iOS 16: The Large Options We Are Nonetheless Ready For

This story is a part of Focal Level iPhone 2022, CNET’s assortment of stories, suggestions and recommendation round Apple’s hottest product.

Apple’s new iPhone 14 line debuted final week, and with it got here a number of extra appears at iOS 16 forward of Monday’s public launch. Beforehand in beta, iOS 16 brings lots of adjustments to the iPhone together with photo-editing methods, the flexibility 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 seem like coming to iOS.

I do not imply to low cost the nice highlights — specifically the always-on show talked about when this checklist first printed 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 search out while you look simply past the units that Apple makes. 

What We Wished: At all times-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 required pixels to indicate glanceable data just like the time and a few notifications. Despite the fact that Apple has been utilizing OLED screens since 2017’s iPhone X, Apple seems to have waited till the 14 Professional and Professional Max so as to make an always-on show that features wallpaper artwork and colours.

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

Apple’s iMessage in iOS 16 is gaining the flexibility to edit and recall messages that have not already been seen, however these enhancements are nonetheless largely iPhone-only options that are not advancing the general state of textual content messaging throughout the telephone trade. In terms of texting every other telephone 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 telephone carriers to help 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 might be blissful to work with Apple for interoperability. 

The possibilities of that seem as bleak as ever — Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner not too long ago mentioned at a tech convention that the corporate sees little demand from its customers to help RCS — however there’s some hope for group chats between the iPhone and Android telephones. iOS 16 is including help for message reactions despatched over SMS, which at the moment arrive as a sequence of messages about how an individual “Appreciated” or “Cherished” 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 not too long ago 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 will take it. 

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

Apple’s iPad tablets have lengthy included the flexibility to run two apps aspect by aspect, profiting from the bigger display. The iPad can be getting its personal multitasking enhance with iPadOS 16, due to the brand new Stage Supervisor. Android telephones have equally featured the flexibility to run a number of apps directly. 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 directly.

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

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

One in every of Android 12’s large options is the flexibility to customise the whole theme of your telephone — together with customized colours for the notifications pulldown. Whereas iOS 16 is bringing extra management to the lock display, it might be a terrific 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 residence screens would enable for apps to be positioned anyplace we would like. Whereas widgets will 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 wish to completely place their apps on the underside row of their residence display. Whereas the prevailing Focus modes and App Library characteristic already allow you to customise which apps you wish to seem on residence screens, permitting you free rein of placement can be the subsequent logical step for personalization.

The lock display was an enormous focus through the iOS 16 presentation. Maybe subsequent 12 months Apple will as soon as once more give attention to the house display.