studio lighting, or color backdrop filter, depending on the type of photo. (more info)
  12. Elements of a lock screen wallpaper may be dynamically displayed in front of the time. (more info)
  13. You can change the lock screen time's font and color. (more info)
  14. You can add mini widgets above the lock screen time. (more info)
  15. Up to four small widgets or two medium widgets can be added below the lock screen time. (more info)
  16. Third-party widgets will work on the lock screen. (more info)
  17. Each lock screen wallpaper can be assigned a focus. (more info)
  18. You can set or build lock screens from the Focus menu. (more info)
  19. You can add new lock screens from Settings. (more info)
  20. Your home screen wallpaper can match your lock screen wallpaper, and you can change it to a blurred version, a color/gradient, or any images from Photos. (more info)
  21. Coming in a later update: Live Activities show up at the bottom of the lock screen to keep you updated in real time. (more info)
  22. Coming in a later update: Third-party Live Activities will work on the lock screen, but developers need to make them. (more info)
  23. The Now Playing controls take up half the space and are now located at the bottom of the screen. (more info)
  24. Album art for Now Playing shows above the controls, and the lock screen's background color matches the artwork colors. (more info)
  25. New notifications roll in from the bottom of the lock screen instead of the top. (more info)
  26. There's a new animation when looking at older notifications for an app or topic on the lock screen. (more info)
  27. You can choose between a list, stack, or count view for notifications on the lock screen, either via the Notifications settings or by pinching notifications on the lock screen. (more info)
  28. The timer's interface looks better and appears at the bottom of the screen. (more info)

Home Screen

  1. Spotlight Search takes over the page dots on the home screen. (more info)
  2. You can bring the page dots back on the home screen. (more info)
  3. Spotlight's search bar is above the keyboard now. (more info)
  4. Home screen wallpapers can match your lock screen backgrounds. (more info)
  5. You can create emoji home screen wallpaper styles. (more info)
  6. You can shuffle personal photos at different intervals for your home screen wallpaper. (more info)
  7. You can set weather and astronomy home screen wallpapers that update automatically with the current conditions. (more info)
  8. You can choose a different home screen wallpaper for each lock screen wallpaper. (more info)
  9. Apple wallpapers can be in focus or blurred on your home screen. (more info)
  10. You can pick solid colors for your home screen wallpaper. (more info)
  11. And you can choose color gradients for your home screen wallpaper. (more info)
  12. Photo wallpapers on the home screen can be in black and white. (more info)
  13. You can set up custom home screen pages to match each focus you use. (more info)
  14. You can use Apple's very first iPhone wallpaper of clownfish. (more info)

Focus

  1. You can link focuses to a specific lock screen and home screen layout.
  2. Suggests a relevant set of lock screens for provided Focus options, such as a data-rich lock screen while you're using the Work Focus or a photo lock screen while you're using the Personal Focus.
  3. Suggests home screen pages with apps and widgets that are most relevant to the Focus you're setting up.
  4. Set boundaries within Apple apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari for each Focus you enable. For example, choose a set of Tab Groups to show up in Safari while in the Work Focus, or hide your work calendar when you're using the Personal Focus.
  5. Have a Focus turn on automatically at a set time or location or while using a certain app.
  6. Get started with Focus with a personalized setup experience for each option.
  7. When you're setting up a Focus, select apps and people you want to receive notifications from by either allowing them or silencing them.
  8. Developers can use the signal that you're using to enable Focus to hide distracting content.

