Even though iOS 16 is still a few months away, that hasn’t stopped people from exploring some of its new features, like no texting and a customizable lock screen, especially since Apple recently released the first iOS 16. After a public beta, you can download and install it right away.
While the biggest and most popular features often provide instant gratification, it’s the smaller changes that go unnoticed that can completely change the way you use your iPhone. We’ll take a deep dive into some of the lesser-known features and settings of iOS 16, like password-protected photo albums and easy-to-access Wi-Fi passwords. Let’s take a closer look below!
Hidden and recently deleted albums are now password protected
The hidden album in the Photos app is apparently not hidden and you can easily find it, making it impractical to fully hide private photos and videos. While Apple does have the option to make the Hidden album “invisible,” anyone with access to your phone can make it visible again and see everything inside.
Thanks to iOS 16, you can now lock hidden albums. You don’t actually need to do anything to turn this feature on. If you want to see it, launch the Photos app and go to the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen. If you scroll down, you’ll see a small lock next to the “hidden” and “recently deleted” albums. To see what’s inside, use Face ID or your passcode.
View and share saved Wi-Fi passwords
Apple has allowed iOS users to share Wi-Fi passwords for some time, but only with two Apple devices together. If the feature doesn’t work automatically, you won’t be able to figure out the password from your settings. Also, if you want to share your saved Wi-Fi password with others, you must know the password.
In Settings, go to Wi-Fi and tap the little information icon to the right of the network you want to enter the password for. To view network passwords, click the Passwords section and use Face ID or enter your password to view. You can then click Copy to copy the password to the clipboard and share it.
Find and delete any duplicate photos and videos
Maybe you’ve saved the same photo multiple times or downloaded a video multiple times, so your albums are full of duplicates. This may not be a problem if you have extra storage, but if not, it’s best to go back and delete each copy – which is now easy to do on iOS 16.
In Photos > Albums, you should now see a new Duplicates album under Utilities where Apple will scan all your photos and show you any photos or videos you’ve saved multiple times. From there, you can delete any duplicates, or just press Merge, which will keep the photo at its highest quality, and move the rest to the trash.
Although you may want to check each set of duplicates to make sure they are actually identical copies and not similar photos, you can also click Select > Select All > Merge to remove every photo and video that Apple considers to be duplicates, once .
Pin your favorite tabs in Safari
Safari limits you to 500 open tabs, and if you get close to that limit, it might be hard to find the exact tab you’re looking for. But now there’s an easier way to find the exact label you’re looking for.
In Safari, if you press an open tab, you now have the option to tap Pin Tab. This will move the tab to the top of Safari, where it will exist as a small tab preview, permanently pinned there, which you can then click to view. If you press and unpin a tab, it will move to the first in the grid of tabs you have open.
Pairing Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons with iPhone
Apple has long allowed you to pair third-party controllers with your iPhone and iPad to play mobile video games like the Apple Arcade library, Minecraft, and Call of Duty more comfortably. You can add another console controller to this list.
If you own a Nintendo Switch, you can now pair your Joy-Con controller with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16. First, press and hold the little black pairing button on the Joy-Con until the green light starts going back and forth. This means the device is in pairing mode. Next, turn on your iPhone and go to Settings > Bluetooth, then select the Joy-Con from the list. Repeat this step for the other Joy-Con.
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