Tag: iOS 16

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Mobile Syrup

You can undo automatic security patches in iOS 16

Apple will soon let you roll back certain security patches installed by iOS 16’s Rapid Security Response System (RSRS), but that doesn’t mean you should play around with it.

The new RSRS feature can install security patches to your device without having to update or restart it. You can now reportedly remove said RSRS updates manually, as spotted in a support document by MacRumors.

Apple’s support document states that you can remove the update by going to Settings > General > About > iOS version, and then tapping ‘Remove Security Update.’

It is not currently clear why Apple would allow users to undo security patches, and why users would want to roll back updates that keep their device secure. It might that the feature is for IT managers and machines with work-related software, though you should likely leave the functionality alone unless you fully understand what you’re doing.

The RSRS feature is turned on by default in iOS 16, though it can be turned off by going into Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates >  and toggling ‘Security Responses & System Files’ off.

RSRS will also be available on devices running macOS Ventura, once the operating system is released.

Image credit: Mockuphone

Source: MacRumors

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Mobile Syrup

Google widgets are coming to the iOS 16 lock screen

It’s always great to see companies play nice with one another.

Google has released a blog today showing Google widgets that work well with iOS 16’s lock screen.

GIF of various Google Search Lock Screen widgets, including a rounded rectangular Search bar and four circular widgets for Voice, Lens, Translate via Lens, Shopping via Lens and Homework via Lens.

A Google Search widget is coming to the lock screen that allows users can configure it to work with your voice or camera, and you can even have translated on the widget as well.

A Chrome lock screen widget is also coming that allows users to quickly access Google Chrome, you can even load up the dinosaur game.

Additionally, a Google Maps widget is coming, so you can easily find restaurants, shops and more. Google Drive widgets are also a widget that’s coming to Google Blog. Of course, a Gmail widget is also coming, and you can customize the widget to see which inbox categories you want.

GIF of two rectangular Lock Screen widgets displaying trips to “Home” and “Google San Francisco”; four circular Lock Screen widgets for restaurants, shopping, coffee and hotels in Google Maps

Finally, a Google News widget is on its way to the iOS 16 lock screen.

These widgets will be available in the coming weeks, just download your favourite Google apps on your iPhone to access the widgets.

If you want to learn how to change your lock screen on iOS 16 check out our quick guide.

Source: Google Blog 

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Mobile Syrup

Some iPhone users can’t update apps after updating to iOS 16

Some people (including myself) are experiencing issues updating apps after making the jump to iOS 16.

The problem stems from a new ‘Terms and Conditions’ agreement. After updating to iOS 16, when trying to update apps from the App Store, users are prompted to accept the new agreement. However, when tapping ‘Agree,’ a pop-up says there was an error and to try later. Strangely, you can still download apps without agreeing to the terms — only updates are impacted.

I had just stumbled across the issue myself and was scratching my head over what was going on when I saw a post from MacRumors about it. The publication suggests it’s an issue with Apple’s servers, but there’s no official word on what’s going on or how long it might take to fix.

Some people who are running iOS 15 may also experience the issue, but it seems to impact iOS 16 users primarily. My wife is running iOS 15.7 and doesn’t have the issue, and other MobileSyrup team members running iOS 16 don’t seem affected either (although they previously ran the iOS 16 beta and didn’t download the update today).

Hopefully Apple rolls out a fix for the issue soon.

Via: MacRumors

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how you can enable battery percentage in iOS 16

The official public release of iOS 16 is scheduled for Monday, September 12th, and we think we’ve pretty much summed up what all new features you can expect and how to use them.

From Visual Look up, and Safety Check to how you can customize your lock screen and schedule emails in the mail app, we’ve covered a range of topics surrounding iOS 16, and you can expect more to come out as we get our hands on the official build of the operating system.

A neat new feature coming to the iPhone with iOS 16 is the ability to display your iPhone’s exact battery percentage in the status bar, even while you’re in an app or watching a video or just on the home screen, something that Android users have had for what feels like decades at this point.

It’s worth noting that up until the iPhone X came out, iPhones supported the visibility of battery percentage in the status bar, but the inclusion of the notch seems to have forced Apple to remove the feature. Now, with iOS 16, the handy visual aid is making a comeback, and here’s how you can toggle it on.

