iOS 16.2 launching next week — here's all the new features for your iPhone

iOS 16.2 adds Freeform, Medications and Sleep widgets and more to the iPhone

iOS 16.2 should be the final big update to the iPhone's operating system this year, and it's now expected in the coming week. iOS 16.1 brought some big changes to the iPhone when Apple released that software update. But a new iOS 16 update is already in the works that will bring a new app to the iPhone along with other enhancements.

The arrival of a new Freeform app leads the changes in iOS 16.2, which also includes some other under-the-hood enhancements to other apps and features. Since then we have also got an iOS 16.2 beta 2, which added a Medications widget for the Lock Screen, Apple News integration for the Weather app and a new Dynamic Island update only for iPhone 14 Pro users. Plus, 16.2 should bring the arrival of Apple Music Sing, Apple Music's fun new karaoke mode.

Here's what we know so far about iOS 16.2 in terms of new features for your iPhone.

iOS 16.2: Apple Music Sing

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple Music Sing is a new built-in karaoke mode for Apple Music users and is currently slated to arrive later this month. It will likely come with the iOS 16.2 update. While you won't get this karaoke mode for every song in Apple's 100 million-plus song library, it promises to be a lot of fun on eligible tracks.

iOS 16.2 Advanced Data Protection

(Image credit: Apple)

Advanced Data Protection has already started rolling out through the Apple Beta Software Program, but it's now expected to come with iOS 16.2 or early next year. This security feature brings end-to-end encryption to Apple's iCloud storage service, which is a massive win for iPhone users. While it won't encrypt Mail, Contacts or Calendar data, this is an extra level of data security for a lot of your most sensitive information.

iOS 16.2: Always-on display improvements

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iOS 16 added the Always-on display to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, bringing it in line with its Android competitors. This allowed users to view the time, sports scores, Calendar notifications and more, all without needing to unlock their phones. Now, iOS 16.2 is expected to let you disable the wallpaper and/or notifications(opens in new tab) on the Always-on display. While this may not be a big feature for everyone, it can clear clutter from the Always-on display, giving you just what you need and nothing more.

iOS 16.2 AirDrop

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AirDrop allows you to share files from your iPhone to another — no cable needed. Now Apple is changing things up by limiting the ability to receive an AirDrop(opens in new tab) from "Everyone" to only work for 10 minutes.

This feature change is not without controversy. Apple initially made the change only in China, allegedly at the request of the Chinese government to limit the communication abilities of protestors. Now it looks like the entire world can only leave themselves open to receiving an AirDrop for 10 minutes at a time unless they want to keep it between contacts.

iOS 16.2: Freeform

Maybe you forgot about Freeform, an app that Apple first previewed during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Apple touts Freeform as a brainstorming and collaboration tool, with the app serving as a kind of mobile whiteboard that people can work on together in real-time.

Freeform running on an iPad (Image credit: Apple)

Freeform seems to be primarily geared toward the iPad, taking advantage of that device's larger screen space. Indeed, Freeform also debuts on the iPadOS 16.2 Beta 1 release, which arrived at the same time as the iOS 16.2 update. However, Freeform is designed to work on multiple Apple devices, which is why it's also included in both iOS 16.2 and the new macOS Ventura beta.

Apple's release notes for iOS 16.2 Beta 1(opens in new tab) warn of some known issues with Freeform that require workarounds for deleting boards while offline and adding or removing collaborators when changing share settings. It's a reminder that this is very much a beta release, with a lot of fine-tuning in the works between now and when iOS 16.2 gets a general release.

Our Alex Wawro went hands-on with Freeform(opens in new tab), and he thinks it's a whiteboard app he'll actually use. 

iOS 16.2: Regional Weather app Apple News stories

 (Image credit: 9to5Mac)

If you open the iOS Weather app, and the current conditions are related to an ongoing news story, then an Apple News widget will pop up to allow you to read more about what's going on in the News app.

