Today, Apple is releasing iOS 16, after announcing it at WWDC in June and having countless betas. Today is the big day, which could kill the internet all over the world. We’ve seen this happen before with previous versions of iOS. However, this has not happened for a few years.
So what’s new in iOS 16? Well, as it turns out. A number of features that Android has had for some time. Now, we always joke that iOS is years behind Android, but Android also copies features from iOS years later. So it goes both ways. But today we are going to talk about the six features that iOS 16 brings to iPhones that Android phones already have. To see all the new features of iOS 16, go to the Apple site here.
Customizable lock screen
Perhaps the biggest new feature in iOS 16 is the new lock screen. This is truly the biggest lock screen change ever to iOS. The only other change was to remove the “Slide to unlock” on the lock screen.
But in iOS 16, users will be able to add widgets to the lock screen. They’re basically smaller versions of what’s on the home screen and work well with the always-on display of the iPhone 14. Users can also change the font of the clock, which seems minor, but adds some customization. Notifications now come from the bottom. So you still see them, but they don’t cover your lock screen wallpaper.
Speaking of which, Apple allows users to set different lock screens. You can therefore associate them with different focus parameters. Have a lock screen for work, another for home, and maybe another for do not disturb.
Now, Android allows customization of the lock screen, from time to time for many years. Google actually launched lock screen widgets many, many years ago. But they kind of left. And with stock Android, there’s not a whole lot of customization there. But that can be changed with apps.
Auto-share in Photos
This is one of the features that will arrive “later this year” according to Apple. But it’s a feature that Google Photos has had for many years now. Basically, allowing you to share photo albums with people, contribute photos based on a start date or the people in the photos. And you can even choose to add and share them automatically.
Google Photos added this a while ago (it’s actually a feature I use a lot on Google Photos). But good to see the Apple Photos app finally adding it.
Ability to add multiple stops in Apple Maps
Apple Maps has had its fair share of criticism since its debut in 2012 (crazy to think it’s been around 10 years already). Including app icon telling people to leave a bridge. But Apple Maps has improved a lot over the years. I still prefer Google Maps because it uses crowdsourced data so there is more data available.
With iOS 16, Apple Maps has the ability to add multiple stops to your route. A feature that Google Maps added in 2016. It’s a pretty self-explanatory feature to be completely honest. You can add more stops, maybe pick up your mom and then go to the movies. You can put your mother’s house as the stop and then the cinema as the final destination, instead of setting it for each destination.
One feature added by Apple Maps that I really hope Google Maps adds soon is transit maps and fares in Maps. Google Maps will tell you what transit you’re in (especially useful in cities like New York and San Francisco). But now, in iOS 16, Apple Maps adds the ability to see how much it will cost. Apple Maps can already guide you around subway stations (very, very useful in New York), so that’s another nice addition.
System-wide dynamic captions
iOS 16 also brings system-wide live captions. It works the same as on Android. It works in Facetime and pretty much any other app out there. The interface even looks identical. The only real difference here is Apple’s text-to-speech capabilities versus Google’s. And in the first tests, it seems quite equal.
Google introduced Live Captions to I/O in 2019, then debuted it on the Pixel 4 later that year. So this feature is not that old. And has only been rolled out to all Android devices in the last couple of years.
Improved search in Mail
Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t really update its apps independently of the operating system. Thus, many features of iOS 16 are purely app-based. Like improved search in Mail. This enhanced search is something Gmail has been doing for many, many years. Basically, Apple adds autocomplete to your search and finds items in your mail before you’ve even completed your search query.
Follow your favorite teams in Apple News
Weirdly, you couldn’t follow your favorite teams and leagues in Apple News before iOS 16. I mean, Google had this feature with Google Now in 2012, if not a bit earlier. It’s kind of crazy that it took Apple so long to do this.
But now you will be able to follow your favorite teams and leagues and get the best stories from hundreds of publications. Apple News will also provide highlights and get the latest scores, schedules and standings straight to your News Feed.
iOS 16 will start rolling out today
Apple will start rolling out iOS 16 today, September 12, to millions of phones around the world. And there’s another feature here that Android can’t match. And these are the updated devices. Apple has been updating every iPhone since the iPhone 8, which was released in 2017. It’s a five-year-old phone that’s always updated to the latest version of iOS. Meanwhile, some Android phones can’t even get updates after two or three years. Apple finally dropped support for the iPhone 6S and 7 this year, however, those sat nearly seven years away from updates.
If you happen to have a compatible iPhone, you should see the update available around 1pm ET or 10am PT. iPad OS 16 has apparently been delayed, so it will only be for iPhone today.
