Apple’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference is slated to begin on June 6. The tech giant customarily debuts its new software updates at the event. This year’s event will see the announcement of watchOS 9, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and tvOS 16, with the updates adding new features as well as building upon the experience of previous software updates.
An outline of new features coming to iOS 16 in 2022
iOS 15 was released last year with a number of major new features for FaceTime, Messages, Maps, Notifications, Weather, Wallet, Safari, Health, and more. The update features a redesigned notifications system and Focus modes redesigns for some native apps, Live Text, digital IDs in the Wallet app, and SharePlay in FaceTime. iOS 16 is expected to bring improvements to notifications and the Health app, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
As for system-wide features, the update will add improvements to notifications and feature Crash Detection (also coming to watchOS). Gurman has said that the Apple Watch is getting “major upgrades” for activity and health tracking which will likely go hand-in-end with the updates to the Health and fitness app in iOS 16.
iOS 16 is expected to feature improved sleep tracking, new health features catered towards women as well a new medicine management function that will scan pills and remind users to take them.
Apple Music will also be getting some upgrades with iOS 16. References to a new Apple Classical app have been spotted in iOS 15.5 beta code with specializations for classical music metadata. The app could add a user interface based on Primephonic, a classic music streaming service Apple acquired in 2021. The app will support both Lossless and Spatial Audio.
Gurman has also reported that iOS 16 betas feature a lot of references to Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset, which is expected to be announced later in 2022. It is possible that Apple could announce new SDKs or APIs that might later be used by rOS, short for reality operating system, at WWDC to help developers prepare their apps for the headset.
iPadOS 16
As for iPadOS 16, there is not a lot of information. It is likely that the biggest change will be improvements to the multitasking interface, improved notifications, and the Apple Classical app.
Compatibility and Release
iOS 15 supported the same devices as iOS 13 and iOS 14 which included the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and the first-generation iPhone SE. Currently, it is unclear if Apple will drop support for these older devices with the A9 chip.
Apple is expected to debut watchOS 9, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and tvOS 16 at WWDC in June. The new operating systems will be seeded to developers for beta testing after the announcement. A public beta test will begin sometime later in the summer. Following the completion of the beta test, the new operating systems will be released to the general public in the fall alongside the release of the iPhone 14 and other hardware products.