This feature currently seems limited to certain U.S. locations, but hopefully once this feature leaves beta it'll work anywhere.

iOS 16.2: Dynamic Island upgrade for iPhone 14 Pro

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

iOS 16.2 has a new Dynamic Island upgrade that will now keep the Wi-Fi icon and signal bars in view while playing music on the iPhone 14 Pro. Earlier, if a user was listening to music on the iPhone 14 Pro, Dynamic Island would show the Now Playing track along with the battery icon and either the signal icon or the Wi-Fi. With this update, the island will shrink down in width and all three icons will now be visible when music is played. It will also have a sleek animation that will set it in place. 

iOS 16.2: Expanded ProMotion support

iPhones with 120Hz displays — that's the assorted iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models — get a performance boost. Apple's release notes say that animated layout changes now happen at 120Hz on ProMotion displays.

iOS 16.2: New Home app architecture

Home has received a lot of attention in iOS 16, first with an all-new design that makes it easier to view and control smart home accessories. The iOS 16.1 update brought support for Matter, an interoperability protocol backed by Google, Amazon and Apple that should help different devices work together.

The changes keep coming in iOS 16.2, which is going to usher in a new architecture for the Home app. Apple says the change will bring faster, more reliable performance, though we'll have to see it in action before we can see what that means for everyday use.

iOS 16.2: Live Activities changes

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Live Activities also just appeared in iOS 16.1, but there will be some enhancements to the feature in iOS 16.2. As a reminder, Live Activities are alerts that appear on the lock screen (or around the Dynamic Island if you've got an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max) that give you ongoing updates for things like sports scores, delivery statuses and timers.

9to5Mac reports(opens in new tab) that it's seen code that will allow Live Activities to request updates at shorter intervals, which would boost the frequency of updates to the alerts. Apparently, that feature isn't yet live in iOS 16.2 Beta 1, though.

Another report, this one from MacRumors, claims that Live Activities integration with select sporting events(opens in new tab) in the TV app has returned in the iOS 16.2 beta; it had briefly been a part of the iOS 16.1 beta. 

According to MacRumors, you'll be able to tap a Follow button on supported games in the TV app to have score updates displayed on the lock screen or in the Dynamic Island. Supported events include MLB and NBA games as well as Premiere League matches in the U.S. 

iOS 16.2: Accidental Emergency SOS call reporting

If you accidentally trigger your iPhone's Emergency SOS call feature, iOS 16.2 Beta 1 apparently adds a way to report an unintentional call. An iOS 16.2 user took to Twitter(opens in new tab) to say that such a feature appeared when they inadvertently launched an Emergency SOS call on their iPhone.

iOS 16.2: Sleep widget and Medications widgets

 (Image credit: Future)

iOS 16.2 beta 1 added a Sleep Lock Screen widget to iOS, which allows users to view their sleep-tracking data from the Lock Screen. A Sleep Home Screen widget has existed since iOS 15 but with the Lock Screen becoming more integral to iOS, the Sleep widget is getting ported over.

iOS 16.2 beta 2 brings a health widget of its own into the mix. Medications was a widget that had been hinted at previously but was unavailable before this latest beta. Now, iOS 16.2 beta 2 users can track their medication from the Lock Screen. If you take a fair amount of medications, this can be a highly useful feature given the complexities of many medication schedules.

iOS 16.2: Custom Accessibility Mode

(Image credit: 9to5Mac)

In its ongoing efforts to ensure anyone can use an iPhone, Apple's working on a new Custom Accessibility mode that can drastically simplify the iOS layout.

Enabling this mode replaces the default "Springboard" iOS home screen layout with a simpler one made up of a large grid of icons. Unlocking the phone can also be set to require a touch-and-hold input, and no matter where you are in the phone, an obvious Back button is available at the bottom of the screen at all times.

There are also options to enlarge on-screen text, disable volume buttons, and to make changes to individual apps and the iOS Emergency SOS service. 

iOS 16.2: Improved Messages search and other features

 (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Aside from these larger feature updates, there are also potentially some minor changes coming to iOS 16.2. According to MacRumors(opens in new tab) the new version of the mobile operating system will allow you to keyword search for photos in Messages based on the content (i.e. dog, cat, etc.). It will also bring SharePlay support to GameCenter so you can play games with people while you're on a FaceTime call with them.

iOS 16.2: Resolved issues

According to Apple's iOS release notes(opens in new tab), it has fixed a couple of issues with this newest beta. There was an issue typing in Chinese Pinyin that has been resolved, as well as an issue with the TV app not properly working. Finally, SwiftUI, which is an app-building tool from Apple, had some issues with animations that have been resolved in iOS 16.2 beta 2.

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