iOS 16 won’t be available to the public until the fall, but the first developer beta version was released in June. Here’s what it looks like.
The first developer beta software version of iOS 16, the next mobile software upgrade from Apple, has given beta testers a glimpse of what new features work and which ones need improvement. The company previewed the upcoming software at the Worldwide Developers Conference, an annual event held at Apple Park in California. The keynote kicked off the event with announcements of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS updates slated for release in the fall. Though it will be months before the update reaches the average consumer, Apple provides different beta software programs to refine these upgrades before publicly releasing them. After using the first release of the iOS 16 developer beta, it’s evident which features are ready and which features need work.
The timeline for developing new software is complex, partially because each incremental update builds off of the previous one, but it can be separated into four main stages. The first is the development that takes place behind the scenes at Apple’s headquarters. Before an announcement is made, testing is conducted in-house at the company, and the new changes are solidified. Next, the announcement of the software and the developer beta release gives external developers the chance to see how Apple’s changes will affect their third-party software. It’s designed for developers only because it is the most unstable version of the releases. Next, the public beta period, in which any user with an Apple ID can enroll, opens up in the weeks following the developer beta’s release. Then, after the beta testing is completed, the software rolls out to the public in the fall. Though iOS 16 is in its infancy, a lot can be learned from the developer beta.
Arguably the most recognizable portion of the iOS 16 reveal was the new Lock Screen customization features. Apple previewed a user interface that made it simple to change the font, add widgets or even add filters to a Lock Screen at the keynote. The first implementation of the feature in the developer beta is a brilliant way to encourage customization without overcomplicating the process. Most users should get the hang of the process, especially if they’ve used an Apple Watch. There are traces of the Apple Watch’s face gallery user interface throughout the lock screen customization menu. A long press on the Lock Screen opens up a gallery of different Lock Screens along with an option to add a new one. With just a few taps, users can personalize their Lock Screen. A noticeable flaw in the process is regarding fonts – Apple lets users change the font of the time, but not of any other widget. The inconsistency can make specific customization options seem disjointed, but otherwise, the process is downright impressive.
iMessage Gets A Boost But Could Use Improvement
The changes to iMessage, though, sent social media into a frenzy following the announcement but might not be the huge impact that some expected. It allows users to edit, undo send and mark iMessages as unread after they’ve already been sent. Some of these features must be used within 15 minutes after the iMessage is sent, but there’s an even bigger catch in daily use. The feature might not work when the iMessage is sent to a device with outdated software. For example, if a user edits or unsends an iMessage on iOS 16, they are greeted with text that says that the recipient might still be able to view the original message. “You unsent a message,“the iMessage app reads.”[Contact] may still be able to see your message on devices running older versions of iOS.“This is probably a predictable limitation, but given how many Apple devices can send and receive iMessages, it might negate the feature’s usefulness. If someone owns an Apple Watch, an iPhone, an iPad and a MacBook, all of those devices must be updated. to the latest software for the new features to work.
A more under-the-radar feature addition to iOS 16 is the changes to Dictation, which provide better integration with the keyboard — on iOS 16, tapping the voice-to-text button doesn’t take over the on-screen keyboard like in previous versions. Instead, the microphone symbol becomes highlighted in gray, and users can use the keyboard in tandem with voice-to-text. At first, a user can be mistaken for thinking that Dictation is not working. However, once a user has gotten the hang of it, the new implementation feels better than in older iOS versions. The automatic punctuation detection – which tries to detect when a punctuation mark is needed in voice-to-text – needs work. It might save time by saying ‘period’ or ‘comma’ each time the mark is required, but it is not perfect. The feature struggles, especially with independent clauses in sentences that could be connected with a comma or separated with a period. These are just a few of the changes that have affected the way an iPhone is used with the iOS 16 developer beta, and there’s still plenty of time for refinement before the software is released to the public.
Source: Apple
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