Yesterday, Apple updated all the software. We now have iPadOS 16.1, iOS 16.1, watchOS 9.1, macOS 13 Ventura, tvOS 16, and HomePod Software 16. And maybe there is more out there that I haven't even noticed yet. It was a big update day.
What's new? I'm sure that'll be the topic of discussion for the next few weeks. But here are some highlights for the iPad and iPhone:
iPadOS 16.1
Remember when iOS 16 came out in early September? We saw things like the ability to edit or delete a text message in Messages, the ability to schedule an email to be sent later, a new interface in the Home app, the ability to use Siri to dictate and use the keyboard at the same time, the ability to tap an object in many photos and drag the picture of just that object to another location, and many more features. Most of the new features that came to the iPhone in iOS 16 are now available for the iPad in iOS 16.1.
The Files app is also improved in iPadOS 16.1. It is now easier to sort columns, and I've read that you can now change file extensions, although I haven't found a reason to test that yet.
And then there is Stage Manager. It is the brand new interface for multitasking on the iPad. But when you first update to iPadOS 16.1, you won't see it at all. There are two ways to turn it on. First, go to the Settings app and select Home Screen & Multitasking, and then turn on Stage Manager at the bottom. Or a second way to enable it is to pull down from the top right corner to see your Control Panel and tap the stage manager button: three dots next to a rectangle.
Should you turn on Stage Manager? I don't know yet. It is a radical new interface that lets you see multiple windows at once. After my first few minutes of using it, it seemed pretty neat to be able to switch between two apps more quickly and easily because they are overlapping.
On the other hand, Federico Viticci at MacStories wrote an extensive article about Stage Manager, and he is lukewarm at best.
iOS 16.1
As the owner of a new iPhone 14 Pro with the Dynamic Island at the top, I'm excited to see apps in iOS 16.1 start to take advantage of Live Activities, which allows updates in the background. For example, a sports app could keep the current score updated in the Dynamic Island. I look forward to seeing what clever app developers come up with.
With iOS 16.1 and all of the other updates yesterday, you can now use iCloud Shared Photo Library to share some of the pictures in your library with another family member.
There are lots of other smaller features, like the ability to use Apple Fitness+ without an Apple Watch, a new Clean Energy Charging system, and more.
And of course, all of these updates for the iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, etc. include security updates. So to keep yourself safe, you will want to update at some point, even if you don't do it within the first 24 hours.