The 12 Most Exciting Apple Announcements from WWDC 2022

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Each year, Apple holds the WWDC (Worldwide Developers’ Conference) where it announces what’s ahead for the rest of the year. WWDC announcements typically involve the updates to the operating systems for Apple’s devices, apps, and more. These free updates add new features, services, and capabilities, often making existing devices seem almost new.

By announcing these updates at WWDC in June, Apple gives third-party developers time to adapt their apps before these updates are released to the general public in the fall. And we get a sneak peek at what our Apple devices will be capable of in the not-too-distant future.

At this year’s WWDC, in addition to announcing updates to their operating systems and apps, Apple also revealed two new Mac computers, the 13″ MacBook Air and the 13″ MacBook Pro, both with the new M2 chip.  These computers both will be sold beginning next month.

Curious about what’s ahead for Apple? Here are the 12 most exciting announcements from WWDC 2022:

iOS 16

iOS 16 for iPhone brings a wealth of new features to existing phones, including iPhone 8 and later. With these free new features coming in the fall, you may not need to upgrade to a new iPhone.

Undo Send for Messages

In a nod to those of us who make mistakes and/or have regrets, Apple will be introducing an Undo Send feature for Messages. Not only will you be able to un-send messages, you’ll also be able to edit them after they’ve been sent.

This tweet shows Undo Send for Messages in action:

You can edit and unsend iMessages in iOS 16 #WWDC22 pic.twitter.com/3aKihI2fK9

— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) June 7, 2022

As with all Undo features, be careful of screenshots…

For now, Undo Send works in Messages for up to 15 minutes after the message was sent. If you use Undo Send, the receiver of the unsent message will see a notification that a message was unsent by you. Also, be warned that Undo Send only works if the receiver of the message is using an iPhone running iOS 16.

Have regrets often? Check out => Gmail Undo Send – Saving You from Your Mistakes and Facebook Messenger Will Soon Let You Delete Your Regrettable Messages

New Lock Screen

Your iPhone Lock Screen can look a lot different in iOS 16. Apple will soon let you add widgets to your Lock Screen so you can see live sports scores, weather, now playing audio, and more, without needing to unlock your phone. You can choose the font for the displayed time and add a photo that partially obscures the time.

This tweet shows an example of the Lock Screen image overlaying the time:

Happy Weekend Everyone! Show Me your #iOS16 LockScreen Setup 🙌 pic.twitter.com/v3zI3ozm83

— iDeviceHelp (@iDeviceHelpus) June 10, 2022

Notifications are nestled at the bottom of the screen underneath the widgets.

This tweet shows a custom font for the displayed time, the Now Playing widget, and the notifications at the bottom of the Lock Screen:

iOS 16 is beautiful 😍 #WWDC22 pic.twitter.com/AQvQrSRKJn

— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) June 7, 2022

Cropping Subject of Images in Photos

The new Lock Screen feature of superimposing a photo over the displayed time can be achieved with a new cropping tool arriving in iOS 16 in Apple’s Photos app. In just a few taps, you’ll be able to crop the subject of a photo and drag it into another app on your iPhone.

You could use this cropping tool to add the subject of a photo not only to the Lock Screen but also to a message, email, or in another app.

This tweet demonstrates how photo cropping works in iOS 16:

One of the coolest features of iOS 16 #WWDC22 pic.twitter.com/WJ6lW4TrK3

— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) June 7, 2022

Family Photo Sharing

Speaking of Photos, as we were, Apple is introducing Family Photo Sharing in iOS 16, making it easier to share photos with members of your family. With Family Photo Sharing, you can easily add photos to your Shared Family Library for other family members to enjoy.

Apple Maps

With iOS 16, Apple Maps users will be able to plan routes with up to 15 stops. Routes can be planned on one device and used on another device signed in to the same Apple ID.

Apple Fitness — Workouts on the iPhone

The Fitness app in iOS 16 can be used on the iPhone to track Workouts without the need for an Apple Watch. Using the motion sensors in your iPhone, the Fitness app will soon be able to track your Workouts and help you reach your fitness goals.

Health App Medication Tracking

The Health app in iOS 16 can help track your medications, vitamins, and supplements. Just point your phone’s camera at the label to add the information to the Health app. The app can set schedules and reminders for your medications and alert you to possible drug interactions.

Apple Wallet

Apple Pay Later

Apple also announced Apple Pay Later for Wallet, which allows users to spread interest-free payments over a period of six weeks.

In iOS 16, shoppers using Apple Pay will be invited to use Pay Later during checkout, if available. According to Apple, “Apple Pay Later is available everywhere Apple Pay is accepted online or in-app, using the Mastercard network.”

Apple Pay Delivery Tracking

Shoppers making online purchases using Apple Pay will be able to use Wallet to track the delivery of their orders, with participating merchants in iOS 16.

Apple Wallet ID Verification

Apple is continuing to increase the usefulness of Apple Wallet, adding the ability to verify your identification in apps and in-person using FaceID in iOS 16. The company is working with Microsoft and Google for cross-platform authentication.

Apple is also working with U.S. states to be able to add drivers’ licenses to Wallet. Currently, only Maryland and Arizona allow using Apple Wallet to store official driver’s license IDs.

Safety Check

With Safety Check, Apple acknowledges that not all relationships are made to last, and makes it easier to sign out of iCloud accounts across devices instantly. If a user ever feels their personal safety is at risk, they can use Saftey Check in iOS 16 to sign out of iCloud and lock their Apple devices.

Safety Check also lets users easily review which permissions they’ve given to others and rescind those permissions.

HomeKit — Matter

Smart devices can be very convenient, letting you use your voice to control them via digital assistants. That is unless you forget whether they’re connected to Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri.

Later this fall, Apple will support Matter, a cross-platform service that allows smart devices to work with all three of these digital assistants, making these devices even smarter.

Apple CarPlay

Apple is expanding CarPlay well beyond an infotainment screen. In future generations of vehicles, Apple CarPlay will extend across the entire dashboard.

Users will be able to customize CarPlay displays with speed, music, maps, climate settings, widgets, and more.

Apple should have just saved this for the Apple Car. This is awesome! pic.twitter.com/kPxl3Kg84a

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 6, 2022

Your Thoughts

Which of these announcements from Apple excite you the most? Which new features do you think will be the most useful? Have you ever sent a text message you wished you could have unsent?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!