Apple unleashes iOS 16.2 with iCloud backup encryption, Apple Music Sing, Freeform app, always-on tweaks & more

The new iPhone features in iOS 16.2 include iCloud backup encryption, the Freeform app, Apple Music Sing, always-on display tweaks and so on.

Apple on December 13, 2022, released the iOS 16.2 update which brings over a dozen new iPhone features that let you encrypt iCloud backup, disable the wallpaper and notification on always-on displays, track your medication intake and sleep on the lock screen, as well as collaborate and sketch with others.

How to update your iPhone to iOS 16.2

To install iOS 16.2 on your iPhone, go to Settings → General → Software Update. If you see more than one update listed, choose Download and Install or Install Now next to iOS 16.2. You may need to enter your iPhone passcode to continue.

If you don’t want the device to automatically install iOS software updates, go to Settings → General → Software Update → Automatic Updates and toggle off the Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates switches.

Be sure to leave the Security Responses & System Files option turned on.

This setting enables your iPhone to grab Rapid Security Responses, which are patches for critical vulnerabilities and zero-day exploits made available before being integrated into a future iOS software update.

What’s new in iOS 16.2?

The Apple Music Sing feature showcasing time-synced animated song lyrics on iPhone
Apple Music Sing is available in the lyric view | Image: Apple

Apple Music Sing
Apple Music Sing is a new lyrics experience on iOS, iPadOS and macOS that includes multiple lyric views and vocal separation, which lets it lower the volume of the vocals for a better karaoke experience.

End-to-end encryption for iCloud Backup
Advanced Data Protection makes iCloud more secure with end-to-end encryption for device backups, including Photos and Messages backups.

When turned on in the iCloud settings on your device, encryption keys will be transferred from Apple’s servers to your device. The feature is available in the United States but will expand to other countries in early 2023. For security reasons, you can’t turn on Advanced Data Protection from a new device right away.

The Freeform app
Freeform is a new whiteboard-style app in iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1 that supports real-time collaboration via FaceTime and iMessage. To learn more about the Freeform app, read a post in the Apple Newsroom.

Always-On notifications and wallpaper toggles
The display settings in iOS 16.2 provide new toggles in Display & Brightness → Always On Display to turn off the lock screen wallpaper and notifications when the always-on display feature is on. This makes for a more minimal always-on lock screen with a solid black background, similar to Android.

Medication and Sleep lock screen widgets
iOS 16.2 brings the new Medications and Sleep lock screen widgets. The Medications widget lets you track your pill intake and see your medication schedule with a quick glance. With the Sleep widget, you can see your most recent sleep session and sleep stages on your lock screen.

10-minute limit for AirDrop’s “Everyone” setting
AirDrop’s “Everyone” option in iOS 16.2 automatically reverts back to “Contacts Only” after 10 minutes. The option was conveniently renamed “Everyone for 10 Minutes.” The change was first tried in China with iOS 16.1.1 but iOS 16.2 brings it to all users. Apple says it prevents unwanted requests from strangers but some people suspect this was a request from the Chinese government to prevent protesters from exchanging information via AirDrop. There’s no way to prevent this behavior.

Older notifications shown by default
In iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1, older notifications are now shown by default in the Notification Center without having to swipe up instead of being hidden. This will prevent missed notifications because iOS will no longer remove a new, unseen notification from the lock screen and send it to the Notification Center.

Modern Home app architecture
The Home app in iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1 has a more modern architecture which should make the app perform faster and control smart home appliances more reliably.

5G in India
iOS 16.2 adds support for 5G cellular networks on the iPhone 12 and later sold in India via carriers Airtel and Reliance Jio.

More frequent live activities updates
The Live Activities feature now supports sports scores. This lets you track live scores from the lock screen or the Dynamic Island without launching an app. All you need to do is select the TV app’s Sports tab and hit Follow for a supported game. Live sports scores are available for NBA and Premier League games (US and and Canada) and MLB games (US, Canada, Australia, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and South Korea).

Tidbits

Apple’s release notes for iOS 16.2

Apple's Freefrom app on iPhone, iPad and Mac
The Freeform app on iPhone, iPad and Mac | Image: Apple

This update introduces Freeform, an app that offers a great place to brainstorm and bring your ideas to life. This release also adds Apple Music Sing, Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, lock screen improvements and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone. Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.

Freeform

  • Freeform is a new app for working creatively with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone
  • A flexible canvas lets you add files, images, stickies and more
  • Drawing tools let you sketch anywhere on the canvas with your finger

Apple Music Sing

  • A new way to sing along with millions of your favorite songs in Apple Music
  • Fully adjustable vocals let you duet with the original artist, sing solo or mix it up
  • Newly enhanced beat-by-beat lyrics make it even easier to follow along with the music

Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

  • New option expands the total number of iCloud data categories protected using end-to-end encryption to 23—including iCloud Backup, Notes and Photos—protecting your information even in the case of a data breach in the cloud

Lock screen

  • New settings allow you to hide wallpaper or notifications when Always-On display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • Sleep widget lets you view your most recent sleep data
  • Medications widget lets you view reminders and quickly access your schedule

Game Center

  • SharePlay support in Game Center for multiplayer games so you can play with the people you are on a FaceTime call with
  • Activity widget allows you to see what your friends are playing and achieving in games right from your Home Screen

Apple TV

  • Live Activities for Apple TV app let you follow your favorite teams with live scores right on your Lock Screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

Home

  • Improved reliability and efficiency of communication between your smart home accessories and Apple devices

Bug fixes and security updates in iOS 16.2:

  • Improved search in Messages allows you to find photos based on their content, like a dog, car, person or text
  • Turn Off Hide IP Address setting enables iCloud Private Relay users to temporarily disable the service for a specific site in Safari
  • News articles in Weather display information relevant to the weather in that location
  • Participant Cursors in Notes allow you to see live indicators as others make updates in a shared note
  • AirDrop now automatically reverts to Contacts Only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests to receive content
  • Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
  • Fixes an issue that causes some notes not to sync with iCloud after updates are made

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For details, visit the iOS 16 Feature Availability webpage. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, visit support.apple.com/kb/HT201222.

Another worthwhile iOS update

As you can see for yourself, iOS 16.2 brings quite a few changes, improvements and new features to explore and play with. There are still some missing features in this release that will arrive in future updates. We’re certainly expecting at least two major updates—iOS 16.3 and iOS 16.4—to arrive in the first half of 2023 before Apple starts talking about iOS 17. Watch: The new features in iOS 16 Messages