Camera

  1. You can blur the foreground in portrait photos for a more realistic depth-of-field effect. This is only available for the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
  2. The depth-of-field effect is improved for videos in Cinematic mode, being more accurate for profile angles and around the edges of hair and glasses. This is only available for the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Photos

  1. You can remove backgrounds to isolate subjects and use them as stickers or something else. (more info)
  2. You can delete and merge duplicate images. (more info)
  3. You can lock your Hidden and Recently Deleted albums behind Face ID or Touch ID. (more info)
  4. You can access image actions faster. (more info)
  5. You can copy and paste edits for images and videos. (more info)
  6. You can batch process images and videos to edit in bulk. (more info)
  7. You can review edits more easily. (more info)
  8. You can make a Live Photo a static picture quicker. (more info)
  9. You can delete a custom album with less work involved. (more info)
  10. There are quick actions for albums. (more info)
  11. You can sort people alphabetically. (more info)
  12. You can undo and redo edits! (more info)
  13. The "Options" link is more prominent in the share sheet. (more info)
  14. There are new Memory types. (more info)
  15. You can tap to restart a video in Memories. (more info)
  16. You can silence music when playing Memories. (more info)
  17. You can turn off featured content in the "For You" tab. (more info)
  18. You can use Live Text in videos. (more info)
  19. And use Live Text quick actions. (more info)
  20. And translate text in photos and videos using Live Text's Translate tool.
  21. There's a new iCloud Shared Photo Library where everyone can add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete content. (more info)

Messages

  1. You can edit iMessages within 15 minutes of sending them. (more info)
  2. You can steal back iMessages within 15 minutes of sending them. (more info)
  3. You can mark messages as read or unread. (more info)
  4. You can show and recover deleted messages. (more info)
  5. You can SharePlay while messaging now. (more info)
  6. You can collaborate on projects with a person or whole group in Messages. (more info)
  7. Audio messages gets its own app. (more info)
  8. You can dictate text more easily. (more info)
  9. You can type and edit text with dictation active. (more info)
  10. You'll see Shared with You content in third-party apps. (more info)
  11. You can use Siri to automatically send messages. (more info)
  12. Siri can insert emoji into messages for you. (more info)
  13. You can use Spotlight to find images in Messages. (more info)
  14. You can respond to Screen Time requests. (more info)
  15. You can focus on specific conversations when a particular Focus is enabled. (more info)
  16. You can toggle Focus Status per conversation. (more info)
  17. You can pick what apps to open links in. (more info)
  18. You can share your digital keys more easily. (more info)

Memoji

  1. There are 14 new hairstyles and 3 updated ones for Memoji. (more info)
  2. There are 9 new nose designs for Memoji. (more info)
  3. There's a new bonnet option for Memoji in the headwear section. (more info)
  4. There are 3 new neutral lip colors for Memoji. (more info)
  5. There are 6 new expressive poses for Memoji Stickers. (more info)
  6. You can assign any Memoji Sticker as the profile picture for you or a contact. (more info)
  7. There are 3 new Memoji Sticker poses just for profile pictures. (more info)

Contacts

  1. You can see unread messages or missed FaceTime and phone calls from friends and family, right on your home screen.
  2. You can finally create, edit, and delete groups in Contacts. (more info)
  3. And you can finally add and remove people from groups in Contacts. (more info)
  4. And you can finally email or message entire groups. (more info)

Mail

  1. You can unsend an email within 10, 20, or 30 seconds of sending it. (more info)
  2. You can schedule an email to auto-send whenever you want. (more info)
  3. Mail can ask you to follow up on emails you sent that never received responses. (more info)
  4. Mail can remind you to look at an email again at a later time, just like a snooze function. (more info)
  5. There are more mailboxes available for Send Later, Follow Up, and Remind Me. (more info)
  6. Blocking senders is a lot more easy to do. (more info)
  7. You'll get alerts when Mail detects missing attachments or recipients in emails you try sending. (more info)
  8. There are rich link previews just like Messages has. (more info)
  9. Mail will highlight search terms in your search results. (more info)
  10. You'll get smart search suggestions before you even start searching for anything. (more info)
  11. Search will recognize spelling mistakes and include synonyms to give you more accurate results. (more info)
  12. Mail supports BIMI logos for brands that digitally certify that the emails were sent by the brands and not spammers or hackers. (more info)

