The next iPhone OS lets you edit and unsend texts and check if anyone has your passwords

June 7, 2022

By Kim Komando

Big Tech companies love to put on a big show and Apple is no exception. The Cupertino Company just wrapped up this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference and there’s a lot to look forward to if you love all things Apple.

Though you may love your iPhone, iPad or Mac, no technology (or company, for that matter) is perfect. These are big corporations that put profit above all else, so don’t be surprised when they make a change that upsets loyal users. Apple is changing how auto-renewals kick in, and it may wind up costing you. Tap or click here to see if you can expect a bigger bill.

That change is a bummer, but there are a lot of handy features and some impressive gear coming down the pipeline. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to.

Big things coming to iOS 16

Apple’s latest update to the iPhone’s operating system improves upon the features and apps you use everyday. iOS 16 will likely launch in the fall alongside the next generation iPhone.

The best Messages feature in years

Big news for big texters: iOS 16 adds the ability to edit or recall recently sent messages. You can also mark conversations as unread to come back to later.

SharePlay is coming to Messages, too, so you can enjoy movies or songs with others and share playback controls inside the Messages app.

You’ll also be able to unsend recently sent email messages in the Mail app. (Gmail has had this feature for years, and it’s so handy.) You’ll get reminders if you left something out, such as an attachment. If you are waiting for a reply, you’ll get a reminder to follow up on that as well.

Safety Check can keep you safe

Safety Check is aimed at users at risk of domestic violence. With this tool, you can more easily remove all access you’ve granted to others, including privacy permissions. An emergency reset lets you sign out of iCloud on all your other devices and limit messaging to just the device you’re currently using.

Safety Check also helps you manage the people and apps you’ve given access to.

Lock screen

Your iPhone’s lock screen is getting some big changes with iOS 16:

• Customizable widgets let you see calendar events, the weather, battery levels, alarms, time zones and more without having to unlock your phone.
• You’ll also be able to change the look of the date and time and swipe through multiple lock screens.
• Notifications will roll up from the bottom so they don’t obscure your lock screen.
• Live Activities lets you track things that are happening in real-time from your lock screen. This includes ride-shares, sports games, food deliveries and more. You’ll be able to connect your Focus to your lock screen and use filters to block out distractions such as messages, emails and other notifications, too.

Passkeys

Passkeys are unique digital keys that are easy to use, more secure, never stored on a web server and stay on your device. They replace passwords and use Touch ID or Face ID for verification. Passkeys work across apps and the web to let you sign into websites or an app on a non-Apple device using your iPhone, too. Handy.

Here are more changes coming to iOS 16:

• iCloud Shared Photo Library lets you create a separate iCloud library that up to six users can contribute to.
• Live Text, which identifies text in images, is coming to video. You can pause a video and interact with the text, convert currency, translate and more.
• With Visual Lookup, you can grab subjects from photos to share with others in text messages and the like.
• Apple Wallet gets a buy now, pay later feature. Apple Pay Later lets you split the cost of Apple Pay purchases into four payments spread over six weeks with no interest or fees. You can also use your ID in your Wallet for apps that require identity and age verification.
• CarPlay goes further to integrate your car’s hardware into the app. You’ll be able to control the radio or change the climate through CarPlay. The app will also display your speed, fuel level, temperature and more on a digital instrument cluster.
• Safari Tab Groups let you share your favorite websites with friends and family.

Related: 7 Apple CarPlay tips that make your drive easier

What’s coming to iPadOS 16?

iPadOS 16 includes some of the best features from iOS 16, including the iCloud Shared Photo library, messaging tools, Safari Tab Groups, mail tools, passkeys and more. iPadOS 16 will likely launch in the fall, too.

The iPad’s latest OS will also add Stage Manager to help you get better organized. You can resize windows, view multiple overlapping windows and more easily switch between apps. Stage Manager lets you use your iPad Pro or iPad Air with an external display as well. You can view multiple apps on each and drag or drop files and apps between screens.

Here are some more changes you’ll get for an iPad running iPad OS 16:

• Display scaling mode lets you change the resolution on your display to fit more on the screen.
• Reference Mode keeps your iPad’s screen colors in sync with other displays.
• The Weather app is coming to the iPad, too.

New additions to macOS 13 Ventura

The latest macOS, Ventura, comes with the Mail updates outlined above, the Stage Manager feature highlighted in the iPadOS 16 section, and passkey support. Look for the launch in late 2022.

Use Spotlight to search images

With Ventura, you can use Spotlight to find images in your Photos, Messages, Notes and Finder apps as well as across the web. You can also use Live Text to search for an image based on the text in the picture, along with more detailed search results.

You’ll also be able to use the Spotlight feature to do things like set an alarm, start a Focus session, find the name of a song and run a shortcut.

Continuity Camera pairs your Mac and iPhone

Bring your iPhone close to your Mac and you can use it as a webcam in landscape or portrait mode. This adds some new features to your video calls:

• Studio Light illuminates your face and dims the background.
• Center Stage will be available on your Mac, too. Use it to stay centered in the frame.
• Desk View shows your desk and face at the same time.

Here are some more features coming with Ventura:

• You can start a FaceTime conversation from Safari.
• You can move a FaceTime call from one device to another with a click.

Updates to watchOS 9

Your Apple Watch is getting more watch faces and better ways to track your health, sleep and more.

A better Workout app

The Workout app is getting improvements to help guide you in your fitness journey.

• Heart Rate Zones use your Health data to monitor the intensity of a workout. You can customize your workouts to include work and rest intervals.
• New alerts include pace, power, heart rate and cadence.
• Multisport automatically switches between any sequence of swimming, biking, and running workouts.
• Race against your own past results and receive alerts during your run to beat your previous pace.
• Fitness+ workouts display on-screen guidance.

Get a deeper look at your sleep

WatchOS 9 will also include more sleep insights to help you get the rest you need. Your Apple Watch will be able to detect you’re in in REM, Core or Deep sleep, which you can view later. Other metrics include time asleep, heart rate and respiratory rate.

See your Afib History

Users who are diagnosed with AFib (atrial fibrillation) can turn on the FDA-cleared AFib History feature and access information such as how frequently their heart rhythm shows signs of AFib.

Other watchOS 9 updates include:

• Less obtrusive notifications.
• A double-pinch gesture can be used to answer or end a phone call, take a photo, play or pause media and control a workout.

Hardware updates

Apple is upgrading its M1 chip to the M2. The processor has an 18% faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU and a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1. You’ll find this chip inside the new MacBook Air and Macbook Pro 13-inch.

MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air has an 18-hour battery life, MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt USB-C ports and a larger, brighter screen clocking in at 13.6 inches. It will be available in Midnight, Silver, Space Gray and Starlight. The MacBook Air M2 will start shipping in July. Prices start at $1,199.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro with M2 will be available with a 13.3-inch screen. It has a 20-hour battery life and up to to 24GB of RAM. It comes in Silver and Space Gray. The MacBook Pro with M2 will start shipping in July. Prices start at $1,299.

Keep reading

Time to update! Apple’s emergency patch fixes zero-day vulnerability in Macs, Apple Watches

10 Apple Watch tricks you’ll wish you knew sooner