Latest news with #iOS16
Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 brings big changes to your iPhone lock screen — what to expect
It's no secret that the look of your iPhone is going to change in the fall, thanks to the introduction of the new Liquid Glass interface ushered in by iOS 26. And that new appearance will be evident right away as you gaze at your iPhone's lock screen. iOS 26 brings those translucent elements and glassy typefaces to the lock screen that you'll find throughout the operating system update. But Apple is introducing a few other lock screen changes that should make your phone feel more dynamic even before you unlock it. It's certainly the most extensive change to the lock screen's look since the introduction of iOS 16 in 2022 that gave you the ability to customize the screen with widgets and other changes. I don't think the iOS 26 update introduces an overhaul on that scale, but the changes are significant enough that I've spent some time exploring them in the iOS 26 developer beta. Whether you've downloaded the iOS 26 developer beta yourself or you're waiting for the public beta to arrive next month, here's what you can expect once you've got iOS 26 installed on your phone and you're ready to dive into the lock screen changes. At WWDC 2025, Apple showed off Spatial Scenes, a photographic effect pulled from its visionOS software that adds depth to images. This 3D-like effect causes slight shifts in positioning as you shift perspective, giving the photo a multi-layered appearance. And it's now part of the iPhone courtesy of iOS 26. Specifically, you can convert an image in your photo library to a spatial scene, and then use that 3D-like image as the wallpaper for your lock screen. Not every iPhone capable of running iOS 26 will have access to Spatial Scenes — you'll need an iPhone 12 or later to pull off the look, which relies on advanced computer vision techniques powered by your phone's chipset. I'm not sure how well Apple's demo of Spatial Scenes came across during the WWDC keynote live stream, but seeing it in person in the iOS 26 developer beta drives home what an improvement this is. I've taken a decade-old photo of my daughter, converted it into a Spatial Scene and made that the lock screen wallpaper on my iOS 26 test device. As I move my phone, I can see the background shift behind her, and she practically seems to pop out of the phone. It definitely spruces up the look my home screen. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. To set a Spatial Scene as your lock screen wallpaper, you just create a customized lock screen in the same way you've been able to since iOS 16 debuted. Just press and hold on your lock screen and then tap the plus button at the bottom to create a new customized lock screen. Scroll down the list of featured wallpapers until you see a heading for Spatial Scenes. Under that header, you'll find a selection of photos that Apple's computer vision technology has identified as ideal for converting into a more 3D-like image. Once you select a photo, the Spatial Space conversion happens automatically. After it's done, you can pinch and zoom to crop the photo and adjust whether to extend the wallpaper or turn off the depth effect. From there, it's just a matter of making the usual adjustments to font, color, widget and Control Center shortcuts that you'd perform to finish customizing your lock screen. I should note that Spatial Scenes is not limited to the iOS 26 lock screen. You can also go into the iOS 26 Photos app and convert your existing 2D photos into Spatial scenes. Select a photo in your library and tap the Spatial Scenes icon just above the photo on the right side of your screen. The conversion to a Spatial Scene image happens automatically. If you've been bothered by the sight of your carefully curated photos leaving too much of a gap underneath the subject of the photo and the clock on the phone's lock screen, iOS 26 introduces a solution in the form of an adaptive time display. Now, Apple says that the size of the numerals in the clock will dynamic adjust to better fit into the scene. It's likely the vagaries of an early-stage developer beta, but I've found the adjustments only kick in when I do a little fiddling with my lock screen photo. Still, when I've gotten the effect to work, it's really quite eye-catching with the clock stretching to better accommodate my lock screen image. Playback controls on the lock screen have featured album art for a while now, but iOS 26 is giving them a boost that should pair nicely with the Liquid Glass interface that's now featured in the software. Artwork for some songs is now animated, and it's supposed to interact with the playback controls and their newfound glassiness. My guess is that this feature is largely geared toward newer albums either purchase through Apple's online store, or streamed via the Apple Music service as the album covers in my library — songs for Men of a Certain Age to mildly rock out too, basically — remain pretty static, even after the iOS 26 upgrade. However, a few of my daughter's downloads have found their way into my library and the album art for Olivia Rodrigo's "good 4 u" shimmers and vibrates as advertised.
