iOS 16.1 Features: Everything New in iOS 16.1

Apple today released iOS 16.1 to the public after a little over a month of beta testing, adding essential new features to the iOS 16 operating system and debuting a version of iPadOS 16 for the first time.

iOS 16
iOS 16.1 adds features that were delayed from the iOS 16 update, plus it tweaks some existing capabilities and interface options. We've outlined everything new in iOS 16.1 below.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

Apple delayed iCloud Shared Photo Library in order to work out some of the bugs, but it is available in the iOS 16.1 update. With ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library, a total of six people can share one Photo Library, making it easier to distribute photos among friends and family members.

ios 16 icloud shared photo library feature
Everyone who is a member of an ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library can add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos, and users can have one personal library and one shared library. There are tools for swapping between two libraries, and choosing to upload photos to the Shared Library directly from the camera, when other library participants are nearby, and more.

‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library is a complicated feature that you may have a lot of questions about, so we have created a dedicated guide that walks you through how to use it.

Live Activities

Lock Screen and Dynamic Island feature Live Activities has launched in iOS 16.1. Live Activities are a new notification type that allow you to follow along with something in real time, like an approaching Uber ride, a flight, a sports game, and more.

live activities intro dark 2x
There is a Live Activities API available to developers in iOS 16.1, so alongside the launch of the update, developers will be able to add new Live Activities experiences into their apps.

Wallet Key Sharing

Car, hotel room, and other keys that are available in the Wallet app can be shared securely with others through Messages, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps.

Lock Screen/Home Screen Customization

When tapping on the "Customize" interface on the Lock Screen, there's now an option to choose between customizing either the Lock Screen or the Home Screen, rather than just the Lock Screen. This makes it easier to customize the look of the iPhone from one spot without having to go through multiple steps.

home screen ios 16 1 beta

Apple Fitness+ on iPhone Without an Apple Watch

Apple Fitness+ is available even if you do not have an Apple Watch to use with both iOS 16.1 and tvOS 16.1. You can start a workout if you are an Apple Fitness+ subscriber, though you will be missing the Apple Watch metrics on the display.

Apple Fitness Plus iPhone 14 Pro
You can subscribe to Apple Fitness+ without a watch after the updates have been installed.

Matter Support

iOS 16.1 adds support for the Matter smart home connectivity standard. Matter allows for interoperability between smart devices from different companies, so HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant devices, for example, can work together.

Clean Energy Charging

iOS 16.1 adds a toggle to enable "Clean Energy Charging" in the Battery section of the Settings app. Clean Energy Charging will try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available.

clean energy charging ios 16 1
Apple says that the ‌iPhone‌ will still reach full charge before you need to use it based on your daily charging routine, and the feature can be toggled off if desired. It appears to be enabled by default when updating to iOS 16.1.

Delete Wallet App

iOS 16.1 adds the option to remove the Wallet app from the ‌iPhone‌ entirely. In iOS 16 and earlier versions of iOS, the app could be removed from the ‌Home Screen‌, but not deleted. It is now able to be deleted entirely for those who do not want to use Apple Pay or other Wallet features.

ios 16 1 delete wallet app
The option comes as Apple is facing a lawsuit accusing it of violating antitrust law by making ‌Apple Pay‌ the only available mobile wallet for tap-to-pay payments on ‌iPhone‌.

Battery Percentage in Status Bar

iOS 16.1 adds battery percentage to the battery icon in the status bar on the ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, iPhone 12 mini, and ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, all iPhones that did not support the feature in iOS 16.

ios 16 beta battery percentage icon

Screenshot UI

When you close the Screenshot editing tool, there is an updated interface in the upper right corner that gives the options to delete a screenshot, copy and delete, or save it. This menu used to be at the bottom of the ‌iPhone‌, so this new implementation is sleeker and less in your face as it does not take over the bottom of the display.

delete screenshot ui ios 16 1

Battery Status Bar Visual Charge Indicator

Apple in iOS 16 added battery percentage to the battery icon in the status bar on Face ID iPhones, and in iOS 16.1 beta 2, improved the feature to show a visual indication of the charge level.

ios 16 1 beta 2 battery
The battery icon shifts throughout the day as the battery depletes or is charged, making it easier to see charge level at a glance. Prior to the beta, the battery indicator in the status bar showed percent, but the battery level was static and always full, making it sometimes confusing to determine the ‌iPhone‌'s charge with a quick look.

Battery Font

Apple has updated the font that's used for the battery icon, slightly increasing the size.

Lock Screen Charging Indicator

When charging an ‌iPhone‌, the battery percentage is now displayed above the time both when the ‌iPhone‌ first starts charging and each time that it is woken from sleep during the charging process.

ios 16 beta 2 charge level
This allows for a clear indication of the charge level when tapping on the ‌iPhone‌'s display without unlocking the device. The always-on display does not show charge level and waking the screen on an iPhone 14 Pro model is required to get the battery level to show up.