  1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings.
  2. Scroll down and click on ‘Battery,’ right above ‘Privacy & Security.’
  3. Toggle on/off ‘Battery Percentage’

Follow along the screenshots below for visual cues:

It’s worth noting that according to the iOS 16 Beta builds, the feature is not available in the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR. All other devices that support iOS 16 have the feature available. We are currently unsure why said devices don’t have the feature available. We’ll have to wait until September 12th, when Apple releases the iOS 16 public build, to see whether the omission of the feature on said devices was limited to the beta releases or not.

Check out other cool features coming to the iPhone with iOS 16 via the link below:


iOS 16's top 10 new features


iOS 16's top 10 new features

Here are my ten favourite features coming to iOS 16 that really improve the overall experience of iOS.


Read Now

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Mobile Syrup

How to edit and unsend a message on iOS 16

iOS 16 is coming out officially on September 12th. I’ve been on the public beta since it was released last month, and I’m a big fan. I love changing the wallpapers and having them match with my ‘Focus.’ Additionally, the new iCloud Shared Photo Library is a nice touch. However, I’ve totally been waiting for all my friends to finally update to iOS 16 so I can use one of its best features: editing and deleting iMessages.

With iOS 16, the Messages app gets a few pretty cool updates that will work great when everyone switches to the update. Once you’ve updated, you’ll be able to delete an iMessage sent in error, edit typos and even mark conversation threads as unread.

The process for all three is easy.

Deleting or editing a message is pretty much done the same way. After you’ve typed a message, you tap and hold it, and a list of options will appear. You can then either choose to delete or edit that message.

It’s worth noting that if you try unsending a message to someone with an older version of iOS, nothing will happen. Further, if you edit a message to someone on an older version of iOS, they will see a message saying “Edited to.”

Now onto how to mark a thread as unread. The process is also pretty painless: head to the Messages app again and tap and hold on to a thread. You’ll then see an option to ‘Mark as Unread’ — tap this and it’s like you never opened it in the first place.

Obviously, neither feature works if you’re messaging on Android.

This isn’t the first we’ve ever seen a feature like this. Of course, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram have similar functionalities, but it’s great that you can do this now with iMessage.

iOS 16 comes out on September 12th, so be sure to download it or you’ll start seeing a lot of weird “Edited to” messages.

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Mobile Syrup

iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 coming out on September 12

At its ‘Far Out’ fall hardware keynote event earlier today, Apple revealed its latest iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lineup, alongside the second-gen AirPods Pro, Watch SE, Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra.

However, amid all the excitement of the event and new releases, some of the software updates coming to Apple devices may have been glazed over. Buried deep inside the iPhone 14 lineup and the Apple Watch preview news releases is the date when the public would be able to download iOS 16 and WatchOS 9.

Right at the bottom, where Apple mentions the ‘Pricing and Availability’ footnotes, both the iPhone 14 Pro news release and the Apple Watch Ultra news release mention that iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 would be available as a free software update on Monday, September 12th.

It’s worth noting that both iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 betas have been available for a while. However, Apple will release the public builds of both operating systems on September 12th.

iOS 16 can be downloaded on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd gen).

On the other hand, to download WatchOS 9, you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

It’s worth noting that we still do not know when macOS Ventura will be released for the public, and the same goes for iPadOS, which Apple recently delayed to some time in October.

Learn more about WatchOS 9 here.

Learn more about iOS 16 here.

Check out our coverage of the ‘Far Out’ event here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Apple ‘finished’ iOS 16, iPadOS and macOS Ventura coming in October

Apple’s next big iPhone software update is ready to go, while iPad and Mac owners will need to wait a while longer.

The news comes via Bloomberg‘s reliable Mark Gurman. In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman notes that Apple “finished work” on iOS 16 and the iPhone update is due in September alongside watchOS 9:

“The iOS 16.0 update, which Apple engineers finished work on this past week, is due to launch in September alongside watchOS 9. Those updates will correspond with the new hardware. The macOS Ventura and iPadOS upgrades, on the other hand, are now scheduled for October (after Stage Manager-related delays to the iPad software) to match the new hardware lineup.”

Gurman reported the iPadOS delay earlier this month, noting that the delay was connected to Stage Manager. However, it’s interesting to learn the macOS Ventura update will also be pushed back to October. That said, it makes sense. Stage Manager issues or not, Apple is reportedly expected to launch new iPad and Mac hardware in October. Pushing back the iPadOS and macOS updates would better align them with the new hardware launches.

