Although iOS 16 was only released on Monday, Apple is already testing the next update to the operating system. iOS 16.1 was distributed to developers on Wednesday evening and introduces a handful of new features worth mentioning.
When you tap Customize on the Lock screen, iOS 16.1 lets you choose to customize either the Lock screen or the Home screen. This makes it easier to customize the look of your iPhone from one place without having to go through multiple steps.
iOS 16.1: Matter support
iOS 16.1 introduces a new "Matter Accessories" section in the Settings app under General, suggesting that Apple is preparing for the launch of the Matter smart home standard this fall. Clicking the Matter Accessories section will show you all the Matter accessories that have been added to a connected service. Matter will enable interoperability between smart devices from different companies, allowing things like HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant devices to work together. In the update's release notes, Apple explains that pairing Matter accessories requires a profile to be installed on your device first. There are also a few other known issues with the Matter standard currently, and workarounds are available on Apple's website.
- If you remove Apple Home from the Matter Connected Services accessory menu in Home, the accessory tile is not removed.
- You may receive a warning to turn on Wi-Fi when pairing a Matter accessory.
- The accessory details may not open if a Matter accessory is unreachable.
- You may not be able to pair a Matter ECM code using the Matter Support Framework Pairing API.
- You may see uncertified notifications when pairing Matter accessories.
- You may not be able to pair a Matter accessory if it is already paired with a third-party ecosystem.
- The device initiating the pairing must use the same iCloud account as the Home Hub. Only the owner of a home, not an invited user, can pair Matter accessories.
Charging with clean energy
In iOS 16.1, there's a switch to enable Clean Energy Charging in the Battery section of the Settings app. Clean Energy Charging attempts to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when electricity with lower carbon emissions is available. Apple says the iPhone will still get a full charge before you need to use it, depending on how you charge it each day. The feature can also be disabled if you want. When you update to iOS 16.1, it appears to be enabled by default. Note: The feature is only available in the US for now.
iOS 16.1: Live Activities API
iOS 16.1 reinstates the Live Activities API, which was available to developers for testing during the iOS 16 beta. iPhone users currently cannot access Live Activities because there are no apps that support it, but developers can start implementing support.
delete wallet app
With iOS 16.1, there is an option to completely remove the Wallet app from the iPhone. In iOS 16 and earlier versions of iOS, the app could be removed from the home screen but not deleted. From now on, it can be removed completely if you don't want to use Apple Pay or other Wallet features. This option is being introduced as Apple faces a lawsuit accusing the company of violating antitrust laws by making Apple Pay the only available mobile wallet for tap-to-pay payments on the iPhone.
Battery percentage display in the status bar
iOS 16.1 adds a battery percentage indicator to the battery icon in the status bar on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini, which did not yet support this feature in iOS 16.
Screenshot UI
When you close the screenshot editing tool, there's an updated interface in the top right corner that offers the options to delete a screenshot, copy and delete, or save. This menu used to be at the bottom of the iPhone. The new implementation is sleeker and less intrusive, as it no longer takes up the bottom part of the display. If anything else comes up in the next few days, leaks in the code are discovered, or anything similar, we'll of course write about it as always. (Photo by Brandon Romanchuk / Bigstockphoto)