Safari

  1. You can collaborate with others in Tab Groups. (more info)
  2. You can pin tabs in Tab Groups. (more info)
  3. You can add favorites to each Tab Group's start page. (more info)
  4. You can see recently closed tabs for each Tab Group. (more info)
  5. Set custom backgrounds for each Tab Group. (more info)
  6. Easily copy subjects from online images to isolate them from the background. (more info)
  7. Sync all your extensions across your iCloud-connected devices. (more info)
  8. Get push notifications for websites — coming in a 2023 update. (more info)
  9. Sync website settings across your iCloud-connected devices. (more info)
  10. You can edit suggested strong passwords. (more info)
  11. There's an updated Find tool for webpages. (more info)
  12. You can get translations into English from online web pictures. (more info)
  13. There's Live Text in videos, which work when paused on a frame. (more info)
  14. You can show specific Tab Groups with Focus Filters. (more info)
  15. There are a ton of new actions for Safari in Shortcuts. (more info)

Passkeys

  1. Go password-less with Apple's new Passkeys, which use a public and private key to log you into websites and apps with Face ID or Touch ID. (more info)
  2. Passkeys sync between your iCloud-connected devices so you can log in from any Apple device. (more info)
  3. Passkeys even work on non-Apple devices, but you need to use your iPhone to scan a QR code to log in. (more info)

Music

  1. Keep track of the artists you care about most with new music notifications and improved recommendations.

Podcasts

  1. Get faster access to more of your library in CarPlay. Find downloaded and saved episodes more easily and see the latest episodes from the shows you follow.

TV App

  1. Live Activities allow you to follow sports scores and play by play right on your lock screen — coming later this year.

News

  1. Get more in-depth coverage from your local city and top newspapers with home pages.
  2. Local news is available in more markets, and you can find local stories in Top Stories and the Today widget.
  3. Quickly access the channels and topics you care about most with a customizable Favorites group in the Today feed.
  4. Follow your favorite teams, leagues, and athletes in Apple News. Customize your My Sports feed to see the latest stories, watch highlights, and get scores, schedules, and standings for the teams and leagues you love.

Notes

  1. You can create and use Quick Notes. (more info)
  2. You can lock notes with your iPhone's passcode. (more info)
  3. Folder creation has a new look. (more info)
  4. There are more filters for smart folders. (more info)
  5. Folder options have a new look too. (more info)
  6. You can group notes by date. (more info)
  7. Share options also have a new look. (more info)
  8. You can collaborate with anyone that has the link. (more info)
  9. You can start chats right from shared notes. (more info)
  10. There are enhanced collaboration invitations. (more info)
  11. You can easily find collaborations in Messages. (more info)
  12. There's a new Shared notes folder. (more info)
  13. You can add text, signatures, and shapes when drawing. (more info)

Reminders

  1. You can finally pin lists. (more info)
  2. You can create and use list templates. (more info)
  3. There's a new smart list for all completed reminders. (more info)
  4. It's easier to hide the default smart lists. (more info)
  5. You can format text in notes using bold, italics, and underlines. (more info)
  6. You can format text in notes using bulleted, numbered, or dashed lists. (more info)
  7. You can search the web for any selected text. (more info)
  8. Today and Scheduled smart lists are organized. (more info)
  9. You can add today's items to Reminders' badge count. (more info)
  10. List groups have a new view to see every reminder in the group at once. (more info)
  11. You can receive notifications for shared lists. (more info)
  12. You can filter reminders by any tag, not just all tags. (more info)
  13. You can filter out reminders with certain tags. (more info)

