New Live Activities feature in iOS 16 | Image: Apple
Apple has revealed the changes iOS 16 will make to notifications, its most significant update to the area since iOS 12 was released in 2018. That update allowed automatic grouping of app notifications, but now, with iOS 16, it’s getting even more organized.
There’s an update to the lock screen, completely customizable with widgets that look just like Apple Watch complications. Notifications in the Lock Screen now roll in from the bottom and can be hidden on the bottom of the Lock Screen.
Live Activities are a new feature that can pin notifications like live sports scores on the Lock Screen itself. Also, a new Now Playing widget on the bottom can remain persistent, out of the way on the bottom and can be expanded.
iPhone notifications have been, historically, a terribly managed system. With the new changes, Apple is finally catching up to Android in having a versatile way of managing notifications.
Developing… we’re adding more to this post, but you can follow along with our WWDC 2022 live blog to get the news even faster.