WWDC 2022: iOS 16 and More Announcements; See Apple Highlights

Apple announced on Monday (6) the new iOS 16, iPhone mobile operating system, and several new features for devices such as Apple Watch 7, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. The information was presented during WWDC 2022, the company’s annual conference for developers. The new macOS Ventura, which runs on Apple computers, was also announced at the event.

The event was kicked off by Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, but was led by Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, who gave more details about iOS 16. The iPhone operating system was the highlight of the conference and will bring to the Apple phones a new lock screen, improved focus mode, and even privacy and Live Text features. In the following lines, check out all the main news announced by Apple at WWDC 2022.

New in iOS 16

iOS 16 was officially announced at WWDC 2022. Now, with the update, the iPhone lock screen will gain new customization options. It will be possible to change the font, the color palette, and even the type of icons – such as temperature – that appear on your phone’s lock screen. In addition, users will also have the option to keep more than one lock screen, and the photos used can have color and depth filters applied.

Notifications will also change in iOS 16. Now, incoming messages will appear grouped at the bottom of the lock screen – so the images you choose as wallpaper will have little to no interference in their appearance. For those who like to follow sports and live events, the new iOS will also gain the Live Activities feature, which will send your lock screen real-time information about games and other ceremonies that are of interest to you and are happening at the moment.

The focus mode will also gain changes in the OS update, with different lock screens aimed at different mode settings. This way, if your focus is work, for example, you will be able to use a lock screen with widgets that warn you about your meetings and/or other important notifications related to this.

ios 16 lock screen

Another new feature that iOS 16 will bring to iPhone is iMessage, Apple’s official messenger. With the update, users will be able to edit messages already sent, as well as delete them even after they have been sent. It will also be possible to save shared links and/or media for later viewing. In the update, SharePlay will be accessible via iMessage as well, allowing users to watch a series or movie while commenting on it via messenger.

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In addition, FaceTime will gain a new button to allow quick access to apps that support SharePlay. This way, users will be able to check already during a call which apps offer the shared experience – so they can watch TV shows or listen to music with friends over the call, for example.

ios 16

The Live Text feature will also gain novelty in iOS 16: with the update, the feature will be expanded to videos. Thus, you will be able to select text elements available in different frames of what is being watched, simply by pausing and making the selection. In addition, the function will also gain quick actions, such as text translations and currency conversion.

iOS 16 will also gain new functions for Apple Wallet. With the update, it will be possible to store more information in the digital wallet, such as hotel check-ins, for example. In addition, Apple also confirmed that the update will allow sharing of this type of data in a simpler and faster way, with users who have an iPhone or not. The company also announced a new payment method, which will make it possible to pay for purchases made using Apple Pay in installments of up to 4x without interest and to track shipments of products purchased with this payment method.

Another interesting feature that Apple announced for the OS update is the possibility to share an iCloud+ subscription with up to five members of the same family. Thus, the space and benefits will be shared with the other selected users – which can be saved.

ios 16

In addition, iOS 16 will also feature a shareable cloud, which will allow you to share media such as photos and videos with up to five other family members. According to what was announced by Apple, it will be possible to use an automatic sharing mode, which will send photos to the cloud as soon as they are taken.

Following the trend of previous years, Apple also announced the Safety Check feature, which should bring more privacy to iOS 16. Although the feature is quieter than those announced in previous updates, the new feature will allow users to review and revoke, in one go, the different accesses, and permissions that have been shared with people and apps. So in case you have shared your location with someone, you will be able to undo that action quickly through the new hub.

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New in Apple Watch 7

WatchOS comes to generation 9 with four new complications – names given to the themes that appear as soon as the smartwatch is triggered. Each of them has various customizations. According to Apple, notifications in the system are easier to look up, and the Podcasts app has been redone.

WatchOS

The manufacturer has announced new features for those who use the Apple Watch for physical activities. There are new running indicators, such as the vertical oscillation indicator, which lets you know if you are “jumping” too much during your workout.

Sleep tracking shows the various stages of when a person has been sleeping. It is possible to distinguish between REM and deep levels, for example.

New M2 chip and MacBook Air

Another big announcement from Apple was the new M2 chip, marking the second generation of processors developed by the company. The successor to the M1 follows the focus on energy efficiency and features 5 nm architecture, support for up to 24 GB of RAM, and a promise of 35% faster video performance. There are eight cores for the CPU and eight more for the GPU.

With the new processor, two new Macs were announced. The MacBook Air with M2 comes with a redesigned 13.6-inch display with a notch to house the camera, and the return of MagSafe, a wired charger that works using magnets. There is also support for a more powerful charger, which promises to bring the battery to 50% in 30 minutes.

Macbook Air with M2

The computer is 11.3 mm thick and is available in gray, gold, space gray, and black. There are two USB-C ports and a P2 output for headphones. It will be available for $1,199.

The second release was the MacBook Pro, which had fewer visual changes and kept the thicker edges to house the camera, without the presence of a notch. The laptop features the Touch Bar and the same eight-core M2, with the possibility of up to 24 GB of RAM and 2 TB of SSD. The starting price is $1,299.

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macOS Ventura

During the event, Apple also presented macOS Ventura, the brand’s new operating system for computers. The successor to macOS Monterey, the software brings improvements in productivity and security. One of the new features is Stage Manager, a feature that automatically rearranges all open windows on the left and centers the application you are working on. Actionable from the Control Center, the function also allows you to group similar programs on the side tab-similar to Windows 11‘s “Snap Groups.

Spotlight, macOS’ search system, has also been improved. It can now find images in the computer’s photo library and on the web, display file previews by pressing the Tab key, and also find text within images – thanks to Live Text. According to Apple, Spotlight has been improved to bring more accurate results.

Another application that received updates was Safari, the system browser. The browser has gained the “Shared Tab Groups” feature, which facilitates the exchange of information by allowing you to share groups of tabs with friends. Collaborative, the function is useful for users who are planning a trip together, for example.

macOS Ventura

Another new feature of the browser, this time focused on security, is “Passkeys.” The technology uses Face ID or Touch ID to create unique passwords for each site and device, which prevents the codes from being leaked or captured in phishing scams, according to the company. The codes are securely synchronized across all Apple devices and will work across all platforms.

macOS Ventura also brought the “HandOff” feature to FaceTime, allowing the user to start a video chat on the iPhone and continue the call on the iPad or Mac and vice versa. The system also received the “Continuity Camera” feature, which makes it possible to use the iPhone as a webcam instead of the computer’s native camera.

The Mail application has also received updates. The new features include improved search results, suggestions displayed as the user begins searching for something in the app, and features such as undo and schedule sending. Apple also introduced Metal 3, a new version of the software that helps boost gaming performance.

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