iOS 16 Hidden Features: 100+ Changes Apple Didn’t Tell You

Here are 100+ hidden features in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 for iPhone and iPad that Apple didn’t tell us about in its keynote at WWDC. These features are coming to all compatible devices.

In case you’re living under the rock, Apple has announced version 16 of iOS and iPadOS firmware. Developer betas are already out but it is also possible to clean install or download beta without a developer account using IPSW files via Mac or PC Windows before the public release next month to try new features. Don’t worry, if anything goes wrong, there is always an option to downgrade to the most recent public version of the previous firmware to restore files and data to get things back to where they were.

We are among the lucky ones who have managed to install both iOS 16 beta on iPhone and iPadOS 16 beta on iPad so we could find all the features that Apple didn’t mention on stage during the opening keynote of WWDC 2022 due to time constraints.

After playing around with the new operating system, here is what we have managed to unearth so you don’t have to spend time searching for undisclosed additions and improvements.

But before that, we would like to remind you that current iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 are in the beta testing phase which means potential bugs could harm your device. So our suggestion would be to use them on a spare test device other than the primary daily driver you use for conducting routine tasks.

With that said, here are 100+ features that we have uncovered that Apple didn’t tell us about but are heading to an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 respectively.

ios 16 hidden features

iOS 16 / iPadOS 16 Hidden Features

  1. Apple Photos app is getting undo and redo abilities in editing mode
  2. Spotlight Search shortcut on the home screen
  3. Built-in live currency converter in the Camera app
  4. Built-in live translation in the Camera app
  5. Face ID now works in Landscape
  6. Copy and paste your edits from one photo to another in the Photos app
  7. Redesigned Apple Books app
  8. Handoff for FaceTime between iPhone, iPad, Mac
  9. Digital Driver’s Licenses from the Wallet app can now be used in third-party apps
  10. New Memoji options
  11. Support for Nintendo Switch controllers
  12. iPadOS 16 adds a handwriting straightening feature
  13. Find and fix duplicate contacts
  14. Unsend an email 10 seconds after it’s sent in the Mail app
  15. Always-on display coming to iPhone 14 as indicated by code in iOS 16
  16. Playlist sorting and the ability to add favorite artists in Apple Music
  17. Safari gets Extension syncing across devices and web image translation with Live Text
  18. Push web notifications in Safari
  19. Focus mode gets filters, linked lock screens, and more enhancements
  20. Isolate, copy and share subjects in Photos
  21. Live Lock Screen notifications from third-party apps
  22. Built-in packages tracker in the Wallet app
  23. Medications Tracker
  24. iPhone 13 and later gets new camera features for Portraits and Cinematic Mode
  25. Edit and Unsend in iMessage works up to 15 minutes after sending a message
  26. An easier way to manage AirPods in the Settings app
  27. Find and fix duplicate photos in Apple Photos
  28. Face ID/Touch ID lock for Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in the Photos app
  29. You can now see your WiFi network password
  30. Notifications on the Lock Screen now appear from the bottom of the screen instead of top
  31. Ability to undo accidental deleted messages thread in Apple Messages app
  32. Enable or disable the ability to ‘lock the phone to end call’ feature
  33. Use third-party two-factor authentication apps with a built-in passwords feature
  34. Security fixes won’t require a full iOS update in iOS 16
  35. Security fixes will be installed OTA automatically
  36. Siri can now hang up calls, add emojis to texts, and more
  37. Apps will be required to ask the user for permission to access the clipboard
  38. Keyboard haptics for vibrations as your type option
  39. New personalized Spatial Audio feature that uses TrueDepth camera on iPhone
  40. Weather app comes to iPad
  41. Freeform app to work collaboratively coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac later
  42. iOS 16 includes the Fitness app on iPhone without requiring Apple Watch
  43. New UI for voice messages in the Apple Messages app
  44. New Memoji stickers in the Messages app
  45. Ability to create alarms right from Spotlight Search
  46. Ability to create wallpapers from emojis
  47. Blur or unblur wallpaper background on the home screen
  48. Lock Screen widgets also act as a quick app launcher for the app the widget is designed for
  49. Ability to do Fitness app activity tracking without needing Apple Watch by using iPhone’s sensors
  50. Redesigned video player
  51. “Face too far away” – lock screen shows suggestions when Face ID can’t quite scan your face, kinda like on the iPad Pro
  52. Redesigned Timer app widget for the Lock Screen
  53. iMessage and FaceTime login from other devices now show as notifications instead of a popup
  54. You can now search for text in photos within the Photos app. You no longer need to rely solely on Spotlight Search
  55. New Status bar icons for indicating no cellular service
  56. New eSIM Transfer using another device Nearby
  57. iCloud Backups can now easily get managed from the Backup menu
