Usually, when there’s a major release of an operating system, we get to enjoy all the new features. But Apple has a habit of shipping ‘incomplete’ updates and adding promised features a little later. And that’s the case with iOS 16.1. While we’ve already had three relatively minor tweaks to iOS 16 (the 16.0.1, 16.0.2 and 16.0.3 updates) that fix a few bugs, iOS 16.1 will bring a number of new features.
Here’s a short list of what we’ll be getting when iOS 16.1 is officially released in the next few weeks.
Live Activities: The notifications we see on the lock screen are handy but Live Activities gives them a dynamic edge. For example, instead of simply seeing a notification that your food delivery order is on its way, you’ll be able to track the driver’s progress from the lock screen without launching the app.
Percentage in the battery indicator: Apple giveth. Apple taketh away. Apple giveth back! The battery meter will allow you show the percentage and accurately depict battery level on the icon.
Preloading In-App Data: Don’t you hate it when you load a new app from the App Store and then have to wait for it to preload some data before it can be used. Well, if you’re impatient or eager, there’s a new toggle that allows apps to pre-load content in the background so you can start using your new apps faster.
Deletable Wallet app: Apple is in the crosshairs of competition regulators who say Apple’s Wallet app shuts out its rivals. So, Apple now lets you delete the Wallet app, just as it allows you to delete a number of other preinstalled apps.
Clean Energy Charging: If you live in the United States, Apple will optimise phone charging so it takes advantage of low emissions energy sources when they’re available. It’s an optional feature in Settings > Battery Health & Charging.
Apple Fitness comes to the iPhone: I’m a fan of Apple Fitness. I’ve used many of the workouts via my Apple TV. The ability to access Apple Fitness from my phone will be super useful when I’m travelling and want to get a workout in. Oh, and it won’t rely on an Apple Watch.
Matter support: Matter is a new standard for connecting smart home devices. Apple has long championed its own standard, HomeKit, but matter will enable interoperability with Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices as they all embrace Matter. It will likely take a while before Matter-compatible devices are widely available but Apple is getting ready with some under the covers tweaks to iOS.
Less nagging from copy/paste: The new releases of iOS and iPadOS introduced an annoying bug. When one app tries to paste content from another app, you Gert a warning to let you know. The problem is that the warning appears a lot – and can’t be disabled even if you trust the apps and activity. Apple promises to squash that annoying bug.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.