Stage Manager, for those unfamiliar with the software, is a way to manage multiple on-screen apps on iPad and Mac. Stage Manager will likely have the most impact on the iPad, allowing users a more desktop-like experience where they can resize apps and display multiple apps side-by-side on the screen.

It remains unclear what the Stage Manager issues are, but hopefully, Apple resolves them before October.

Source: Power On newsletter from Bloomberg Via: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to use Safety Check in iOS 16 to cut ties from an abusive partner

At WWDC 2022, Apple unveiled the new iOS 16’s several much-appreciated iMessage improvements, a redesigned Home app, an improved lock screen and media player and improvements to Mail. However, one of the new features that did not garner as much attention, and arguably one of the more useful and practical features, is the privacy-focused Safety Check.

The feature allows users to immediately revoke and reset all access that someone else might have, including your location, passwords and privacy permissions for apps. According to Apple, Privacy Check is primarily intended to help those in abusive relationships.

“If circumstances or trust levels change, Safety Check allows you to disconnect from people, apps, and devices you no longer want to be connected to,” reads the feature’s description on iOS 16.

While revoking all permissions has been possible before the introduction of iOS 16, it required users to go to various steps in Settings. The new feature is a sort of kill switch or an emergency button that immediately revokes all access, a feature which is likely going to be useful for those trying to flee abusive relationships.

Safety Check will widely roll out around September when Apple officially launches iOS 16. However, the feature is also available in all of the iOS 16 betas, and if you’re running any on the beta builds, here’s how you can start using Safety Check:

  • Open Settings
  • Tap on ‘Privacy and Security’
  • Scroll all the way down and tap on ‘Safety Check’

From there on, you have two options: ‘Emergency Reset’ and ‘Manage Sharing & Access,’ both of which require Face ID or your PIN to be accessed. The latter allows you to review and revoke access from specific apps and people as per your discretion and allows you to have your Apple ID signed out of other devices, as seen in the images below.

Emergency Reset, on the other hand, will revoke and reset all access other people, apps and devices might have immediately and sign you out of other devices.

It’s worth noting that when you’re using the feature, there will always be a ‘Quick Exit’ button (as seen in the images above) that you can press to exit the functionality in case the person you’re trying to revoke access from walks in.

Post-Quick Exit, there will be no trace of you using the feature. It won’t even appear in your multitasking screen that shows all the apps/pages currently open, preventing you from getting caught using the setting.

Learn about other new features coming to the iPhone with iOS 16 here.

Image credit: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

iOS 16’s top 10 new features

Earlier this month, Apple finally granted public beta access to iOS 16. Before the public beta, Apple only had the developer beta, which was meant to give app developers early access to identify major bugs and ensure their apps work with the future version of iOS. Now that the public beta is out, anyone willing to live a little on the wild side can install the OS update and experience the new features. While also enjoying a decrease in battery life and less-than-entirely stable performance.

You’ve likely already read about the new lock screen, notification view, and widgets as the headlining features coming to iOS in the fall. But if you haven’t, we wrote a great piece covering the new lock screen.

Compared to previous years, the iOS 16 beta actually feels reasonably stable. With that said, installing a beta is not for the faint of heart. If you want to install the beta, you should remember that it’s called a beta for a reason. You should be a reasonably technical person who is okay with losing a few hours of their day restoring your phone if something happens. Additionally, ensure access to a computer to do a Finder or iTunes backup before installing the beta. Apple doesn’t provide any support for a beta release of their software except for restoring your device.

So, whether you’re a beta thrill seeker like me or patiently waiting for the official Fall release, here are my ten favourite features coming to iOS 16 that really improve the overall experience of iOS.

Haptic Keyboard

It’s not hard to go out in public and hear the distinctive click, click, click of an iPhone’s keyboard. Before iOS 16, keyboard clicks were the closest we could get to our iPhone keyboards mimicking physical ones. However, if you’re like me, you keep your iPhone on vibrate only the vast majority of the time, so you lose out on the brain illusion that is the iOS keyboard clicks.

iOS 16 introduces haptic feedback when typing. By turning on haptic feedback, your iPhone will make small vibrations as you type regardless of if your sound is on or off. This gives your brain another small trick into thinking it’s using an actual physical keyboard. This was one of the first things I turned on when I installed iOS 16, and I’ve enjoyed it every day since.