Weather

  1. You can add up to 50 locations in Weather now instead of just 20. (more info)
  2. There are eight different Weather widgets you can add to your lock screens. (more info)
  3. You can set a weather wallpaper on your lock screen that updates live with the local weather conditions. (more info)
  4. You can get notifications from the Weather app for "Severe Weather" alerts in your area. You can toggle it on or off in Weather's settings. (more info)
  5. There's also an option for "Next-Hour Precipitation" notifications from the Weather app. You can also toggle it on or off in Weather's settings. (more info)
  6. Weather notifications for severe weather and next-hour precipitation can be set per location. (more info)
  7. Tapping a module in the Weather app expands a more detailed view with more information. Supported modules include Air Quality, Hourly Forecast, 10-Day Forecast, UV Index, Wind, Rainfall, Feels Like, Humidity, Visibility, Pressure, and Sunrise/Sunset. (more info)
  8. Air Quality's expanded view in Weather shows a map. (more info)
  9. You can view a 10-day forecast for most modules in the Weather app now. (more info)
  10. You can switch between modules directly in the more detailed view in Weather using the drop-down selector. (more info)
  11. There are next-hour forecast maps in Weather's map view, not just 12-hour ones. (more info)
  12. The whole "Report an Issue" module is tappable, versus having a "See More" link. (more info)
  13. There's finally an iPad version of Weather. (more info)
  14. Apple Weather data is available by third-party apps and services with the new WeatherKit. (more info)

Shortcuts

  1. You can run shortcuts for third-party apps via Siri without any setup. (more info)
  2. You can run more shortcuts from Spotlight. (more info)
  3. The "My Shortcuts" tab is now just "Shortcuts." (more info)
  4. There's a new "App Shortcuts" section for all of the preprogrammed shortcuts available in apps; You can find it by tapping "Shortcuts" or "Back" from the new "Shortcuts" tab. (more info)
  5. You can stop app shortcuts from appearing in Spotlight. (more info)
  6. There's a new list view for shortcuts, so you're not stuck with just the bulky grid. (more info)
  7. You can reorder lists by name, action count, last modified, or none. (more info)
  8. More apps group their available actions into categories for easy browsing. (more info)
  9. The title bar in the shortcuts editor has been slimmed down. (more info)
  10. You can only access a shortcut's details from the quick actions now. (more info)
  11. You can run a shortcut from its quick actions menu. (more info)
  12. "Next Action Suggestions" can be hidden in the editor. (more info)
  13. The icon picker loses the tab design for a scrollable view. (more info)
  14. You can search for glyphs by name in the icon picker now. (more info)
  15. Some of the glyphs in the icon picker have been updated. (more info)
  16. You now hit "Done" in the editor instead of the "X" button. (more info)
  17. The Mail app has 3 more actions. (more info)
  18. The Maps app has 3 more actions and a few name changes. (more info)
  19. The Messages app has 2 more actions. (more info)
  20. The Notes app has 13 more actions and a few name changes. (more info)
  21. The Reminders app has 3 more actions and one name change. (more info)
  22. The Safari app has 6 more actions. (more info)
  23. The Shortcuts app has 4 more actions. (more info)
  24. The Voice Memos app has 9 more actions. (more info)
  25. There are new actions available for Scripting, Media, Documents, Clock, and Files. (more info)
  26. The "Show in Calendar" action for Calendar is now "Open in Calendar." (more info)

Live Text

  1. Text is completely interactive in paused video frames, so you can copy and paste, look up info, and translate languages — works in Photos, Quick Look, Safari, and more.
  2. Data detected in photos and videos is actionable with a single tap, so you can track flights or shipments, translate foreign languages, convert currencies, and more.
  3. Adds recognition of Japanese, Korean, and Ukrainian text.

Visual Lookup

  1. Lift the subject from an image or isolate the subject by removing the background. It works in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and more — available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.
  2. Visual Look Up adds recognition of birds, insects, spiders, and statues — available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.

Spotlight

  1. Spotlight can be accessed directly from the bottom of the home screen, making it easy to open apps, find contacts, or get information from the web.
  2. Recents searches allow you to quickly revisit a result. Siri Suggestions now consider your context, so you can do things faster like navigating to your next meeting or checking the status of your upcoming flight.
  3. Spotlight uses information from images in Messages, Notes, and Files to enable searching by locations, people, scenes, or even things in the images, like text, a dog, or a car. — Local files on device only. Live Text photo search is available on iPhone with A12 Bionic and later.
  4. Use Spotlight to quickly take action. Start a timer, turn on a Focus, find the name of a song with Shazam, run any shortcut, and more. Search for an app's name to see shortcuts available for the app, or create your own using the Shortcuts app.

