9 hidden iOS 16 features you shouldn’t miss

Today we explain hidden iOS 16 features. On September 12, 2022, iOS 16 was released as a free update alongside the iPhone 14 and included a ton of new features. Here are some highlights because there is so much news that it can be easy to miss some of the small but significant changes the new version will bring.

Yes, the new mobile operating system of Apple is now out. Check out iOS 16 supported devices list to see if your iPhone can receive the new update. Apple brought some interesting tools with this update, discoved iOS 16 top features here! You might be asking yourself like: “Should I update to iOS 16 now or wait?” You can also learn how to add widgets to the lock screen check out the best iOS 16 lock screen widgets by visiting our guides. This way you will learn how to customize lock screen on iOS 16. If you don’t like the search button, find out how to remove home screen search button in iOS 16.

Hidden iOS 16 features

You will now be able to flag texts as unread inside the Messages app once iOS 16 has been installed on your iPhone. Since it’s easy to forget about a communication you’ve read but meant to answer to later, this functionality is long overdue.

Both normal SMS messages (green bubbles) and iMessage messages (blue bubbles) sent between Apple devices will be supported by the functionality.

Duplicate detection in photos and contacts

iOS 16 will make it simpler to delete duplicate Contacts and Photos, reducing the need for third-party programs like Remo and aiding in the organization of your life. Duplicate contacts will show up with a “Duplicates found” headline at the top of your Contacts list, and duplicate photos will establish a Duplicates album near the “Hidden” and “Recently Deleted” albums at the bottom of your album list.

Landscape mode for Face ID

Apple has said that “supported iPhone models” will be able to use Face ID in landscape mode with the release of iOS 16. This is a feature that has been a long-time coming, with the feature only currently working on devices that lack a Home button in portrait mode.

This means you’ll be able to unlock your iPhone while lying on the sofa or without craning your neck while in bed. Expect the feature to work on at least the iPhone 13 or better, since Apple wouldn’t be talking about it as an iOS upgrade if the feature was limited to the next iPhone.

Smart folders for notes

With Apple adding features like true collaboration, tags for categorization, and complete support for Shortcuts, Apple Notes continues to grow. Additionally, Apple added Smart Folders, which create “smart” collections of Notes regardless of whatever top-level folders they are placed in. These collections function similarly to those on macOS and in programs like Apple Mail.

The only criterion you could use for this up until this point were tags. With a vast selection of criteria, Smart Folders in Notes become even more intelligent in iOS 16. Now, you can make Smart Folders based on tags, the date the note was created, the date it was last changed, who shared it with, mentions it contains, whether it has a checklist, attachments it contains, folders it appears in, whether it is a fast note, whether it is pinned, and whether it is locked.

Reveal Wi-Fi passwords in settings

With iOS, you can sync passwords with other devices to share Wi-Fi logins, allowing your iPad and Mac to automatically join after you’ve signed in on your iPhone. The ability to reveal a password so you can share it with a buddy or non-Apple device is still available, which is a really useful feature.

This is specifically addressed on the Wi-Fi settings page of Apple’s future iOS 16 version. After authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, tap the I next to a network, then hit the “Password” column to reveal it. It can also be copied to the clipboard and pasted into a message.

Lock your hidden and recently deleted albums

It was always possible to hide photos on iOS 15 and earlier, but the function was far from perfect. To ensure any degree of privacy, you’d need to hide your Hidden album, and even then, a snoop with an unlocked iPhone could easily unlock it. This is altered by iOS 16’s ability to lock both the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums, requiring verification via Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.

Get haptic feedback on keyboard

In order to make typing just a little bit more enjoyable, some third-party keyboards already enable haptic feedback. These keyboards provide an audible thunk with each keystroke. For a more tactile typing experience, you can enable the “Haptic” option in iOS 16’s Settings > Sound & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback.

Pinned lists in reminders

Another useful app that iPhone users can get for free is Apple Reminders. It functions best when you use it extensively to manage all of your to-dos, from shopping lists and holiday checklists to work and school projects. By doing so, you may link it with Shortcuts, use Siri to add items, and pinpoint the location of anything from groceries to unwatched movies.

The only issue with this strategy is that lists can quickly take over your life and make it challenging to locate the ones you use the most. In order to make it simple to keep track of everything from daily annoyances to specialized interests, iOS 16 will allow you to pin reminders to the top of the list, much like you can in Apple Notes.

Disable memories in photos

Apple Photos presents groups of images from your library as memories, frequently to commemorate outings to certain locales, special occasions, or subjects like pets. With the exception of the option to “Reset Suggested Memories” or “Reset People Suggestions” (whatever those terms mean), which may also be used to hide holiday events, these come seemingly at random and offer no control over what is shown.

But not everyone wants old memories to come back, particularly if some of them are unpleasant to reflect on for whatever reason. With iOS 16, you may now completely eliminate the option in the Settings app’s Photos section.

Translate text using your camera

Did you know there is a Translate app for the iPhone? You may use your device’s built-in microphone to translate conversations as well as type directly into the app or paste content there. If the program is nowhere to be seen, it may have been deleted; nevertheless, you may quickly reinstall it from the App Store.

With iOS 16, the built-in Camera app now has translation features. Using the Live Text function that is already included in iOS 15, this is doable.

This concludes our hidden iOS 16 features guide, if you are curious about the interesting features of the brand new operating system, check out our guides explaining how to use iOS 16 keyboard Haptics, how to use Apple Pay Later, how to add widgets to the lock screen and best iOS 16 lock screen widgets!