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