iOS 16 just tipped for 'major changes' — what you need to know

iOS 16 concept
(Image credit: The Hacker 34/YouTube)

iOS 16 may look familiar, but there will be plenty of other updates under the hood according to the latest claims from Apple expert Mark Gurman.

In the premium Q&A section of his Power On newsletter, Gurman claimed that iOS will again be the focus of Apple's WWDC 2022 event in June. He explained that "there should be major changes across the system" and "new ways of interacting", although didn't detail what this meant precisely.

Gurman also mentioned "fresh Apple apps" in his answer, which has got our minds racing. Perhaps one of these will be the Apple Classical music app that has been rumoured as an orchestral-focused counterpart to Apple Music, and has been found lurking within the current iOS 15.5 beta.

However, the final takeaway from Gurman's answer is that the overall look of iOS won't look any different. That’s not a complete surprise but considering the current look of iOS has been around for years, it feels about time for a new coat of paint. Especially since Android 12 brought a major redesign in the form of Material You, which will continue in Android 13.

These new claims build on previous comments that Gurman has made about iOS 16. In an older issue of his newsletter, he said the new iOS version would come with improvements to fitness tracking and notifications, and could contain the first elements needed to support Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset.

Other leakers have claimed other features are incoming for iOS 16. One of these is a new "big widget" design that contains multiple widgets in a single container, while another is a crash detection system that would automatically alert the emergency services if it detected a collision, just like the Pixel 6.

Although Apple will most likely reveal the new iOS, macOS 13, watchOS 9 and others during WWDC, regular users will have to wait to try them. In the case of iOS 16, that will likely be made available as a regular stable version alongside the launch of the iPhone 14, currently expected in September.

You may not be able to use it on your iPhone though, depending on how old it is. Sources are claiming that Apple will be dropping support for the iPhone SE (2016) and iPhone 6S from 2015, meaning users with those phones will be stuck on iOS 15 for good until they upgrade their devices. Luckily, there are a lot of options to choose from among the best iPhones.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.