Another year, another Apple WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC 2022), and like clockwork, Apple gives a sneak peek of the upcoming operating systems that power their devices.

The keynote covered all devices, except for the HomePod Mini and Apple TV. Whilst the two-hour keynote covered a lot of new features for MacOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, a couple of new features stood out for me, and for sure I'll be using them. Let's list them here, in no particular order - and oh, please don't tell me that Android had this and that feature a long time ago, Android and iOS copy from each other. iOS 16 comes with a new Lock Screen.

Apple took design inspiration for the Lock Screen from the Apple Watch watch faces. At the moment, you have limited choices on what widget or "complications" you can add, but this will improve, like other features, once developers start releasing their applications. Anyway, I like the way you can change the Lock Screen design (yes, you can have more than one) by swiping left or right, like the watch faces, and also have it controlled by your Focus settings.

The notifications appear at the bottom half of the screen now, which is better, IMHO. This feature, while not groundbreaking, will be even better once the rumored always-on display of the new iPhone models get released this September. :) iOS 16 Lock ScreenMessages, on all platforms (iOS, iPadOS and MacOS), will have Mark as Unread for message threads, edit a message and undo send. If you need to edit or recall a message, just tap and hold and the options will appear. Messages that you edit will be marked 'EDITED' and those that you recall will disappear.

HOWEVER, this only works for iOS 16 devices at the moment (hope that there is an iOS 15 update that will support this), the edited message will not appear and the undo send feature does nothing on older iOS versions. I hope that this is just a beta issue, which will be better once it launches for all users. One thing that I think Apple missed with Messages is the scheduled sending and better thread management, like collapsible threads within group chats, and with individual thread reply notifications.

iOS 16 Edit and Undo Send message optionsSharePlay gets out of FaceTime and is now also available on Messages. I rarely use FaceTime, so the chance of using SharePlay is extremely rare. With SharePlay on Messages, I might just get to use it more often. In addition to SharePlay, you can use Messages to collaborate with others, too - from the Apple website, it says "Share notes, presentations, reminders, Safari Tab Groups, and more..." - this works extremely well with the upcoming Freeform application that is like a turbo-charged whiteboard!

iCloud Shared Photo Library is another feature that I will definitely use. I already have different Shared Albums, but this new feature will extend the Shared Album functions by allowing any member to manage it, including edit photos, add captions, tags, etc. One question, though, if a member deletes a photo, does it asks others to confirm or is it simply gone? Speaking of photos, I use Live Text a lot. iOS 16 adds support for Live Text for video! In addition to lifting text from the screen, you can apply actions on it as well - translating, converting currencies, etc. Although not exactly Live Text, but the same technology can now identify a photo subject and automatically isolates it from the rest of the photo, which you can then share.

Privacy and security improvements are always something that I use immediately. iOS 16 brings clipboard permissions for applications (you will know before applications access it) and FaceID whilst in landscape orientation (finally!). For better security, I am glad that Apple is pushing Passkeys (password-less login) more this year. There is a new personal security feature, Safety Check, that can protect domestic abuse survivors by disabling location, messages on other devices besides the one you are holding, restricting applications, etc.- does this also add AirTags issue of stalking? Hmm. I use iCloud+ a lot and have several domains enrolled in the Custom Domain feature. This new release will now allow a catch-all address and support for users outside of the Family Sharing account. Nice! A lot of these features above also apply to the iPadOS.

However, one thing that makes iPadOS 16 fly is Stage Manager. This new feature on iPadOS 16 (and MacOS Ventura) is a new way to multi-task. Stage Manager also works when the iPad Pro is connected to an external display, essentially allowing you to have two independent home screens, or maybe I should call it desktop now. Unfortunately, this is only available for the M1 iPads (iPad Pro and iPad Air). I can't wait to try this out. I mentioned MacOS Ventura providing a brand new way of multi-tasking on Macs. The feature that I will definitely use is Continuity Camera, which connects your iPhone to the Mac and use it as a webcam.

I have this third-party software, Camo, that can do this, but it requires that the iPhone is tethered to the Mac (although this is good because it charges it at the same time), but Continuity Camera is wireless and does not need you to unlock the iPhone before using it. It has a Desk View feature that somehow can show your desktop, keyboard and all, as if there is an overhead camera attached - not sure if this is limited to certain iPhone models though, but in the keynote demo, it was simply awesome! I wonder how much battery it consumes, though. And finally, the new watchOS 9 features that I will be using frequently is the Heart Rate Zones, which allows you to set your target heart rate range and alerts you when you fall below or over the target. I have been waiting for this for a long time. watchOS 9 also adds new sleep metrics, but it better be as good as the third-party application that I currently use. I cannot wait for September, when these new features and more (yeah, Apple is still holding on some of the features that will only come with the new devices) go live on these operating systems! For the meantime, time to continue testing the new iOS 16 beta.