Siri

  1. Siri can run shortcuts from your apps without any setup required.
  2. Skip the confirmation step when sending messages. You can enable this feature in Settings.
  3. Insert emoji when sending messages with Siri — available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.
  4. Discover Siri capabilities in iOS and apps by asking "Hey Siri, what can I do here?" You can also inquire about a specific app by saying, for example, "Hey Siri, what can I do with iRobot?"— available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.
  5. Siri can help you to hang up a call completely hands free. Just say "Hey Siri, hang up" (participants on the call will hear you). You can enable this feature in Settings — available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.
  6. Siri processes more types of requests offline without an internet connection, including Home Control (HomeKit), Intercom, and Voicemail — available on iPhones with A12 Bionic and later.

Dictation

  1. You can move fluidly between voice and touch while dictating on device. (more info)
  2. You can insert emoji using your voice while dictating. (more info)
  3. There's a new dictation button that pops up over the cursor to easily stop it.(more info)
  4. You no longer have to say "period" or "question mark" because it will intelligent auto-place punctuation like periods, commas, and question marks. (more info)

Maps

  1. You can plan up to 15 stops for navigation on one trip. (more info)
  2. You can add additional stops during navigation, and not just for coffee or gas. (more info)
  3. Transit fares will show when trip planning in supported locations. (more info)
  4. You can add transit cards to Wallet right from Maps. (more info)
  5. You can view and reload your transit balances. (more info)
  6. VoiceOver can detect starting points. (more info)
  7. Avoid hills, busy roads, and stairs when walking. (more info)
  8. Access quick links for places faster, so you can quickly call a location, view its website, share, etc. (more info)
  9. You can allow companies to use photos you upload to Maps. (more info)
  10. Switching between miles and kilometers has moved outside of Maps. (more info)
  11. Eleven more countries are getting enhanced maps. (more info)
  12. Seven more cities are getting detailed experiences. (more info)

Apple Pay and Wallet

  1. Split the cost of your Apple Pay Later purchase into four payments over six weeks with no interest or fees — coming later this year.
  2. Securely share your keys in Apple Wallet with the people you trust via your favorite messaging apps, such as Messages, Mail, or WhatsApp — coming later this year.
  3. Share your ID information in apps that require identity and age verification. Apps will only request information needed to complete the transaction. You will be able to review this request, and your data will be shared only after authorizing with Face ID or Touch ID. — Available on iPhone 8 and later and Apple Watch Series 4 and later.
  4. As part of Apple Card, the Daily Cash hub helps you learn how to earn Daily Cash, view the lifetime Daily Cash you've received, track your progress toward offers, and find the latest Bonus Daily Cash Merchants.
  5. Apple Cash payment requests make it easy to manage active payment requests from your Apple Cash card in Wallet.
  6. Customers in the U.S. will be able to share their verified information from their ID card in Wallet within apps that require age or identity verification.
  7. You no longer need to add a new hotel key in Wallet for each new reservation: A single key allows you to check in and unlock your room for all your upcoming stays at hotels within the same brand.
  8. You can now securely add new keys to your iPhone and Apple Watch directly from a website in Safari without having to download an app.
  9. Tap the "+" button in Wallet to see the list of all the keys you own and choose which ones you want to add to your new device.
  10. Apple Pay Order Tracking allows users to receive detailed receipts and order tracking information in Wallet for Apple Pay purchases with participating merchants.
  11. Merchant Tokens let you securely set up and complete preauthorized or recurring Apple Pay payments.
  12. Now you can specify purchase amounts for multiple merchants within a single Apple Pay payment sheet. This gives you the flexibility to make a bundled purchase — such as a travel package with flight, rental car, and hotel — then send payments to individual merchants.
  13. The quick access menu (available for specific passes and cards) lets users access many back-of-pass features with a single tap.
  14. Customers can replenish their account balance from their Apple Account card in Wallet.