Wallpaper Updates

Apple has updated the Wallpaper section of the Settings app to allow users to swap between wallpapers from this interface. The design has also been tweaked, making the options to add new wallpaper more obvious.

ios 16 1 wallpaper

Emergency SOS via Satellite

Apple is beginning to lay the groundwork for Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My satellite integration, functionality that is coming to ‌iPhone 14‌ models starting in November. Code in the update reveals some of the text we can expect to see.

ios 16 1 emergency satellite 2

ios 16 1 emergency satellite 1

  • Send your location using a supported ‌iPhone‌ from places where there are no cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
  • Send your Location via Satellite.
  • This friend sent you their location via satellite because they have no other network available.
  • Can send location again after X amount of time.
  • X hours ago - Last time your location was sent.
  • You can now text emergency services via satellite on your ‌iPhone‌.
  • ‌iPhone‌ can try to use a satellite to text emergency services. When it's safe, exit the vehicle and follow the ‌iPhone‌ instructions.
  • ‌iPhone‌ is texting emergency services via satellite.

AirPods Pro 2 Volume Touch Control Toggle

The iOS 16.1 beta adds a new feature that allows the touch-based volume control of the AirPods Pro 2 to be disabled.

ios16

Preload In-App Content

After you've downloaded an app from the App Store, there is sometimes extra content to download the first time you open it, especially if it's an app that has a large size. With iOS 16.1, there is a toggle to automatically run newly downloaded apps in the background to download content before you first launch them.

ios 16
The setting is enabled by default and can be found in the Settings app under ‌App Store‌ > In-App Content.

Books App

In the Books app, reader controls are automatically hidden when you begin to read.

Bug Fixes

The iOS 16.1 update includes a number of bug fixes.

  • Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages
  • ‌Dynamic Island‌ content is not available when using Reachability
  • CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app

Other New Features

Know of a new feature in iOS 16.1 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Available as Soon as Today With These New Features

Monday January 27, 2025 6:35 am PST by
Update: Apple has released iOS 18.3. In its press release unveiling a new Black Unity Sport Loop for the Apple Watch today, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.3 is "upcoming." According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple Stores are being instructed to update the software on demo devices today, so iOS 18.3 should be released either today or within the next few days. Below, we recap everything new...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Finally Explains How to Install New Firmware on Your AirPods

Monday January 27, 2025 11:17 am PST by
Apple regularly releases new firmware for the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, but the company has historically provided limited information on how to initiate an update. That changed today, and Apple updated its AirPods firmware support page with more specific instructions. Prior to today, here's what Apple said on the subject: Firmware updates are delivered automatically while your...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 This Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public this week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
airpods pro purple

Apple Still 'Exploring' New AirPods With Tiny Cameras

Sunday January 26, 2025 7:52 am PST by
Apple continues to explore the idea of releasing camera-equipped AirPods in the future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman only briefly mentioned the possibility of AirPods gaining tiny cameras, as part of his Power On newsletter intro this week, focused on Apple's future wearables ambitions. He did not explain what the cameras would be used for. The tiny cameras would not be...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

iPhone 14 Pro vs. Rumored iPhone 17 Air: Upgrade or Downgrade?

Saturday January 25, 2025 6:40 am PST by
After hanging on to my iPhone 14 Pro for a few years, I will likely upgrade to an iPhone 17 model this year. Typically, I only consider the Pro models, but the rumored iPhone 17 Air sounds intriguing. After reflecting on rumors, I have realized that upgrading to this device might not have as many compromises as I first thought. Of course, the iPhone 17 Air is not yet official. Apple should...
iPhone 16 Apple Store Levels

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch. In each of the past four years, ...

Top Rated Comments

valkraider Avatar
30 months ago
“Clean energy charging” is ridiculous from a product assembled in a country where coal burning plants are rampant and dozens more are being built.
You’re absolutely right.

Because there is something bad somewhere in the world we should never try to do any good anywhere else…
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CygnusTC Avatar
30 months ago
“Clean energy charging” is ridiculous from a product assembled in a country where coal burning plants are rampant and dozens more are being built.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
My Top 3:

1. Live Activities
2. Battery Percentage in Status Bar
3. Lock Screen Charging Indicator


One of the best updates ever. iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB+ iOS 16.1 is well-responsive and fluid. Everything is running like magic. So smooth! It was worth waiting for this well-polished version. Thank you!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matt_and_187_like_this Avatar
30 months ago
Changing wallpapers is so confusing. There still seems to be no way to just change the wallpaper without having to re-do all the widgets.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OneMike Avatar
30 months ago
I like the changes to the battery indicator in the Lock Screen. This was much needed imo
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rayfire Avatar
30 months ago
I'm a bit disappointed that the "clean energy charging" feature requires significant locations turned on...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)