Users can use their iPhone to set up their iCloud Shared Library or use an iPad running iPadOS 15.1 or macOS Ventura as well.
One of the new features on the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 16 is the use of the Dynamic Island when the iPhone is locked or when unlocked, to display Live Activities (such as a sports event, food delivery, etc). Live Activities will appear at the bottom of the Lock Screen on the iPhone 13 and earlier models as well as on the iPhone 14 and iPhong 14 Plus.
OS 16.1 will add support on the iPhone 14 Pro models for reachability, making it easier to access your phone with one hand. The feature lowers the top half of the screen, making it easier to reach with one hand. This feature can be enabled in Settings under Accessibility —> Touch —> Reachability. Just swipe down at the bottom edge of the screen to use Reachability and to return to the regular view, tap the upper half of the screen.
iOS 16.1 will support Matter Accessories—air conditioners, bridges, lights, locks, outlets, switches, thermostats, blinds and sensors (motion, ambient light, contact, temperature, and humidity)—a connectivity standard which enables compatible smart home accessories to work together across platforms, including Apple’s HomeKit, Google’s Home and Amazon’s Alexa. In order to use and control Matter accessories with the Home App and Siri, you will need a HomePod Mini, HomePod, Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K running as a home hub.
Apple’s Clean Energy Charging is a new setting which can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available. This feature is available in the U.S. only.
Apple Card users will now be allowed to open a “high-yield” savings account with Goldman Sachs and have their daily cash rewards automatically deposited to it as well as the ability to transfer money into the savings account from another source. There is no minimum balance requirements, no minimum deposit requirements and no fees. The Apple Card Savings Account, like the Apple Card is managed in the savings account in the Wallet app.
iOS 16.1 will allow secure sharing of keys stored in the Wallet App for cars, hotel rooms and other keys in the Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp.
Apple Fitness+ will be available to iPhone users in 21 countries upon this launch and users who purchase an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV will receive three free months of Fitness+. In addition, users can sign up for the service at no additional cost with offers from SilverSneakers, Target, United Health Care and Mobile Health. Apple Fitness+ will be available to iPhone users without an Apple Watch with iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1 and tvOS 16.1 but will not see real-time metrics (heart rate, calories burned, etc.) during their workout.
This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.
This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16 is available for the iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later.
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
httos://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
All iPhones from iPhone 8 and later will support iOS 16, including these models:
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
If you are looking to trade in your eligible device for credit toward your next purchase, you can find out the trade in value here. If your device isn’t eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free.