iOS 16: The Huge Options We Are Nonetheless Ready For

Apple’s new iPhone 14 line debuted final week, and with it got here just a few extra appears at iOS 16 forward of Monday’s public launch. Beforehand in beta, iOS 16 brings loads of adjustments to the iPhone together with photo-editing tips, the power to edit and unsend iMessage texts, and an Apple Maps makeover amongst many different new enhancements. However regardless of quite a few new options, there are a number of issues that we see on different Apple merchandise and Android telephones that do not look like coming to iOS.

I do not imply to low cost the nice highlights — particularly the always-on show talked about when this record first revealed after WWDC 2022 did arrive for the iPhone 14 Professional and Professional Max — however a few of these options that also aren’t coming to the iPhone are fairly simple to seek out if you look simply past the units that Apple makes. 

What We Wished: All the time-on show
What We Obtained: Out there on iPhone 14 Professional and Professional Max

Apple’s iPhone 14 Professional and Professional Max would be the first telephones made by Apple to incorporate an always-on show, a characteristic that many Android telephones have included over the previous decade. An always-on show takes benefit of OLED screens by solely lighting up the mandatory pixels to point out glanceable data just like the time and a few notifications. Though Apple has been utilizing OLED screens since 2017’s iPhone X, Apple seems to have waited till the 14 Professional and Professional Max with a purpose to make an always-on show that features wallpaper artwork and colours.

What We Wished: Higher texting to non-iPhones
What We Obtained: A bunch texting enchancment 

Apple’s iMessage in iOS 16 is gaining the power to edit and recall messages that have not already been considered, however these enhancements are nonetheless largely iPhone-only options that are not advancing the general state of textual content messaging inside the cellphone trade. In terms of texting every other cellphone that is not an iPhone, iOS nonetheless falls again to the decades-old SMS customary which lacks conveniences like typing indicators and smoother group texting.

Whereas Google has been getting cellphone carriers to assist the RCS customary that features these options — admittedly over the course of a number of years with setbacks — the usual at the moment stays Android-only with Google claiming that they’d be comfortable to work with Apple for interoperability. 

The probabilities of that seem as bleak as ever — Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner lately stated at a tech convention that the corporate sees little demand from its customers to assist RCS — however there may be some hope for group chats between the iPhone and Android telephones. iOS 16 is including assist for message reactions despatched over SMS, which at the moment arrive as a sequence of messages about how an individual “Appreciated” or “Beloved” a message.

As a substitute, the Messages app will now translate these into the suitable icon, very like the way it already does this when each participant within the group chat makes use of an iPhone. Google lately added an analogous characteristic into its Messages app, translating iPhone reactions in the identical means. This transfer is not going to massively enhance these group chats, however as a comfort I am going to take it. 

What We Wished: Break up View on larger iPhone fashions
What We Obtained: Nothing but

Apple’s iPad tablets have lengthy included the power to run two apps facet by facet, benefiting from the bigger display screen. The iPad can also be getting its personal multitasking enhance with iPadOS 16, because of the brand new Stage Supervisor. Android telephones have equally featured the power to run a number of apps without delay. However on the iPhone, even with the iPhone 13 Professional Max and its 6.7-inch show, there isn’t any means to make use of two apps without delay.

Apple does enable some restricted multitasking on iPhone, corresponding to viewing a picture-in-picture video on high of one other app, however it’d be nice to sometimes view a condensed model of the Mail app alongside Safari or to put the Calculator app alongside a budgeting app.

What We Wished: Extra House Display screen, Settings menu customization
What We Obtained: New lock display screen choices

Considered one of Android 12’s large options is the power to customise the whole theme of your cellphone — together with customized colours for the notifications pulldown. Whereas iOS 16 is bringing extra management to the lock display screen, it might be an incredible subsequent step to go additional and permit thematic tweaks that reach to notifications and the assorted settings menus.

Alongside a customized theme, it could even be nice if dwelling screens would enable for apps to be positioned wherever we wish. Whereas widgets may also help with this (I take advantage of a full-width climate and calendar widget to push my first row of apps decrease), some individuals may need to completely place their apps on the underside row of their dwelling display screen. Whereas the present Focus modes and App Library characteristic already allow you to customise which apps you need to seem on dwelling screens, permitting you free rein of placement could be the subsequent logical step for personalization.

The lock display screen was a giant focus throughout the iOS 16 presentation. Maybe subsequent yr Apple will as soon as once more give attention to the house display screen.