Home

  1. The Home app has an all-new design that makes it easier to navigate, organize, view, and control all your accessories. Improvements to the underlying architecture enhance your smart home's performance and make it more efficient and reliable. — Coming later this year.
  2. See your entire home at a glance in the redesigned Home tab. Rooms and favorite accessories are integrated into the app's main tab, giving you easier access to accessories you use most.
  3. Categories for Lights, Climate, Security, Speakers and TVs, and Water let you quickly access all the relevant accessories organized by room, along with more detailed status information.
  4. Up to four camera views are displayed front and center in the Home tab, and with just a scroll, you can see any additional camera views in your home.
  5. Accessory tiles have been redesigned so the different accessories are more visually recognizable through shape and color. Accessories can be controlled directly from their tiles by tapping the tile's icon, or you can tap the accessory name for more detailed controls.
  6. Enhancements to the underlying architecture enable faster, more reliable performance, especially for homes with many smart accessories. Communicate with and control connected accessories more efficiently from multiple devices at the same time using the Home app. — Coming later this year.
  7. New widgets on the iPhone lock screen let you see the status of your home and quickly access your favorite accessories right from the lock screen.
  8. Matter is a new smart home connectivity standard that will enable compatible accessories to work together seamlessly, across platforms. Matter will allow you to choose from even more compatible smart home accessories and control them with the Home app and Siri on Apple devices. — Coming later this year.

Health

  1. Create a medications list to keep track of medications, vitamins, and supplements you take. And add custom visuals to make them easy to remember.
  2. You can quickly add your medications by using your iPhone camera. Simply position the medication label in the frame and you'll see results for medication name, strength, and form. — Available on iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later.
  3. Create custom schedules and reminders for each medication, whether you take medications multiple times a day, once a week, or as needed.
  4. Log when you've taken your medications from a reminder or log medications right in the Health app. Interactive charts help you understand when you've taken your medications and give you insight into your medication adherence.
  5. Educational content on medications you're taking gives you more context, including how to pronounce the name, what the medication is used for, how it works, and potential side effects.
  6. Taking certain medications together can make them less effective or cause side effects. To help with this, when you add a new medication you'll receive an alert if there is a critical interaction. You can review critical, serious, and moderate interactions in the Health app.
  7. Invite your loved ones to share their health data securely with you. Once they receive your invitation, they can choose which data to share.
  8. You can receive a notification if your logged menstrual cycles show a pattern of infrequent periods, irregular periods, prolonged periods, or persistent spotting.

Stocks

  1. See the date for a company's upcoming earnings report and add it to your calendar.
  2. Create multiple custom watchlists to organize the tickers you follow. Group symbols using any criteria you choose, such as sector, asset type, ownership status, and more.
  3. Use a new two-column layout in the medium-size and large Stocks widgets to see even more symbols.

iCloud+

  1. Hide My Email is integrated directly into QuickType keyboard suggestions, so you can keep your personal email address private in third-party apps.
  2. Share your custom domain with people outside your Family Sharing group, purchase a new domain, or enable catch-all aliases right from iCloud Mail settings.

Family Sharing

  1. Set up an account for a child with the right parental controls, right from the start, including easy-to-use, age-appropriate suggestions for media restrictions.
  2. Use Quick Start to easily set up a new iOS or iPadOS device for your child with all the appropriate parental controls already in place.
  3. Screen Time requests from your kids now appear in Messages, so it's easy to approve or decline a request.
  4. Family Checklist gives you helpful tips and suggestions like updating a child's settings as they get older, turning on location sharing, or just reminding you that you can share your iCloud+ subscription with everyone.

Privacy

  1. Safety Check in Settings helps people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations quickly reset the access they've granted to others. It also helps you manage which people and apps you've given access to.
  2. Apps need your permission before accessing the pasteboard to paste content from another app.
  3. Stream video directly from devices that support non-AirPlay streaming protocols without having to provide Bluetooth or local network access permission.

