iOS 16 officially launched yesterday, bringing one of the biggest updates ever to Apple iPhone and smartwatch devices.

First unveiled in June, iOS 16 and its watchOS 9 equivalent will provide users with a range of new features and functionality, including exciting new changes to the iPhone lock screen, notifications and passwords.

As of Monday 12th September, the update is live and available to users of iPhone 8 devices or newer. Similarly, Apple Watch devices from Series 4 and later can also install watchOS 9.

Updates for iPad users will be available later in the year, Apple confirmed.

Here are five things you need to know about the iOS 16 update.

Major lock screen updates

The iOS 16 update will involve a comprehensive revamp of the lock screen, which Apple says will provide users with “deeper personalisation” options.

This will allow users to add a “depth effect” to lock screen photos and customise wallpaper images. The lock screen will still display the date and time, but users will now also be able to customise the font style.

New widgets available on the lock screen will display calendar events, alarms, time zone information and battery levels. Additionally, users can view live activities via the lock screen, such as sport scores.

Notably, the changes will also integrate more closely with the ‘Focus’ function, allowing users to create multiple personalised lock screens based on corresponding Focus filters.

This means users can create a lock screen for work hours and time at home, enabling them to hide notifications and content from specific apps or block work-related messages.

You can now edit Messages

Updates to Apple’s Messages function mean it is now possible to edit, undo send and mark conversations as unread.

The change means that messages sent by users can now be edited or removed within 15 minutes of being sent. Notably, the new ‘mark as unread’ feature will work in a similar fashion to traditional email.

On the topic of email, the Apple Mail app will also see some changes implemented during this latest update. This includes the ability to cancel sending an email within 10 seconds and new tools to schedule emails.

Users can also set reminders to return to email correspondence with the Remind feature.

Collaborate with Messages

Among the raft of Messages updates, Apple revealed users will now be able to invite friends and family to SharePlay.

This will offer another way to enjoy synced content, such as movies or songs. New tools to improve collaboration and productivity are also coming to the Messages function, according to Apple. This will make it easier to share files and documents.

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“New collaboration features in Messages make working with others quick and seamless,” the company said in a blog post.

“When users choose to share files for collaboration through Messages, everyone in a thread will be automatically added, and when someone makes an edit to the shared document, activity updates appear at the top of the thread.”

Who needs passwords anyway?

Designed to replace troublesome passwords, passkeys enable users to use Touch ID or Face ID for biometric verification in place of a traditional password.

These can be used to sign into websites or apps via Safari without the use of a password and are described by Apple as a “next-generation credential that can’t be phished or leaked.”

Passkeys are synced across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices using iCloud Keychain.

Developed as part of a collaboration with Google and Microsoft, passkeys can be used to sign into non-Apple devices or websites, creating a seamless user experience across a range of apps, devices, and the web.

How to download iOS 16

To download the latest iOS updates, visit the ‘Settings’ tab on your iPhone, click on ‘General’ and visit the ‘Software Update’ section. From here, users can download and install the update directly to their device.

For Apple Watch users however, the process is different. To download watchOS 9, users will first have to download the iOS 16 update to their iPhone.

Thereafter, users can open their Watch app and follow the same route via ‘General’ settings and then ‘Software Update.’

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