Watch our latest video to see Apple’s latest smart features in iOS 16 that are powered by Siri intelligence in action, running live on an iPhone.
- Apple’s iOS 16 software heavily leverages Siri intelligence to surprise and delight.
- On-device machine learning and artificial intelligence power features such as the ability to capture text on video or lift a photo’s subject from its background.
- Some of the AI-driven features in iOS 16 require at least the iPhone XS.
Vide0: iOS 16 features based on Siri intelligence
The video covers several major features and enhancements in iOS 16 which lean heavily on machine learning and artificial intelligence, starting with the ability to lift a photo’s subject from its background. Just tap and hold the subject of an image in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari and other apps until an outline appears, then you can move it around and drop it anywhere like a sticker. Magic! iOS 16 also brings the first lock screen redesign since the iPhone’s inception. Better yet, iOS 16 intelligently suggests your photos that it thinks will look great on the lock screen.
Lifting the subject from the background like a boss
Another example: Apple’s Mail app. Search in iOS 16’s Mail finally corrects typos and recommends synonyms for your search terms. And if you appreciate the multilayered photo effect on the lock screen, thank Siri intelligence for that—iOS 16 automatically displays a photo’s subject, like your dog or child, in front of the time to make it pop. Read: How to import and export mailboxes in Apple Mail on macOS
Some features required iPhone XS or later
Not all of those features work on all supported devices. For example, removing a photo’s subject from the background requires an iPhone powered by Apple’s A12 Bionic chip or later (the iPhone XS/XR and up). Although the older iPhone X and iPhone 8 models are on the official iOS 16 device compatibility list, those phones are equipped with the first version of Apple’s Neural engine which simply isn’t fast enough to support some of iOS 16’s more impressive features based on machine learning. Read: 7 ways to back up your iPhone photos and videos
Other Siri improvements in iOS 16
iOS 16’s Siri comes with a few other improvements, including expanded offline support. You can now ask Siri to hang up the call and toggle the auto-answer feature on or off. When dictating texts, you can optionally skip the confirmation step when sending messages. Also, Siri will automatically insert punctuation and emoji into your text. The assistant can also tell you about the capabilities of iOS (“Hey Siri, what can I do here?”) and apps (“Hey Siri, what can I do with iRobot”). And in one of the best quality-of-life improvements that will appeal to fans of iOS automation, Siri in iOS 16 finally lets you run shortcuts as soon as you download an app, no setup required.
For further information about iOS, visit apple.com/ios/ios-16-preview/features/.
When can regular users install iOS 16 and other updates?
This feature is currently limited to the iOS 16 beta. Apple is currently testing iOS 16, iPadOS 16, tvOS 16, watchOS 9 and macOS 13 Ventura with its registered developers. Public betas will follow in July, letting everyone try out Apple’s prerelease software on their own device. iOS 16 and other Apple OS updates will be released commercially in the fall. Read: How to use Apple’s AssistiveTouch feature