iOS 16 features – which are coming to your iPhone?
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WhileiOS 16was confirmed to launch on September 12, bringing a redesigned Lock Screen, better safety features and other exciting goodies, some older iPhones won’t have access to certain improvements.
It makes sense for the most part - the chips inside someiPhoneswill simply struggle with what’s available in the latest iOS version, while some are missing the hardware required to make use of certain features, such as better Portrait photos for example.
As iOS 16 supportsiPhone 8andiPhone SE 2and above, you’ll be able to create your own lock screens with no issues, but you may find that some image editing features will be absent.
With this in mind, we’ve rounded up what’s not available for certain iPhones, which may tempt you to start looking at theiPhone 14or theiPhone 13.
iPhone with a notch
Battery icon
This is a unique omission from certain iPhones, as it only involves any iPhone that features a notch, due to the reduced space it gives to the top of the display.
Since the debut of the iPhone X and the notch in 2017, the only way to view your battery percentage was through Control Center, by swiping down from the top-right corner.
However, in iOS 16, there’s anew settingthat enables the number to show from within the battery symbol.
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iPhone 8 and up
Joy Con support
If you’ve got some spare Nintendo Joy Cons laying around, you can now pair them to your iPhone for games that support controllers.
iPhone XS and up
Lift subject from background
Arguably another feature that’s as important as the redesigned lock screen in iOS 16, allowing you to hold downa subject in a photo, and you can drag it to another app.
Editing a photo with this feature can be a big time saver if you only need your pet to use in another image for example, but it’s only available for owners with aniPhone XSand above.
Dictation emojis
A straightforward feature - if you need to insert an emoji with your voice, in iOS 16 it’s finally possible, but only with an iPhone XS and above.
iPhone 11 and up
Live Captions
Anew accessibility featureenables live captions on a FaceTime call, so someone with hearing impairments will be able to read what the recipient is saying to them.
iPhone 12 and up
Detections
Anothernew accessibility featurewhere the LIDAR sensor is used in aniPhone 12Pro and above, this is where it will scan and detect objects and people for those with visual impairments.
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
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