Apple released iOS 16.1 this evening along with iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Alongside various bug fixes, this release includes at least eight new features for iPhone users such as iCloud Shared Photo Library and Live Events support in third-party apps in the App Store.
iOS 16.1 features
Apple’s iOS 16 update can be downloaded over-the-air to eligible iPhones by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Due to high demand, updates may take several minutes to propagate to all users.
With this update, Apple adds a few features that are not included in the launch version of iOS 16. There is iCloud Shared Photo Library support for managing a photo library with your friends and family. Also, Live Events are added to the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.
Here are the iOS 16.1 update release notes:
iCloud Shared Photo Library
- A separate archive for seamless sharing of photos and videos with up to five others
- Adjustment rules let you easily contribute old photos by start date or people in photos when setting up or joining an archive
- Archive filters to easily switch between viewing Shared Archive, Personal Archive, or both
- Shared edits and permissions allow anyone to add, edit, favorite, caption and delete photos
- The sharing option in Camera lets you choose to send the photos you take directly to the Shared Archive or to enable the auto-share setting when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth.
Live Events
- Live Events from third-party apps can be found on Dynamic Island and the lock screen on iPhone 14 Pro models
Purse
- Key sharing lets you securely share car key, hotel room key and other keys from Wallet using messaging apps like Messages and WhatsApp
house
- Supports Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard that enables many smart home accessories to work together in multiple ecosystems
Books
- Reader controls are automatically hidden when you start reading
This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
- Deleted conversations appear in the mailing list in Messages
- Unable to use Dynamic Island content when using Reachability
- Unable to connect CarPlay when using VPN app
It’s worth noting that some features are not available in all regions or on all Apple devices.