Security

  1. Get important security improvements to your devices even faster. These improvements can be applied automatically between standard software updates.
  2. Face ID works in landscape on supported iPhone models.
  3. Lockdown Mode provides extreme protection for a very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security. It further hardens your device's defenses and strictly limits certain functions, sharply reducing the attack surface that could potentially be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware.
  4. Bypass CATPCHAs in apps and websites. (more info)

Accessibility

  1. Use Magnifier to locate a door, read signs or labels around it, and get instructions for how to open it. — Available on iPhone 11 and later. (more info)
  2. Use Magnifier to get rich image descriptions of the things around you, such as scissors, a wallet, etc. — Available on Pro models only. (more info)
  3. Magnifier has a new Detection Mode menu that houses People Detection and the two new Image Descriptions and Door Detection features. (more info)
  4. You can save activities in Magnifier to keep preferred controls like camera, brightness, contrast, and filters for recurring tasks and situations. (more info)
  5. Transcriptions are generated automatically in real time for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. That way, they can follow along more easily with conversations, audio, and video. — Available on iPhone 11 and later. (more info)
  6. There are live captions for FaceTime video calls where you'll see automatically transcribed dialogue on-screen, complete with speaker attribution so that it's easy to follow along with group conversations. — Available on iPhone 11 and later. (more info)
  7. You can fully control your Apple Watch from your iPhone. For example, you can use your iPhone's Switch Control, Voice Control, or any other assistive features to get the most out of your Apple Watch. (more info)
  8. There are over 20 additional languages and locales available for VoiceOver and Spoken Content. For example, Bangla (India), Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. (more info)
  9. You can also select from dozens of new voices optimized for VoiceOver and Spoken Content assistive features. (more info)
  10. There are more VoiceOver programming settings for typing style, navigation style, and braille alert messages. (more info)
  11. You'll get automatic sound and haptic feedback that identifies the starting point for walking directions in Maps when using VoiceOver. (more info)
  12. Buddy controller mode lets you combine the inputs from multiple game controllers into one so your care provider or friend can help you play games. (more info)
  13. You can change the pause time to control how long Siri waits for you to finish speaking before responding to your request. (more info)
  14. You can train your iPhone to listen to custom sounds, such as the recognizable beeping of a kitchen appliance, the ringing sound of your doorbell, or a custom alarm. (more info)
  15. Voice Control has a new spelling node, so you can dictate names, addresses, and other custom spellings letter by letter. (more info)
  16. There are more Voice Control commands beyond spelling mode. For example, Show Keyboard, Open App Library, and Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring. (more info)
  17. You can now hang up calls in Phone and FaceTime using Voice Control. Just use the voice command "hang up" when Voice Control is turned on (participants on the call will hear you). (more info)
  18. There are new themes and customization options for Apple Books, such as bolding text and adjusting line, character, and word spacing. (more info)
  19. Siri can help you to hang up a call. Just say "Hey Siri, hang up" (participants on the call will hear you). — Available on iPhone with A12 Bionic and later. (more info)
  20. You can use Siri to switch auto-answer for Phone and FaceTime calls on or off. (more info)
  21. You can now use Siri to announce iPhone notifications on your Made for iPhone hearing devices. Before, it only worked on AirPods and Beats headphones. (more info)
  22. You can import your audiograms into the Health app. (more info)
  23. You can stop the Side button from ending audio calls in Phone, FaceTime, and third-party calling apps. (more info)

Keyboard

  1. An additional layout called Changyong is now available for Shuangpin users.
  2. QuickPath is now supported for typing Traditional Chinese using Pinyin.
  3. Users can now input Cantonese words and phrases using Jyutping and other phonetic methods.
  4. Type words and phrases in Sichuanese more easily when using the Simplified Chinese Pinyin keyboard.
  5. Autocorrect supports three new languages: English (New Zealand), English (South Africa), and Kazakh.
  6. Search for emoji in 19 new languages including Albanian, Armenian, Azeri, Bangla, Burmese, Estonian, Filipino, Georgian, Icelandic, Khmer, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Marathi, Mongolian, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, and Uzbek (Latin).
  7. Keyboard layouts are now available for Apache, Dzongkha, Samoan, and Yiddish.
  8. Turn on keyboard haptics to feel confirmation when you type.

