With May right around the corner, we’re inching closer to Apple’s annual WWDC event. Scheduled to kick off on June 6, WWDC is where Apple traditionally shows off all the software enhancements it’s been working on over the past year. So while we’ll undoubtedly see Apple introduce new iterations of watchOS, macOS, and iPadOS, there’s no denying that iOS 16 will be the main event.
In years past, Apple has had a tough time keeping iOS rumors from leaking. This year, though, we truly haven’t seen a ton of iOS 16 rumors floating around. And the rumors we have seen have been somewhat vague in nature. This, interestingly enough, has created a stir of excitement as many people believe Apple may have a few surprises in store for us come June 6. We’ll find out for sure in just a few weeks, but in the interim, we’ve put together a list highlighting several iOS 16 features you can bank on.
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iOS 16 features on the horizon
Notifications overhaul
Rumor has it that Apple with iOS 16 will drastically improve how Notifications work. But as mentioned above, specific details remain few and far in between. Some speculate that notifications in iOS 16 will offer better and more grouping options. Others believe we might see an expansion of actionable notifications.
Expanded Focus Mode
Focus Mode was one of the flagship features of iOS 15. As the name suggests, Focus Mode allows users to focus on a particular task without having to deal with distractions from other applications. For example, users can set up a Work Mode that temporarily filters out notifications from apps like ESPN or Tinder.
With iOS 16, Apple will reportedly expand the number of customization options in Focus Mode.
iOS 16 may confirm Apple’s AR/VR headset
One of the more interesting things about iOS 16 may have nothing to do with the iPhone at all. Specifically, rumor has it that iOS 16 may include several references to Apple’s rumored AR headset. According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, there’s a slim chance we might even “get a peek at the headset’s rOS” at WWDC. This seems unlikely, but would certainly be a welcome surprise.
Updates to Apple News and new Health features
If you needed proof that iOS 16 rumors are few and far in between, we’re already talking about Apple News. There have been reports that iOS 16 will bring along some new Apple News features, and perhaps some new publication partners as well. As usual, you’ll want to take this rumor with a grain of salt.
Additionally, there are reports that we’ll see some expanded health tracking features with iOS 16. This might take the form of enhanced sleep monitoring and medication management tools.
Gurman notes:
Apple has been working on a medicine management tool that will let users scan their pill bottles into the app. The software will monitor adherence and remind users to take their medication. But the initial version of the feature for this year is unlikely to include all of the planned functionality,
Supported devices
Apple does a better job than most at ensuring that new iterations of iOS run on older iPhone models. But eventually, running new software on aging hardware becomes something of a detriment. To this point, we’ve seen reports that iOS 16 will drop support for the iPhone 6s and earlier devices. The iPhone 6s debuted in 2015, so realistically this change shouldn’t be too impactful.
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