To turn on haptic feedback while typing:
1. Launch ‘Settings’
2. Tap ‘Sounds & Haptics’
3. Tap ‘Keyboard Feedback’
4. Toggle ‘Haptic’ on (green)

iMessage Improvements

There are few apps you likely interact with more often than Messages. A top selling feature of the iPhone is getting access to the blue bubble club, aka iMessage. iMessage certainly has its advantages, including group messaging for up to 32 people, iMessage effects, tap-back response, and encryption.

iOS 16 brings three more welcomed additions to iMessage: mark as unread, un-send message, and edit message. By swiping left to right on a message thread, you can now tap to mark a thread as unread. This is handy if you want to revisit this message thread later, especially for work-related messages. In addition, for up to 15 minutes after sending an iMessage, iOS 16 allows you to edit your message or un-send it entirely.

Even the SMS experience has been improved a little. For example, in a group chat with an SMS user, it can be annoying to see tap-back responses written out as “Joe liked…”. So, now with iOS 16, tap-back responses from an SMS thread will get turned into proper tap-back reactions we’re used to seeing in iMessage conversations.

Adding a Stop to a Route

In May, I went on a road trip to New York. Frequently throughout our journey, my friend and I would have liked to have added a slight detour to our navigation route. iOS 16 brings the ability to add not just one but up to 15 stops to a route in Apple Maps. When starting a trip in iOS 16, you can tap the “add stop” button to add a new destination to your route. This makes for a great feature when needing to make several stops in an area you aren’t familiar with.

Redesigned Home App

HomeKit users can now rejoice like Apple TV users did when the remote was redesigned. HomeKit is Apple’s smart home standard that allows multiple third-party smart home accessory makers to work within the Apple Home app. iOS 16 brings both a complete redesign to the Home app and some impressive performance improvements.

The most critical metrics now live at the very top of the Apple Home app. For example, climate, security systems, leak alerts, and on-lights appear there. Below these key metrics, users can organize rooms, cameras, scenes, and their favourite accessories into whatever order makes the most sense to them for easy access. Additionally, Home app users can tap on each category to expose all of the accessories within the room, such as lights, thermostats, or door locks.

There are also now new icons and thermostat tiles. But perhaps the best improvement is HomeKit’s overall speed and performance. Accessories seem to respond faster daily, and delays are just about non-existent. In addition, all users automatically get the redesigned Home app when they upgrade to iOS 16.

Clipboard Paste Privacy Permission

iOS has always been a privacy-focused operating system. After all, if you go into the Privacy section of the settings app, you’ll see 19 unique privacy-related categories. iOS 16 adds a new one…kind of. Likely prompted by previous reports of apps unknowingly accessing users’ clipboards, iOS 16 users will be prompted the first time they try to paste into an app.

Whether you copy a piece of text or an image, you’ll be prompted by a simple panel when you attempt to paste that object into an app for the first time after updating to iOS 16. iOS 16 will ask if you want to allow the app to access your clipboard. If the user taps allow, they’ll never be prompted again. If the user taps “don’t allow,” they will be prompted the next time they try to paste something into the app.

Locked Hidden Photo Album and Deleted Folder

Continuing on the privacy streak, we have two new locked photo albums in iOS 16. Snapchat users are likely familiar with the “eyes only” concept where you can passcode protect specifically marked photos. The app store has been filled with apps offering this functionality for years.

iOS 16 finally brings an additional level of privacy to our photo libraries. It’s not uncommon to hand someone your phone to perhaps make a phone call or let your children play a game. However, currently, they can access your photo library, including your hidden photos.
In an earlier version of iOS, Apple did add the feature where users could hide their hidden photo album from showing up in the photos app.

However, it still didn’t secure the album. Only hid it. iOS 16 fixes that by automatically requiring TouchID or FaceID to unlock the hidden photo album and the delete photos album. Apple was actually reasonably smart with this. Opting to only use biometrics and not accepting the iPhone’s passcode guarantees that only you can access those photo albums.

Improved Lock Screen Media Player

Among the widgets and new wallpaper options, iOS 16 brings another new lock screen feature: a new media player that shows music albums and podcast artwork in full screen. While this change doesn’t do much functionally, I think it looks terrific. It offers a nice change from your device’s wallpaper and allows you to appreciate album or podcast artwork. In addition, a user can switch between both the old and new media players by simply tapping on the podcast artwork.

