Apple’s mid-year conference has been officially confirmed and there is now an official date. Netizens are anticipating the event because it will introduce a lot of new devices and features. After the official announcement of the 2022 WWDC event, we are now getting set to receive the new iOS 16 system. Apple will not only release a new system for the iPhone, it will also unveil a new iPadOS as well as WatchOS. Apple upgrades its system every year and this has been working for the company. There have been a lot of rumors and speculations regarding the iOS 16 system. Here, we put together the top four major topics regarding the iOS 16 that have made the headlines in recent times. These include the launch date, new features, compatible devices and design.
iOS 16 – what we know so far
1. When will iOS 16 be announced?
The 2022 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 6 to June 10. Although there is no direct confirmation that Apple will announce this system at this event, the company’s precedent suggests that iOS 16 will make an appearance at WWDC 2022. Unfortunately, this event will not be a physical event for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, it will have all the highlights and features of a physical event. The virtual event will have a keynote address to declare the event open on June 6. Well, the overall expectation is that we will have a first look at the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 during the keynote speech.
Following iOS 16 being announced during this WWDC keynote, Apple will release the first betas to developers. Usually, developer betas are released within a few hours before the keynote ends. Apple will subsequently release a public beta that all iPhone and iPad users can access, usually sometime in July.
2. Compatible devices
According to a report from iPhonesoft, iOS 16 plans to drop support for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and the original iPhone SE. This means that iPhone SE 2, iPhone 7, and above iPhone will get an iOS 16 upgrade. Apple will announce the specific upgrade support list at the event. In terms of accuracy, iPhonesoft’s reports have different ratings. In the past, it has had some correct as well as wrong reports. For instance, it correctly reported the list of supported devices for iOS 13 and iOS 14 in advance. However, its reports on iPhone 6s and original iPhone SE not upgrading to iOS 15 were wrong.
If the report is correct, this means that iOS 16 will require the A10 chip as the minimum hardware spec to get the latest features. Still, this represents an incredibly long life for iPhones in terms of upgrades and maintenance. The iPhone 6s and original iPhone SE were first released in late 2015 and early 2016, respectively. This means they will receive regular software updates for over 6 years.
However, it is best to treat this report as what it is, a rumor. However, if the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE continues to get new systems, it will stretch their time to 7 years. This will obviously mean a lot for users of these old smartphones. Most of these devices are currently in the hands of third or fourth users.
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3. iOS 16 remains the same – no design changes
If there is anything that has been stagnant in the iOS system, it should be the design. The interface design of iOS systems has been pretty much the same since iOS 7. This means that iOS interface design has been the same for almost 10 years. While this feels like a disappointment, there is really no need for Apple to change what users are very comfortable with. According to recent reports, the iOS 16 interface will not be redesigned and there will be no significant change in this regard.
Of course, there will be some new features in all aspects of iOS 16, but the biggest changes are notification reminders and new health-tracking features. Apple may introduce a new multitasking management interface for iPadOS. The Apple Watch is getting a major update to activity and health tracking. Apple has announced that it will hold a WWDC conference on June 6 this year. At the event, it will announce a new generation of operating systems such as iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9 and tvOS 16.
4. Possible new features
Like we said earlier, there will be no design changes but obviously, there will be some new features. Generally, the upgrade to the iOS 16 system will be pretty decent. Let us take a look at some of the possible new features that this system will introduce
Notification: Over the past two years, Apple has done some significant changes to the notification system. Thus, it is interesting that the company will make changes this year again. We have seen the addition of features such as Notification Summary and Focus Modes in the past. However, we are gearing up to see new additions. Although, whatever the company will add or expunge from the notification remains under wraps.
Health Tracking Features: This is slowly becoming “a must” addition to smartphone systems whether iOS or Android. Of course, Apple will not be left behind as it will also add health tracking features to the iOS 16. The company already has the Health app as an integral part of the Apple Watch software in recent years. From the speculations so far, this will not change this year. We have reasons to believe that Apple will not bring completely new health features for its iOS 16. Thus, the company will likely optimize the existing WatchOS 9 health features for the new iOS 16. According to Bloomberg, watchOS 9 will include “major upgrades to activity and health tracking” this year.
AR & VR: There are also speculations that the iOS 16 will come with significant additions in terms of AR and VR. This is coming ahead of the official release of the company’s first mixed reality headset. However, we are not expecting a preview of the headset at WWDC.
Multitasking interface: There are also reports that Apple is working on a new multitasking interface for the iPadOS only. The iOS 15 comes with few changes in the multitasking interface. However, the new upcoming system will bring more.
Conclusion
We still have about three weeks before the WWDC 2022 event which will commence on June 6. This is more than enough time for more information regarding this system to hit the web. While the design will be a disappointment for some users, iOS 16 overall upgrades will be decent. Apple will not focus on visual changes, rather, it will concentrate more on quality-of-life improvements.
