iOS 16 (codenamed Sydney) is the sixteenth version of iOS that was released on 12 September 2022. It was first announced at the WWDC keynote on 6 June 2022. It is the first version of iOS to drop support for the iPod touch platform.
The new Lock Screen is fully customizable in appearance and it can host Widgets. It is very similar to Watch Faces on the Apple Watch.
It is now possible to create multiple lock screens to be set at any time. Individual Lock Screens can also be assigned to a Focus mode.
Notifications appear from the bottom so the Lock Screen wallpaper isn't covered up.
Live Activities have been added, which are special notifications that provide real-time information.[Note 1]
Focus filters allow apps to show different content based on the active status at that time, for example, Safari can only show opened tabs related to the Work status, etc.
Introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library, which allows photos from the user’s library to be automatically shared with up to 5 different contacts. Shared photos can be edited or deleted freely by these contacts.[Note 1]
Quick actions are commands available directly on the Live Text. It is possible to make price conversions to another currency or translations on the fly from the recognized text.
Duplicate detection has been added to the Photos app.
Support for push notifications has been added.[Note 2]
Passkey is a new technology that allows the user to authenticate on sites and apps without using passwords. Passkeys are generated by the phone and the permission is granted via Face ID or Touch ID.
Introduced Apple Music Sing, which is a karaoke-like feature for supported songs. It is only available for devices with the A13 chip or newer (excluding the 2nd generation iPhone SE).[Note 3]
Users can now favorite artists to keep track of their latest releases.
During text dictation the keyboard is always present and allows the user to switch from speech to manual typing and vice versa without interruptions. It is also possible to insert emojis through dictation. Auto-Punctuation automatically inserts a dot when there's a pause in the dictation.
An option to enable haptic feedback for the keyboard has been added.
Stage Manager for iPadOS, which is a windowed multitasking feature.
A new button to initiate Spotlight has been added to the Home Screen.
The battery percentage indicator has been added to iPhone models without the home button.
Clean Energy Charging, which will reduce the user's carbon footprint by selectively charging their device when lower carbon emission electricity is available.[Note 1]
Songs identified with Music Recognition in the Control Center will now sync with the Shazam app.