iOS 16.1 makes Apple Fitness Plus much cheaper to use and boosts Dynamic Island

Apple’s iOS 16.1 update was released about a month after the release of iOS 16. The latest update tweaks some features and interface options, adding other features that many expected would be in iOS 16 and brings iPad OS 16 on compatible iPads. If you haven’t updated yet, we can show you How to download iOS 16.1.

Here’s what’s new in iOS 16.1 and what each feature does.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

Sharing photos with your friends after a long night can be tedious. But with iCloud Shared Photo Library, you can easily share photos and videos with up to five other people.

Anyone with access to the shared photo library can add, edit, and delete content within the library. You can upload photos to the library directly from your iPhone’s camera and add photos to the library when you are physically with other people who have access to the library.

However, you cannot participate in two shared libraries at the same time, and if you move photos from your personal library to the shared library, those photos will not be duplicated and can only be found in the shared library.

Live activity in Dynamic Island and lock screen

That iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max‘s Dynamic Island and lock screen get a boost with Live Activity. With Live Activity, your dynamic island and lock screen will display notifications from third-party apps for things like sports games and flights.

Apple Fitness Plus without an Apple Watch

With iOS 16.1, you no longer need them Apple watch access Apple Fitness Plus. With an iPhone 8 or later, you can track your fitness progress and goals right from your phone.

Battery gauge updates

iPhones from the XR through the latest models now have the option to display the battery percentage in the battery indicator icon. The font used for the battery icon has also been slightly enlarged, improving readability.

Wallpapers and lock screen updates

Apple made it a little easier to customize your wallpaper in iOS 16.1. Of the Settings > Background menu, the option to add a new wallpaper is now more visually prominent, and you have the ability to swipe through existing wallpapers. When editing your wallpaper from the lock screen, you now also have the option to customize either your lock screen or your home screen (instead of just the lock screen).

Screenshot editing tools UI updated

When editing a screenshot via the edit menu, the delete, save, and copy options now appear in a smaller, less intrusive menu at the top of the screen. Previously, these options were located at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen.

Wallet app upgrades

You can securely share car, hotel room and other wallet app information with Messages and WhatsApp. Apple Card customers can also increase their daily cash by depositing their savings into a high-yielding savings account. You can also delete the wallet app from your iPhone if you wish.

Smart home connectivity via Matter

Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is now supported. That means you can control smart devices like alexa and Google Assistant from your iPhone.

Clean Energy Charging setting

A new clean energy charging switch has been added to the Battery section in Settings. The setting could help reduce your carbon footprint when charging your iPhone. With Clean Energy Charging enabled, your iPhone will selectively charge when power with lower carbon emissions is available. This setting appears to be on by default, but you can turn it off if you’d like by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and tap the switch next to Charge with clean energy.

Apple Books user interface upgrade

If you read books on your iPhone, your Reader controls automatically hide when you open Apple Books.

Troubleshooting

Apple also fixed a handful of bugs. These fixes address issues like deleted conversations showing up in Messages, some Dynamic Island content not showing up when using Presence, and CarPlay not connecting when using a VPN app.

For more iOS news, see iOS 16 cheat sheet, Here’s how to download iOS 16.1 now and Hidden iOS 16 Features You Should Know.

Currently running:
Look at that:

iOS 16: Powerful Features You May Have Missed

6:28