  58. System-wide closed captioning feature
  59. More details in Health app for Sleep information
  60. A new way to customize HomeKit scenes as well as new icons for accessories in the all-new Home app
  61. Tapping on a number with units allows you to do several direct conversions
  62. You can now type in the number of copies you need in the print dialog
  63. The new AirPods section in Settings remembers and displays what the last charge level of the case was before taking the buds out
  64. The music app now hides the song progress bar when viewing the queue
  65. Focus modes now support either whitelisting or blacklisting for people and apps
  66. While listening to a song, Spotlight Search recommends information about the artist
  67. System crash notification, after tapping on it, it populates an Apple feedback form, allowing you to quickly submit feedback as to what happened prior to the crash
  68. You can now see the network activity of each app (and the domain they asked for
  69. You can turn off Show Time on your Lock Screen in Sleep focus
  70. You can change watch faces with Focus
  71. New UI for Emergency SOS
  72. Long pressing on Stage Manager gets you more iPad real estate
  73. Safari can now be used upside down if you flip your iPhone
  74. Automatic playlist to play when you start a workout
  75. Ability to copy and paste events in the Calendar app
  76. Add a song in Apple Music to multiple playlists at once
  77. External Display support in iPadOS 16 now requires a mouse and keyboard to be connected to work
  78. Updated UI for Contact Haptic/3D Touch menu
  79. New Face ID icon animation on the Lock Screen
  80. Multiple destination routing in Maps
  81. Favorite artists in Apple Music
  82. Text box to add text in PDF file in Files App
  83. Redesigned Apple TV remote UI
  84. Siri can now do intercom, HomeKit, voicemails, and more offline
  85. Stream to non-AirPlay devices without Bluetooth or local network access permission
  86. HDR10+ support in the Apple TV app
  87. Pinch notifications to change between stacks and list view on the Lock Screen
  88. Notification Center now works in Landscape as well on iPhone
  89. New Bluetooth sorting
  90. New notification when charging: If iPhone is warm, it will pause charging
  91. When your phone is in silent mode, your videos in Photos will be also muted
  92. More detailed weather information in the Weather app
  93. The contacts widget will now alert you of missed FaceTime calls and most likely other missed calls
  94. See which app used which privacy-related function in Control Center
  95. Swiping down on the Lock Screen will hide notifications and swiping up brings them back
  96. Cut/Copy/Paste to get new animations
  97. Native Chromecast support coming to iOS 6 devices
  98. Ability to rename screenshots
  99. New list view in the Shortcuts app
  100. New button style for shortcuts in the Shortcuts app
  101. You can now swipe on the native video player to skip forward/backward
  102. Photo options have been moved from the Share Sheet into their own menu
  103. New UI for saving to Files app from Safari
  104. View Yelp photos in the Maps app without the Yelp app installed
  105. CarPlay in-route estimated arrival time changed from “ETA” to “arrival”
  106. Files app can now remove local iCloud downloads without deleting the file
  107. New UI style for Shortcuts alerts
  108. Option for playback speed in the TV app
  109. Categories in iPhone Storage section in the Settings app have a new color
  110. Messages app now has a Recently Deleted section
  111. Redesigned volume and playback scrubbers in the Music app
  112. You can easily download Safari extensions from other devices in the Settings app
  113. There’s now an option to use your device passcode to manage locked notes in the Notes app
  114. On a white background Home Screen, now there is a shadow effect on the letters instead of the letters turning black
  115. List view of all WiFi networks you have ever connected to and the ability to edit or remove them
  116. Album artwork in the Music app now has rounded corners
  117. Date and other formatting settings in Settings app separated from Region setting
  118. Apple Books widget
  119. Custom email domains for iCloud Mail can now be configured in Settings instead of iCloud.com. You can also buy a domain through Cloudflare
  120. Pinned tabs in Safari iOS
  121. Apple Watch Mirroring
  122. Ability to mark messages and read or unread
  123. New UI when tapping on the iOS version in Settings > General
  124. All-new Developer Mode
  125. New “Continue Watching” screen in the TV app when an episode is finishing
  126. New context menu options in the Photos app for selected photos
  127. iPhone can automatically share your medical ID if you contact emergency
  128. Stocks app can have watchlists now
  129. New Quick Actions feature in Files app
  130. iOS 16 allows customization of “measurement system”, “first day of the week”, and “date format” independently of the region
  131. New field test interface
  132. Quick Note available in Control Center
  133. Ability to view the changelog for the currently installed iOS version in Settings > General > About
  134. New search engine option added for Safari

That’s all for now. We will continue to update this list as we discover more hidden features in iOS 16 with each new beta release until the full and final version is out later this year. So bookmark this page and stay tuned for more.