App Clips

  1. Find and download more immersive App Clips with a 50 percent larger size limit.
  2. Use Live Activities with your App Clips. — Coming later this year.
  3. See nearby suggested App Clips with increased location precision in Spotlight and the Siri Suggestions widget.

Books

  1. The reading interface changed slightly. (more info)
  2. You can skip to your previously viewed page quicker. (more info)
  3. You can exit the book faster. (more info)
  4. The Reading menu is now an always-there button. (more info)
  5. The pages left and progress status work differently. (more info)
  6. Bookmarks and Highlights have its own button. (more info)
  7. There are 3 new page themes. (more info)
  8. And more dark theme options. (more info)
  9. The vertical scrolling option is a small button now. (more info)
  10. There are new accessibility and layout options. (more info)
  11. You can move the Reading menu to the left. (more info)
  12. You can always show your status bar. (more info)
  13. The brightness slider was ditched. (more info)
  14. There's no more realistic page-turning animation. (more info)
  15. You can use quick actions for books instead of the share sheet. (more info)
  16. There's a redesigned full-screen audiobook player. (more info)
  17. And a new mini audiobook player. (more info)
  18. You can expand audiobook previews to the full-screen player. (more info)
  19. There's a better Now Playing window on the lock screen. (more info)

FaceTime

  1. Move FaceTime calls seamlessly from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad, and vice versa. When you hand off a call, your connected Bluetooth headset transitions to the new device simultaneously.
  2. See which of your installed apps support SharePlay and open them from the FaceTime controls, or browse new experiences you can share with friends from the App Store.
  3. Tap the Share button during an active FaceTime call to start collaborating with others on the call in Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, Safari, and supported third-party apps.See automatically transcribed dialogue integrated into your FaceTime video calls. With speaker attribution, it's easy to follow along with group conversations. — In beta, available in English (Canada, U.S.) on iPhone 11 and later, iPad with A12 Bionic and later, and Mac with Apple silicon.

Game Center

  1. See your friends' play activity and achievements all in one place on the redesigned Game Center dashboard and profile.
  2. Games that use Game Center multiplayer support have SharePlay integration. You can start playing automatically with friends on a FaceTime call. — Coming later this year.
  3. Contacts shows your friends' Game Center profiles. Tap through to see what they are playing and accomplishing in games. — Coming later this year.

Translate

  1. Translate text around you using the camera in the Translate app. Pause the view to get translations overlaid on text in a photo and zoom in to get a closer look, or translate text in photos from your Photos library.
  2. The Translate app and system-wide translation add support for Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Polish, Indonesian, and Dutch.

Misc.

  1. iPhones with Face ID can finally make the battery percentage stay in the status bar all the time. (more info)
  2. Everyone can have the Fitness app, no Apple Watch is required.
  3. There's finally an Apple Books widget for the home screen and Today View. (more info)
  4. You can view and copy saved Wi-Fi passwords in plain text. (more info)
  5. There are now 5 sizes to choose from for the Pixel Eraser in the screenshot editor.
  6. Five new bilingual dictionaries are available: Bangla–English, Czech–English, Finnish–English, Hungarian–English, and Turkish–English.
  7. Choose your term of address for Canadian French, European French, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese to make your device feel more personal. In Language & Region settings you can choose how you would like to be addressed throughout the system: feminine, masculine, or neuter.
  8. You can now access collections by theme and interest in the Tips app.
  9. Tapping the label field when editing or adding an alarm in Clock lets you change the name right there without opening a new window.
  10. There are new system languages, including Bulgarian and Kazakh.
  11. Songs identified with Music Recognition in Control Center now sync with the Shazam app.
  12. Songs identified with Siri now sync with the Shazam app and Music Recognition in Control Center.

Just updated your iPhone to iOS 18? You'll find a ton of hot new features for some of your most-used Apple apps. Dive in and see for yourself:

Cover photo by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks

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