Our iOS 16 Wish List: Every iPhone Feature We Want From WWDC

Apple’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference begins on Monday, and we’re anticipating to get our first take a look at iOS 16 — seemingly the identify of Apple’s subsequent huge iPhone software program replace. There’s additionally a very good likelihood we’ll see previews of software program updates for Apple’s different main merchandise: iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9 and MacOS. But iOS 16 will most likely be the star of the present because it offers a glimpse of the brand new options coming to iPhones within the fall.

The final three variations of iOS have been related. iOS 15 seems like a riff on iOS 14, which felt like a continuation of iOS 13. Any visible modifications are capable of be turned on and off as an alternative of being compelled onto your iPhone. For instance, in the event you don’t love house display screen widgets or Focus mode, you do not have to make use of them. Even in the event you choose out of the extra conspicuous modifications, working iOS 15 brings a bunch of background enhancements to maintain your iPhone working easily and securely. And that can seemingly be the case with iOS 16.

iOS 15 has been out for seven months and the working system has been comparatively steady with only a few bugs. Some options, resembling Universal Control and SharePlay, took some time to roll out, however the whole lot appears to be up and working now. iOS 16 will seemingly proceed the place iOS 15 leaves off, including new options to the present design.

But that does not imply there aren’t issues Apple wants so as to add or enhance. My colleagues and I got here up with an inventory of enhancements, additions and fixes that we would like Apple to make for iOS 16. Some are huge, like including help for the Apple Pencil, and others are small however important, like giving house display screen widgets extra performance. We’ll have to attend to see what Apple really does.

iOS 16: The Photos app wants copy and paste for edits

We use iPhones to take photographs and movies on a regular basis, and enhancing photographs is simply as satisfying as taking them. Most folks’s place to edit is the iPhone’s Photos app: The interface is simple, and there are an abundance of instruments for getting the precise look you need.

But the MacOS model of the Photos app has one helpful characteristic that might enhance enhancing on the iPhone: the flexibility to repeat and paste edits between photographs. This is very useful whenever you take a number of photographs on the similar place, resembling at a restaurant or social gathering. Since the entire photographs have been taken beneath the identical lighting and situations, you possibly can simply edit one picture after which copy and paste these changes to the others.

Instead, in iOS 15, you are left making these changes one-by-one for every picture on the iPhone. It’s tedious.

In iOS 16, it will be nice to see an identical copy and paste characteristic on the iPhone. We’d give iOS 16 bonus factors if the edits you made within the Photos app on the Mac might be utilized to the Photos app on the iPhone, and vice versa. But, one step at a time.

An always-on lock display screen for the iPhone

Imagine having the ability to look at your iPhone when the display screen is off to see the time, notifications and missed calls. Such a characteristic has been out there on Android telephones for years, the place solely necessary info is lit up and the display screen is in any other case black. It’s known as an always-on show. Apple gives an always-on show choice for the Apple Watch Series 5 and later, but it is nonetheless absent on the iPhone.

But Apple might change that that quickly with iOS 16, which is alleged to carry future help for always-on show performance, in line with Bloomberg. The replace would make it attainable for the iPhone to lower the lock display screen’s refresh charge to indicate bits of knowledge, however Bloomberg’s report signifies this characteristic might be unique to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

Bring the iPad’s split-screen view to iPhone Pro Max fashions

The iPhone Pro Max has been a part of Apple’s lineup since 2019. The 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display screen, whereas the 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max each have a 6.7-inch show that make watching movies, enjoying video games and studying articles an absolute delight.

But these massive screens really feel wasted in relation to software program. Some iOS apps like Mail and Messages can benefit from that further display screen area in panorama mode to indicate a column of message previews subsequent to the at present opened message. But in any other case, there is not a lot else in iOS that takes benefit of these greater screens.

Apple might carry some options from iPadOS to iOS 16 only for Pro Max fashions, particularly its break up display screen Multitasking view. It could be fantastic to have Safari open on one aspect of the cellphone display screen after which launch Messages on the opposite.

Read extra: iOS 15 Could Make the iPhone 12 Pro More Pro

Apple Pencil help for iPhone Pro Max Models

The massive display screen on iPhone Pro Max fashions begs for Apple Pencil help. Samsung proved there is a substantial viewers for a cellphone stylus by means of its Galaxy Note and S Ultra gadgets. Heck, there are even $300 telephones just like the Moto G Stylus that help one.

The second-gen Apple Pencil is an impressive stylus that at present works with iPad Mini, Air and Pro fashions. But think about having the ability to apply it to the iPhone 13 Pro Max and its 120Hz display screen for sketching and note-taking. Even higher, what about an Apple Pencil Mini (assume golf pencil sized) that may clip to the aspect of the iPhone Pro Max? Tech journalists can dream, cannot we?

iPhone widgets want extra performance

When house display screen widgets got here to the iPhone with iOS 14, many people rejoiced. Apple’s widget implementation is clear, and even Samsung has began imitating them. Widgets match grid-like wherever on your own home display screen. But there’s one wrinkle: house display screen widgets are passive. Aside from glanceable info or widget good stacks, essentially the most performance they supply is the flexibility to open their corresponding app.

For instance, the Apple Music widget shows the music that is at present enjoying. Tapping on the widget brings me to the Apple Music app. But what in the event you might faucet on the widget to skip to the following music? What in the event you might swipe within the climate widget to change places? Let’s hope iOS 16 provides house display screen widgets extra performance.

We will not know for positive till Apple pronounces iOS 16. But Bloomberg says the corporate would possibly introduce new lock display screen choices which have widget-like performance in iOS 16. It is probably not precisely what we’re asking for, however Bloomberg’s report suggests Apple could have some kind of enchancment deliberate for widgets in iOS 16.

Let us place apps wherever we wish

In latest years, Apple has improved the house display screen with new components like widgets and the App Library. You can have a number of pages of apps, and even embody the identical app on totally different house display screen pages (which is necessary in the event you’re a Focus mode energy person).

But in relation to rearranging the app icons in your app web page, nothing has modified. Apps are caught to the invisible software program magnet on the highest left of the display screen. So in the event you solely need to hold a few apps on a selected house display screen web page, these apps begin filling within the display screen from the highest left nook. You cannot put them on the underside of the display screen with out filling the highest of the web page up first.

Apple, please give us the liberty to maneuver apps wherever we wish. This could be a giant boon towards making apps simpler to succeed in one-handed with out utilizing Reachability. Also, you probably have house display screen wallpaper that you just love, you could possibly organize apps so you possibly can see your picture higher.

More default app decisions

You can at present set the default browser app and default mail app on an iPhone to be one thing aside from Safari and Mail. In iOS 16, Apple might open up system defaults for extra apps, particularly for maps and messaging apps. If you are a daily Google Maps person, it will be handy to set it as the principle maps app as an alternative of Apple Maps.

What do you need to see in iOS 16?

These have been a handful of issues we might wish to see within the subsequent model of iOS. But what about you? Are there options or bugs you need Apple so as to add and repair? If you need to discover among the leaks for the iPhone’s subsequent software program, learn our iOS 16 rumor roundup.