Reveal WiFi Password

While I never forget my Wi-Fi password thanks to my handy dandy password manager, I often go to a friend or family member’s house where they don’t know theirs. An earlier version of iOS tried to address this by allowing iOS devices to securely share passwords with other devices by prompting already authorized devices.

While that feature is near-magic, the prompt doesn’t always appear, creating frustration. iOS 16 introduces a new secure field with the Wi-Fi password hidden. To reveal the Wi-Fi password, all a user needs to do is tap on the protected field, and they’ll automatically be promoted to copy it.

End Calls via Siri

Heavy Siri users will be thrilled with this new feature. While using your AirPods or HomePod, users can accept an incoming call by saying, “Hey Siri, answer call.” That’s wonderful for hands-free interaction. Now, iOS 16 brings the ability to end a call via Siri by saying, “Hey Siri, end call.” This may sound a little strange for the person on the other end, but it’ll be a nice improvement for the person cooking a messy dinner in the kitchen.

Disable Lock to End Call

Lock to end call is a feature where you can click your iPhone’s side button to end a phone call. I don’t know about you, but I’ve ended many phone calls accidentally pressing the side button. iOS 16 now introduces a toggle which allows you to turn that feature off. That’s right; I’d end a call with Siri rather than with the side button on my iPhone.
To disable lock to end call:
1. Launch ‘Settings’
2. Tap ‘Accessibility’
3. Tap’ Touch’
4. Toggle’ Lock to End Call’ off (grey)

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Mobile Syrup

How to customize your iOS 16 lock screen

iOS 16’s first public beta is live, which means that iPhone 8 and newer devices can now get in on the lock screen customization fun.

There are several other iOS 16 updates, and you can learn about them in the video below and on our YouTube channel.

How to change your life lock screen

If you’re running iOS 16, tap and hold on your current lock screen to reveal a new customization interface. To create a new screen, either tap on the blue plus icon in the bottom right or by scrolling to the right.

You can also customize your current screen by tapping the large ‘Customize’ button, but for the sake of this tutorial, we’ll stick with making a new screen since both options work the same.

Once you start on a new screen, you’re given quite a few options. Along the top, there are several quick links to each wallpaper category, but if you scroll, you can see demos of what they’ll look like.

The several types are listed below:

  • Photos – You can select any picture on your phone as your wallpaper. With the new update, some images can even use depth to cover the clock in a cool way.
  • People – This also uses your pictures, but in this section, Apple only shows you images with faces.
  • Photo Shuffle – This is my favourite option since it allows you to select a ton of pictures to appear randomly at different parts of the day.
  • Emoji –  This is a more creative option that lets you choose up to six emojis to create a collage out of.
  • Weather –  This variant also changes throughout the day to reflect current weather.
  • Astronomy – In true Apple fashion, there are several high-resolution renders of the Earth and the Moon to check out. The Earth option even shows you your current location.
  • Colour –  The final new wallpaper generator lets you choose a simple colour or gradient if you want a very simple wallpaper.

Once you’ve selected your wallpaper choice, you’re presented with a mock of the lock screen with a few more areas to personalize.

Tapping on the top box allows you to add a straightforward widget to the top of your screen. This could be the date, sunrise or sunset, calendar events or more. I expect third-party developers to take advantage of this feature soon

You can select between eight different fonts and unlimited colours when you tap on the clock. The first default colour on the font list is a gradient that automatically matches the background.

The final box is where you can add lock screen widgets. I haven’t been using many of these since it disables the excellent new depth effect, but if you want a data-rich screen, you can now do it. There are two widget sizes too. Longer ones give more info and smaller icons generally focus on a single metric like air quality, stock prices or the temperature. As with the small widgets above the clock, I expect developers to make even more third-party widgets soon now that the beta is out.

When you’re finished, tap ‘Done’ in the top corner, and the new customization interface will ask you if you want to use that wallpaper. Hit ‘Set as Wallpaper Pair,’ and you’re ready. You can also select ‘Customize Home Screen’ from this pop-up. It allows you to add blur to make apps easier to read or change the wallpaper, making the lock screen and home screens are different.

Other iOS 16 features

You can also add a ‘Focus Mode’ to each wallpaper to make it a little more noticeable to see when Focus is enabled at any given time.

To delete a wallpaper, tap and hold to open up the customization menu and then swipe up on each wallpaper.