iOS 16 options: What’s on my wishlist

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We’re simply three months away from Apple’s annual WWDC occasion, which is the place the corporate will announce its subsequent spherical of main software program updates. As common, the headliner right here will likely be iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, which is able to carry main new options to the iPhone and iPad.

Listed here are 4 new iOS 16 options that I’m actually hoping to see Apple carry this yr…

iOS 16 options

Whereas iOS 14 was a serious replace for the iPhone with house display screen widgets and different modifications, iOS 15 was extra iterative – significantly when you think about how most of the preliminary options have been delayed to subsequent iOS 15 updates.

As it’s possible you’ll recall, iOS 14 was one of the common updates to the iPhone in years, due to its introduction of house display screen widgets. This led to a wave of recent customization choices for iPhone customers, significantly with highly effective third-party apps like Widgetsmith.

There was an expectation that iOS 15 would proceed the deal with customization, however this didn’t grow to be the case. As an alternative, Apple centered on new options for a world the place a pandemic was nonetheless very a lot raging. These included options like SharePlay, Focus Modes, and extra.

Which means that for the reason that launch of iOS 14, Apple hasn’t made any additional modifications to iPhone customization or widgets – and that’s a disgrace. This yr with iOS 16, I’m in search of Apple to deal with enhancing and increasing upon among the options that have been first launched in iOS 14.

Widgetsmith ios 14

Firstly, my hope is that Apple takes the expertise of house display screen widgets to the subsequent stage with iOS 16. Because it stands at this time, house display screen widgets are aesthetically pleasing and may present fast, glanceable info. When it comes to performance, nonetheless, they’re extremely restricted.

Whereas widgets on platforms like Android are interactive, this isn’t the case on iPhone. For those who faucet on a widget out of your iPhone house display screen, you’ll be taken on to the app for that widget. For instance, you possibly can’t rapidly test off a to-do merchandise from a widget, nor are you able to handle Apple Music playback controls.

This example is much more irritating while you notice that the Apple Music app for Android contains totally interactive house display screen widgets. Moreover, the Shortcuts app in iOS can also be technically interactive, permitting you to run shortcuts straight out of your iPhone or iPad’s house display screen.

With iOS 16, I hope Apple makes these widget options native for all first-party apps on iOS and out there as an API for builders. Two years after the official launch of house display screen widgets, this seems like a logical (and overdue) subsequent step.

Wallpaper packs and extra

Persevering with the deal with customization, I hope that Apple brings much more methods to personalize your iPhone house display screen with iOS 16. Past widgets, I’d prefer to see Apple embrace the thought of theming throughout the board. This contains customized app icons for inventory apps, customized accent colours, and extra.

This can be a function that got here to Android final yr, however it isn’t potential on iOS (with some exceptions due to Shortcuts, however these are wonky workarounds). Ideally, iOS 16 will embrace a devoted “Personalization” possibility within the Settings app the place customers can change every thing from fonts to colours to icons and extra.

There’s really some proof that Apple was at one level contemplating new customization choices within the Settings app. In a leaked construct of iOS 14 again in 2020, there was proof that Apple was planning to permit third-parties to combine into the Settings app to supply wallpaper collections.

A leaked screenshot a month later confirmed how this function may have labored, however finally it by no means noticed the sunshine of day. Hopefully this modifications with this yr’s iOS 16 replace.

A deal with HomeKit

After years of obvious neglect, 2022 can and needs to be the yr that HomeKit lastly begins to shine. The present Residence app hasn’t seen a serious revamp since its introduction with iOS 10 means again in 2016.

The app’s interface isn’t designed to deal with giant numbers of equipment and cameras. In reality, the Residence app arguably punishes customers who’ve various HomeKit equipment. The extra equipment you add, the more serious the Residence app will get, each when it comes to efficiency and design. The Residence app wants a revamp in iOS 16.

There are a number of the explanation why Apple ought to put extra consideration on HomeKit and the Residence app this yr. Firstly, the Thread protocol continues to realize widespread adoption, bringing important enhancements to sensible house accent reliability and efficiency. Even Apple’s HomePod mini contains built-in Thread assist.

Second, the Apple-backed sensible house normal “Matter” can also be anticipated to see the sunshine of day in 2022. Apple has promised that Matter will make it simpler for gadget producers to construct units which might be suitable with sensible house and voice companies akin to Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and others.

If Matter does certainly launch in 2022, will imply there are a bunch of recent HomeKit equipment in the marketplace. Because it stands at this time, the Residence app isn’t prepared for primetime – however hopefully iOS 16 modifications that.

Apple Music enhancements

Final however not least, there’s one other app that wants a polish with iOS 16 this yr and that’s the Music app. The Music app is among the most-used apps in iOS, nevertheless it suffers from quite a lot of quirks and bugs, a lot of that are holdovers from years in the past, even earlier than Apple Music launched.

I’m not in search of Apple to utterly revamp the Music app with iOS 16. In reality, that may be counterintuitive. What I would like is for Apple to double down on the efficiency and reliability of the Music app and Apple Music as a service. Spotify, for all of its faults, has a dependable backend that makes its apps far sooner to load than Apple Music.

Additionally, can we please get gapless playback assist with the Music app in iOS 16? Right here’s one more function that’s out there in Apple Music for Android, however not iOS.

Wrap up

These are only a handful of the options I hope to see Apple add with iOS 16 this yr. There are clearly different options that may be good to see, however these are the areas on which I hope to see Apple focus. Thus far, there haven’t been any rumors on the place Apple’s focus will likely be this yr, so that is totally speculative.

What about you? What’s in your iOS 16 wishlist? Tell us down within the feedback!

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