Five new features coming to your iPhone with iOS 16.1 later this month

In a few weeks, Apple will release iOS 16.1 to all compatible iPhones, marking the first major update for iOS 16 operating system since its public release in September.

With iOS 16.1, Apple brings several new changes, features and bug fixes iPhone user. Below we have highlighted five significant changes. iOS 16.1 is currently still in beta testing with developers and public beta testers.

Live activities

With iOS 16.1, Apple enables Live Activities on the redesigned ‌iOS 16‌ lock screen and Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro. Live Activity is a new type of interactive notification that can dynamically display real-time information from apps without having to open the app directly.

Uber, for example, can display a live activity notification on the ‌iOS 16‌ lock screen to show the car’s estimated arrival time. Sports apps will also be able to use live action display of game results in real time.

On the latest ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ models, live activities are also integrated into ‌Dynamic Island‌, which allows users to see real-time information from apps while using their phone. Live activities are also displayed on the lock screen in always-on display mode. When iOS 16.1 is released to the public, apps will begin to adopt support for Live Activity.

Redesigned battery indicator

Over the summer, Apple added a battery percentage indicator to the status bar for notch iPhones. The initial version of the battery indicator included a battery icon that visually remained full, regardless of the actual charge of the ‌iPhone‌. In iOS 16.1, Apple changes the behavior of the battery icon to accurately reflect the iPhone’s charge level when the percentage is displayed. iOS 16.1 also extends the battery indicator to more devices, including iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini.

Apple Fitness+ with iPhone only

Starting with iOS 16.1, ‌iPhone‌ users will be able to subscribe and use Apple Fitness+ without the need for an Apple Watch. Fitness+ is a subscription from Apple that offers a wide catalog of videos and exercise programs with different trainers. At launch, an Apple Watch was required to use Fitness+ to display real-time metrics on the screen.

Clean energy charging option

In iOS 16.1, Apple added a new clean energy charging option that selectively charges ‌iPhone‌ when lower-carbon electricity is available in an effort to provide a greener way to charge. Apple says that the ‌iPhone‌ will still reach full charge before it is needed based on the user’s daily routine, and the feature can be turned off at will.

Preload content in the app

iOS 16.1 adds a new switch for apps downloaded from App store which can automatically launch newly downloaded apps in the background to download content before you launch them for the first time. The new switch aims to make it faster for users to start using the app immediately after download without waiting for the content in the app to load.

More

iOS 16.1 is the first major update to ‌iOS 16‌, so as expected, several minor but worthwhile changes and bug fixes are included in the update.

• Redesigned wallpaper section within Settings
• Fixed constant prompt for copy and paste
• It includes the foundations for the Matter smart home standard and Emergency SOS via satellite
• Ability to delete the Wallet app