Apple has released the first beta of an anticipated iOS 16.1 upgrade to public beta testers, allowing anybody to participate in the beta testing procedure. The beta was first made available to developers by Apple one day ago.
Live Activities is an interactive notification feature that Apple claims will be included in iOS 16.1 and will let you keep track of events as they happen in real time. Although you won’t see them in the beta since developers are currently working on providing support, Live Activities will be featured on the Lock Screen, Battery Percentage, and Dynamic Island.
Clean Energy Charging feature
In the US, the update adds a feature called “Clean Energy Charging,” which tells the iPhone to charge only when electricity with lower carbon emissions is available. It also lays the groundwork for “Matter,” a smart home standard that Apple plans to start supporting this fall. Numerous different additional features include a Wallet app that can be removed, changes to the way the lock screen can be changed, and more.
Live Activities integration
Apple is experimenting with Live Activities on TV with sports games. In the TV app, pressing the Follow button for a sports game displays a Live Activity on the Lock Screen with a live scoreboard and play-by-play action, such as a baseball batter striking out on a fastball. As illustrated in the screenshots below, given by MacRumor, a game description is shown above the time and date.
On the iPhone 13 and earlier, as well as the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, Live Activities appear at the bottom of the Lock Screen. Live Activities are displayed at the top of the Lock Screen in the “Dynamic Island,” a pill-shaped region around the Face ID sensors and front camera that can expand to display system notifications as well as other contents.
- Live Activities integrates Clock app timers, and third-party apps can too. Developers can submit applications with Live Activities once iOS 16.1 Release Candidate is available.
- iOS 16.1 will deliver “live activities” to the public, says Apple. The functionality will be accessible for MLB games in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea and NBA and Premier League games in the U.S. and Canada.
Battery Percentage
In iOS 16, Apple changed the battery symbol on iPhones with Face ID so that it shows how much battery life is left. During launch, this function didn’t include the iPhone 13, 12 mini, iPhone XR, or iPhone 11, but MacRumors forums and Twitter say all of these iPhones now support it.
iOS 15 did not show battery percentage on Face ID iPhones due to the TrueDepth camera notch, but iOS 16.1 adds the particular battery level to the battery symbol, providing a better notion of battery status at a glance. iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone XR, or iPhone 11 users could now view their battery % in the status bar. Without Face ID, the battery level has always been displayed.
Availability
The iOS 16.1 beta can be downloaded over the air by Public Beta testers who have registered for Apple’s free beta testing programme after installing the necessary certificate from the Public Beta website.