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
Declutter Your iPhone Ahead of iOS 26 and Delete Duplicate Photos Now
It's a common experience: You open your iPhone's camera to snap a quick pic and you end up taking multiple shots that all look identical. But another common experience is forgetting to later delete the duplicates, which end up consuming precious storage space on your iPhone or in your iCloud. Fortunately, there's an easy way around this issue built into your iPhone if you have iOS 16 or later. Apple introduced its "duplicate detection" feature in 2022 and it works just as its name suggests. The tool uses on-device AI to identify identical images and aggregate them in an easy-to-find album in the Photos app. Apple says the iPhone classifies duplicates not only as exact copies but also as photos that appear to be the same but have unique resolutions, file formats or other slight differences. Make sure to turn on iCloud syncing before going through the step-by-step process below. For more, check out every new feature we're expecting Apple to drop with iOS 26 this fall. Remove duplicate photos and videos to get more storage on your iPhone. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Here's how to use the iPhone's built-in tool to free up storage space: 1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone. 2. Tap on the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen. 3. Scroll down to the Utilities section and tap Duplicates. This is where you can view all the duplicate photos on your iPhone and delete them, either individually or at once. 4. For the latter option, tap Select in the top right corner. 5. Tap Select All to merge all the duplicate photos your iPhone detects and delete them at the same time. 6. If you want to delete duplicates individually, scroll up and tap Merge on your chosen selection of duplicate images. Then tap Merge [number] Copies to delete duplicates. Go down the line and repeat this step for all the identical photos you want to delete. Merging keeps the best version of the photo in your library. The duplicates are moved to the Recently Deleted album. If you found this iOS feature helpful, check out CNET's cheat sheet for iOS 18. For more advice on how to save space, read our full list of tips for clearing your iPhone's storage.
Ammon
10-06-2025
- Ammon
Next version of chrome to drop support for select iPhone models
Ammon News - The next version of Chrome that Google is currently testing drops support for devices running iOS 16, meaning it will be the end of the road for the browser on iPhone X and iPhone 8 models. Apple dropped support for these devices when it released iOS 17, which Chrome will require to install. Likewise, the upcoming Chrome v138.7204.13 requires iPadOS 17 to run, so the browser will drop support for the iPad 5, iPad Pro (9.7-inch), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation). The upcoming Chrome is currently undergoing beta testing in TestFlight, but it's not clear when Google will release it. The current version includes support for tab groups on iPad, as well as Google Password Manager syncing for iPhone and iPad, along with stability and performance improvements.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Time of India
WWDC 2025: Apple set to unveil iOS 26 with major redesign, AI enhancements and more
Apple is all set to host its first biggest event of the year — WWDC 2025 . The company will kickstart its annual developer conference on June 9. This year, Apple is reportedly breaking from its traditional numbering, launching directly to iOS 26—a move that signals a year-based naming convention across its entire software ecosystem, including macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It is expected that Apple may bring a significant design overhaul to iOS 16. As reported by Bloomberg, Apple has drawn inspiration from the immersive aesthetic of the Apple Vision Pro headset for the new design of iOS 16. Users can expect a more translucent, "digital glass" look with softer, rounded elements, revamped app icons, and re-imagined toolbars. Apple WWDC 2025: Changes expected in iOS 26 Major design overhaul iOS 26 is rumoured to feature a significant visual redesign, drawing inspiration from visionOS. The update, codenamed "Solarium," aims to introduce a more translucent, glass-like aesthetic with floating on-screen elements and simplified navigation. These design changes are expected to extend across other Apple operating systems for a more unified user experience. Messages app revolution The Messages app is set for major upgrades, including the long-awaited ability to create polls directly within conversations. Furthermore, users will reportedly be able to set custom background images for chats, which can even sync between participants, similar to other popular messaging platforms. New productivity apps Apple is said to be introducing a pre-installed Preview app for iOS and iPadOS, offering robust PDF management, annotation, and editing capabilities. A dedicated 'Games' app is also anticipated, providing a centralized hub for game downloads and access to Apple Arcade. