What’s New and Improved in iOS 16.1 for Your iPhone

A few problems are also fixed in the release.

A month or so after the launch of iOS 16, Apple issued the iOS 16.1 upgrade. The most recent version introduces iPadOS 16 to compatible iPads and modifies a few functionality and interface settings in addition to adding several features that were widely anticipated to be part of iOS 16. We can demonstrate how to download iOS 16.1 if you haven’t previously.

Here are the new features in iOS 16.1 and what they each do.

Shared Photo Library on iCloud

It might be a hassle to share pictures with your buddies after a night out. However, you can quickly share pictures and videos with up to five other people using iCloud Shared Photo Library.

Anyone with access to the shared photo library is able to add, modify, and delete items from it. When you are physically present with other people who have access to the library, you can add images to it and upload them straight from your iPhone’s camera.

If you transfer images from your personal library to the shared library, those photos aren’t duplicated and can only be found in the shared library; nevertheless, you can’t participate in two shared libraries at once.

Lock Screen with Live Activities in Dynamic Island

Live Activities improve Dynamic Island and the lock screen on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Your Dynamic Island and lock screen will display notifications from third-party apps for things like sporting events and flights thanks to Live Activities.

With or without an Apple Watch, Apple Fitness Plus

You may now use Apple Fitness Plus without an Apple Watch thanks to iOS 16.1. You can monitor your fitness goals and progress immediately from your phone if you have an iPhone 8 or later.

updated battery display

The battery % can now be shown in the battery metre indicator on iPhones starting with the XR and going up to the most recent versions. The battery icon’s typeface has also been slightly enlarged to make it easier to read.

Updates to the wallpaper and lock screen

With iOS 16.1, Apple makes changing your background a little bit simpler. A new wallpaper may now be added via the Settings > Wallpaper menu, and you can also swipe through the collection of current wallpapers. You now have the choice to change either your lock screen or your home screen when editing your wallpaper from the lock screen (instead of just the lock screen).

interface for screenshot editing tools updated

The delete, save, and copy choices are now shown at the top of your screen in a smaller, less invasive menu when you edit a screenshot using the editing menu. These choices were formerly located at the iPhone’s screen’s bottom.

Upgrades to wallet apps

With Messages and WhatsApp, you may safely exchange information on your car, hotel room, and other wallet app items. Customers of the Apple Card can increase their Daily Cash by transferring their funds to a high-yield savings account. If you choose, you can also remove the Wallet app from your iPhone.

via Matter, smart home connectivity

Now supported is Matter, a new smart home connectivity standard. As a result, your iPhone may be used to control smart gadgets like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Setting for Clean Energy Charging

The Battery section of Settings now contains a new Clean Energy Charging toggle. When you charge your iPhone, the setting might assist in lowering your carbon footprint. Your iPhone will only charge when lower carbon emission electricity is available when Clean Energy Charging is enabled. You can disable this feature if you’d like by navigating to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and touching the toggle next to Clean Energy Charging. This setting appears to be toggled on by default.

Upgraded Apple Books user interface

When you open Apple Books on your iPhone to read a book, your reader controls will be immediately hidden.

bug fixes

Additionally, Apple fixed a few problems. These patches address problems such as chats that have been removed showing up in Messages, some Dynamic Island material not showing up when using Reachability, and CarPlay not connecting when using a VPN app.