APPLE has rolled out a huge new update to all iPhone owners – and it’s packed with freebies.
The new iOS 16.2 update launches today, and it’s totally free to download.
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It’s available around the world right now, so head into Settings > General > Software Update to find it.
The big news is that Apple has rolled out a brand new app called Freeform.
This is basically a giant whiteboard that you can share with friends and work on together.
“Freeform opens up endless possibilities for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to visually collaborate,” said Apple’s Bob Borchers, talking about the latest iOS update.
“With an infinite canvas, support for uploading a wide range of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared space for brainstorming that users can take anywhere.”
Apple Music users can now also access a new karaoke mode.
It’s called Apple Music Sing, and introduces two new features to the Spotify rival.
Songs now feature a Sing slider that you can use to quieten or even near-silence vocals in a song.
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You can control this simply by tapping the microphone on a Sing-approved song.
The other element of the feature is real-time lyrics.
Instead of showing lyrics line by line, Sing tracks will highlight lyrics by syllables.
This should help you sing along even if you’re not familiar with the song.
If a song has background vocals, these will be shown in a smaller font between the main lines.
And for a duet track, the song will split the lyrics on the left and right of the screen, depending who is singing.
The new iOS 16.2 also adds support for Emergency SOS via Satellite in the UK.
The feature works on all iPhone 14 models, and lets you call emergency services with no phone signal or WiFi.
It’s completely free to use for two years from the first time you activate your iPhone 14.
“Emergency SOS via satellite can help you connect with emergency services under exceptional circumstances when no other means of reaching emergency services are available,” Apple explained.
“If you call or text emergency services and can’t connect because you’re outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, your iPhone tries to connect you via satellite to the help that you need.”
There are some other smaller tweaks included in the update.
For instance, you can now hide your wallpaper or notifications when Always-On display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The Sleep widget now lets you see your most recent data, and there’s a new Medications widget too.
Search in Messages is now better, letting you find photos based on their content (like a dog, car, person or text).
And Crash Detection on iPhone 14 models has been optimised.
Here’s a list of all the iOS 16 (and iOS 16.2) supported devices:
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone Xs
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)
Before any major iPhone update, you should make sure to back up your phone.
That’s because things can easily go wrong during an update, and you’ll want to avoid losing your precious data – like photos or videos.
To do this, simply head into the iCloud settings on your iPhone and turn on the ‘iCloud Backup’ feature.
Alternatively, plug your phone into iTunes and choose the ‘Backup Now’ option.
Then go into Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone to update.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