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now AI-Powered battery management A new generative AI feature is rumoured to optimise iPhone battery life by analysing user habits and adjusting settings to maximise efficiency without user intervention. A Lock Screen indicator showing estimated charging time may also be included. Real-time translation Expanding Apple's existing Live Translation capabilities, iOS 26 could bring real-time voice translation during calls and potentially through AirPods, breaking down language barriers for seamless multilingual conversations. Enhanced accessibility New system-wide accessibility features are expected, such as an "Accessibility Reader" tool for simplifying text across apps, improved App Store labelling for accessibility features, and smarter handling of captive Wi-Fi networks (e.g., in airports and hotels) for more seamless connections across all Apple devices. Health and wellness integration The Health app may gain a virtual health coach, powered by AI, to suggest lifestyle changes, analyse user data, and advise on diet. Food-tracking tools for logging carbohydrate and caffeine intake are also rumoured. Apple Intelligence and AI Integration Building upon its Apple Intelligence platform, Apple is expected to introduce AI-powered features, including: Improved battery management: AI-driven tools to analyze user habits and optimize battery usage. Siri Enhancements: While a complete Siri overhaul may not debut immediately, incremental improvements leveraging AI are anticipated. How to watch WWDC 2025 Keynote The keynote address will be streamed live on Apple's official website, the Apple TV app, and Apple's YouTube channel. Viewers can access the stream on various devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs. The event, as mentioned above, will kickstart at 10:00am PT (10:30PM IST). For those unable to watch live, on-demand playback will be available shortly after the event concludes.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
YouTube has stopped working on 5 popular phones - so, is your device on the list?
It's the go-to video app for millions of people around the world. But if you use YouTube, you might want to check that the app is still running on your smartphone. The Google-owned app has quietly updated its iOS app to version 20.22.1, and now requires iOS 16 or later to install and run. That means several older iPhone models are no longer compatible with the app. The affected devices are those that cannot upgrade beyond iOS 15. So that's the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and the first-generation iPhone SE. Alternatively, if you have an iPod Touch 7, you won't be able to watch YouTube on that either. The news has not gone down well across social media, with one user venting: 'My iphone 6s is slowly becoming obselete.' It's the go-to video app for millions of people around the world. But if you use YouTube , you might want to check that the app is still running on your smartphone YouTube quietly made the change in version 20.22.1, which was released on 2 June. On the App Store, YouTube describes this version as having 'bug fixes, performance improvements, and more cat videos.' However, in the fine print, it also now states that it requires iOS 16.0 or later to run on iPhone, as well as iPad 16.0 or later to run on iPad. Unfortunately, that means the app has been discontinued for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4. Several disgruntled users have taken to X to discuss the news. 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLANET I HAVE AN IPHONE 6S,' one user asked. Another wrote: 'This is strange because the YouTube app is just streaming video from a server, and many devices with much less power can still do that fine.' And one joked: 'What a long ride its been, iPhone 6S,' alongside the saluting emoji. However, others were quick to point out a sneaky loophole - watching YouTube on Safari, rather than through the app. 'When stuck you could always just use YouTube on safari like god intended,' one user suggested. Another added: 'I've never used the app. Always from browser.' To make sure you can still use YouTube on your phone, it is essential that you update to at least iOS 16 or higher - even if you are using a newer, compatible device. To check which operating system you are currently using, simply open the Settings app, select General, and tap on the 'About' tab. Under the heading 'Version' you will be able to see the currently installed iteration of iOS. If you do need to update your iPhone, from Settings navigate to the tab labelled 'General' and select 'Software Update'. If a newer version of iOS is available, you can press 'Install Now' to begin the update. To ensure you always get the latest software and security updates, you can also consider activating automatic updates by selecting 'Automatic Updates' on the 'Software Update' page.
