iOS 16.2: the complete list of new features

iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 have been available since the end of October 2022 in beta versions and since December 13 in final versions for everyone.

• How to install iOS 16.2 on your iPhone?

Note that iOS and iPadOS 16.2 can be installed on all iPhones and iPads supporting iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.

• See the list of iOS 16 compatible iPhones
• And the list of iPadOS 16 compatible iPads

Below are the changes that these new updates bring to iPhone and iPad.

What's new for iOS and iPadOS 16.2?

• Stage Manager and external screen (iPadOS only):This application window management feature can be used with an external screen connected to the iPad, with up to 8 applications visible in Stage Manager on the remote display (compared to 4 applications on the iPad screen). The only condition is that the iPad must have an Apple silicon chip.
• Emergency call:appearance of a new option in the settings allowing you to notify Apple in the event of unwanted launch of the emergency call functionality

New iOS 16.2 accidental Emergency SOS call report features, I accidentally triggered emergency SOS and the police 👮‍♂️ actually ended up in my house. 😳@9to5mac @MacRumors pic.twitter.com/w0OOaK9W7E

— iDeviceHelp (@iDeviceHelpus)October 25, 2022

• HomeKit :new architecture underlying the HomeKit ecosystem, in place in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16, but also macOS Ventura 13.1 and the HomePod software in version 16.2. This new feature should, on paper, improve HomeKit performance with compatible devices. These must be updated to support the new HomeKit architecture, not to be confused with the new Matter standard, which arrived with iOS 16.1. The changes underlying this new version of HomeKit are currently quite vague
• Live activities:Live Activities may update more often. To modify this new option, you must go toSettings > app name > Live Activities, and enable the “More frequent alerts” setting. You can do the test with the Apple TV application for example. Please note, when activated, this option can have a significant impact on the battery life of your iPhone.
• Freeform :Apple's new “free” note and drawing application is finally available. You can, on a single page, write text with Pencil, insert images, PDF documents, web links, or even write on the keyboard, among other possibilities, notably collaborative work via FaceTime. Here is a demonstration of the app from MacRumors:

• Widget for medical treatments:a new widget can be added to the locked screen, allowing medication intake to be tracked, with two display options, the first with a pill allowing you to go directly to the Treatments section of the Health app, the second showing details of the current processing

• Wi-Fi calls for Free Mobile subscribers:this feature missing on iPhone among Free Mobile subscribers, with iOS 16.2, it is now available, as indicated in the tweet below

Free Mobile VoWiFi is available on iPhone with iOS 16.2 Beta 2!!pic.twitter.com/1jY1A1FljC

— Tiino-X83 (@TiinoX83)November 8, 2022

• Accessibility:new interface customization options have been detected in the source code of iOS 16.2 beta 2, including the possibility of creating larger buttons, larger icons, or even preventing access to certain functions , etc. See sample screenshots below

• Bourse :Apple's stock market tracking application has new sorting options. The sorting setting is independent for each configured watchlist and also applied in the Stocks app widget
• Screen always on:on iPhones taking advantage of the always-on screen functionality (iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to date), new options appear. They are found inSettings > Brightness and display > Always-on screen. These are two settings that allow you to display or not the wallpaper and notifications when the always-on screen is active. If these two options are disabled, the screen shows a black background and does not display any notifications. Until then, it was necessary to usethis tipto get a similar result

• iOS Security Response :Apple has rolled out its new Security Response feature, which consists of the ability to quickly offer security updates for iOS

• Old notifications:Previously, to see old notifications, in the notification center or home screen, you had to swipe up from the bottom. Under iOS 16.2, the behavior is the same on the locked screen. On the other hand, new and old notifications are displayed automatically
• Display bug when switching apps:When switching from one application to another, some may experience a display bug. This bug is fixed in iOS 16.2
• AirDrop and 10 minute limit:Once AirDrop is activated with the “Everyone” setting, sharing can only be done for 10 minutes. After this time, AirDrop returns to “Contacts only” mode. Until then, there was no time limit. This is an addition requested by the Chinese government to avoid the sharing of content going against it.
• Security :End-to-end encryption is in place for many iCloud data, including device backups, notes, Apple ID and photos. This prevents anyone intercepting data from decrypting and reading it, the decryption code being on the device wanting to view the content, typically your iPhone
• Messages :improved search function based on terms contained in photos
• Apple Music :a new karaoke feature is in place,as we have already announced here

tvOS and watchOS specifics

tvOS 16.2 also gains some new features, including the voice recognition function, which allows Siri to recognize the user according to their voice and profile.

This is pretty impressive 👀

“If your Apple TV is in your home or added to your home later, your Siri voice profile from your iPhone will be associated with your home so Siri can recognise your voice on this Apple TV and any current or future Siri-enabled devices in your home.”pic.twitter.com/BL71TbqfQG

— Sigmund Judge (@sigjudge)October 25, 2022

Finally, watchOS 9.2 will benefit from the newRace Route, which allows you to launch challenges against yourself or friends, by running or cycling for example, on defined routes. The Apple Watch OS also has improvements for the Noise application, the Kickboxing activity and the tracking of race data during sessions carried out on tracks. Under watchOS 9.2, the Apple Watch is notably capable of defining in which lane of an athletics track you are running.

iOS and iPadOS 16.2: key dates in their development

• Tuesday October 25:first developer beta bringing many changes, as described in the article and seen in the video below.

• Wednesday October 26:iOS 16.2b1 enters public beta
• Tuesday November 8:second developer beta, bringing changes like the new widget for monitoring medical treatments, support for 5G in India, Wi-Fi calling support for Free Mobile subscribers, as well as bug fixes. You can see everything new in iOS 16.2b2 in the video below.

• Wednesday November 9:iOS 16.2b2 enters public beta
• Tuesday November 15:iOS 16.2b3 enters developer beta with a size change, a new option to tweak the always-on screen display mode on compatible iPhones. We described this addition earlier in the article. Also see the video below summarizing the changes in iOS 16.2 Beta 3

• Wednesday November 16:iOS 16.2b3 enters public beta
• Thursday, December 1:iOS 16.2b4 enters developer beta with minor changes

• Friday December 2:iOS 16.2b4 enters public beta
• Wednesday December 7:iOS 16.2 beta release RC
• Tuesday December 13:release of the final version for everyone

Notice to all those who have already installed iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, tvOS 16.2 or watchOS 9.2 on their machines, have you noticed any other notable changes than those listed above in the article?

Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.