
Some settings and features are hidden beneath the surface of your iPhone that could alter how you use it.
More powerful than you might imagine is your iPhone. There are several noteworthy features and settings in iOS 16 that Apple may not have given as much attention to but that you should be aware of. These features include home screen widgets, Live Activities, and Emergency SOS via satellite.
Here’s what you need to know if you want to learn more about some of the iOS 16 hidden jewels that will improve your mobile experiences, like password-protected photo albums and readily available Wi-Fi passwords.
Will Your iPhone Run iOS 16? to learn more. Some People Won’t Get Along
Want to know more about the newest mobile operating system from Apple? There are some new features in iOS 16 that you’ll adore and some that you could detest (fortunately, there’s a cure).
Sync your iPhone with the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons.
Apple has long allowed you to connect third-party controllers to your iPhone and iPad to play mobile video games like the Apple Arcade collection, Minecraft, and Call of Duty more comfortably. Examples of these controllers include the PS5 Sony DualSense and Xbox Core Controller. You can now increase that list by one more console controller.
You may now connect your Joy-Con controllers to an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 if you own a Nintendo Switch. Hold down the Joy-little Con’s black pairing button initially until the green lights begin to flicker. The device is in pairing mode if this is the case. Go to Settings > Bluetooth on your iPhone after that and choose the Joy-Con from the list. Use the other Joy-Con to repeat this process.
Recently deleted and hidden albums are now password-protected.
The Photos app’s Hidden album is not hidden because anyone can easily find it. It is therefore impossible to adequately conceal private images and videos. The Hidden album can be made “invisible” by Apple, but anyone with access to your phone could make it visible once more and see everything inside.
You may now lock the Hidden album thanks to iOS 16. There is nothing you need to do to turn on this functionality. Launch the Photos app and navigate to the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen to see it. The Hidden and Recently Deleted albums have a tiny lock next to them if you scroll down. You’ll need to enter your passcode or Face ID to view the contents of those albums.
Observe and distribute saved Wi-Fi passwords
Since a while ago, Apple has permitted iOS users to share Wi-Fi passwords, but only when two Apple devices are close to one another. Additionally, you couldn’t simply get the password from your settings if that feature didn’t operate automatically. Additionally, you had to remember the password if you wanted to share a saved Wi-Fi password with someone else, such as an Android user or someone using a computer. Before now.
Read more: Using an iPhone, You Can Now View Your Saved Wi-Fi Passwords
Tap the tiny information icon to the right of the network for which you want the password in the Settings’ Wi-Fi section. Tap the Password section, then use Face ID or your passcode to view the network password. The password can then be shared by tapping Copy after it has been copied to your clipboard.
Locate and eliminate duplicate images and videos.
Perhaps you downloaded a film more than once or saved the same picture more than once, leaving duplicates all over your photo album. If you have enough capacity, it might not be an issue, but if you’re out of the room, iOS 16 makes it simple to eliminate every identical file.
You ought to see a new Duplicates album under Utilities in Photos > Albums. Apple searches through your whole photo library and displays every image or video that has been stored more than once in a certain album. From there, you can choose to remove any duplicates or simply press Merge to keep the best photo and all associated data while deleting the others.
You can use Select > Select All > Merge to eliminate all of the images and videos that Apple deems duplicates at once, though you should probably go through each set of duplicates to make sure they are exact copies and not just similar images.
Siri can end a phone or FaceTime call.
Siri is capable of many things. The virtual assistant may be used to send text messages, seek directions, or play music, but she is unable to conclude phone calls. weird, huh? With iOS 16, that is finally a possibility.
Make sure Listen for “Hey Siri” is toggled on in Settings by going to Siri & Search. If it is, a new option labeled Call Hang Up should appear underneath. Enter that menu item and turn on Call Hang Up. You can ask Siri to end a call when you’re on a phone call or FaceTime video chat by saying, “Hey, Siri.”