Apple's WWDC 2022 was filled with major updates. The keynote alone unveiled iOS 16, macOS Ventura, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9 alongside a brand new Macbook Air 2022 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022. What Apple didn't announce during the keynote was a cool new Face ID feature: it will work in landscape on iOS 16.
This feature is set to be a major benefit for iPhone users, who between watching Netflix or Disney Plus or playing their favorite games, spend a lot of time with their phone tilted sideways. With this update to Face ID, iOS 16 users can add unlocking their phone and making payments to the list of things their iPhone can do in landscape. Currently in iOS 15, you have to orientate your iPhone vertically to use Face ID, which can be disruptive if you’re using it with some form of game controller attachment, for example, the Xbox Wireless Controller.
The benefits are not just limited to mobile gamers. Apple is updating its Apple Maps navigation system in iOS 16 to allow users to refill transit cards in their wallets directly from the Maps app. This is a feature that will likely require Face ID, and now users will be able to use it while keeping their Maps open in landscape rather than needing to rotate.
