INSIDERS have gotten a first look at Apple’s next generation of iPhone software that will change the way we interact with our devices.
Niels van Straaten’s 1.3million Instagram followers come to him for the word on all things Apple.
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iLock screen
“People are really stoked about one of the most distinguishing new features, the new lock screen,” van Straaten said.
And for good reason – it’s been a while since a component as crucial as the lock screen has gotten a full makeover.
In iOS 16, the lock screen will be action-packed with widgets and customizable interfaces so you can do more while staying present.
Apple Insider reported that only select apps produced by Apple have widgets for the lock screen ready for beta testing and early experimentation.
Widgets for the News, Home, batteries, clock, Fitness, Reminders, Stocks, and Weather have been confirmed.
Van Straaten thinks widgets made by major developers will level up the iPhone’s ambient computing ability.
“It will be a very clean and fluid experience with live widgets,” van Straaten said.
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He gave the example that live widgets will allow you to track an Uber from the lock screen, without having to unlock the device.
All the information that once required opening the phone and selecting an app will come at a glance.
Lastly, notifications have been adjusted a smidge – they will appear at the bottom of the lock screen instead of the middle.
Background remover
“iOS is providing more than just a basic software package, but really trying to like push the boundaries with regards to creativity,” van Straaten said.
The background remover tool was demonstrated at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and is already being lauded by tech magazines as a sleek, impressive addition.
The background remover tool is based on the same technology powering the Visual Lookup feature, which can give information on objects in images.
Using machine learning, the device can “see” objects and look them up, give directions to landmarks in images, or cut the background out.
The cut-outs can be copied and sent via iMessage or saved for later use.
“It works well with portrait photos and food,” van Straaten said. He added that the feature can even remove the background from screenshots of videos.
Duplicates
Van Straaten said creativity was at the forefront of iOS 16 and there is nothing more creatively stifling than a device that’s moving slow because storage is limited.
The user knows there are hundreds of duplicate photos hogging precious kilobytes, and the software is smart enough to recognize the images as copies.
In iOS 16, users will be able to delete duplicate photos en masse with just a few taps.
The software gives the iPhone a better understanding of itself and what it can do to optimize its own performance for an improved user experience.
The app barons
Apple’s new software features bring more utilities in-house and eliminate the need for additional apps.
There are dozens of apps on the App Store that lift images from their backgrounds – and once iOS 16 is live, there will be limited reasons to keep any of them.
Third-party developers are getting eaten up by Apple’s expanding capabilities – Van Straaten can personally attest to it.
He expects that PixelMagic, a background removal app he developed and runs at a profit, could end up being a casualty of Apple’s software improvements.
If Apple’s tools are better than the ones offered by third-party developers, then businesses that use Apple software will be able to execute better and achieve their goals – so long as they don’t intersect with Apple’s own goals.
Van Straaten was able to access a beta version of iOS 16 through a paid developers’ account.
He posted a video to his account, @appledsign, on how to swing a beta download onto your device.
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