Should I Upgrade to iOS 16? Everything You Need to Know

Apple released the iOS 16 update at its WWDC event on June 6, 2022. The brand-new iOS 16 came with a lot of exciting updates, such as the popular New Lock Screen, Focus Filters, Edit and Unsend Messages, Family Sharing, Security Checks, and more.

There's a lot more to explore in iOS 16, but you’ll have to wait until the fall to try all this out. Or you can download the iOS 16 beta to experience it. You might be wondering, “How do I upgrade to iOS 16 beta? ”. Well, you'll need to download a configuration file from the Apple Beta Software Program on your iPhone, then download and install the full package of iOS 16 beta.

Well, should I upgrade to iOS 16? Next, this post will cover the pros and cons in iOS 16, you can make a decision accordingly.

Can my iPhone run iOS 16?

You must want to know which iPhones will support iOS 16? In fact, Apple confirmed that it will only work on iPhone 8 and newer, which means the following devices won't be able to upgrade to iOS 16: iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE (2016).

Reasons why you should update to iOS 16

One big reason you might want to update to iOS 16 is the iOS 16 new features. Here are some of the prominent new features in iOS 16, let's take a look at the major changes, and you'll know the answer to whether you should update to iOS 16 beta.

New Lock Screen

For most iPhone users, the standout feature is undoubtedly the new iOS 16 lock screen experience-arguably the biggest change in its history. The Lock Screen has been completely redesigned in iOS 16 and is highly customizable with multiple widgets, fonts, images, multi-layer effects and animated wallpaper options for a subtle depth effect.

You can also change the appearance of the date and time with new font styles and color choices, as well as widgets inspired by Apple Watch complications. Like wearables, your iPhone lock screen can now show upcoming calendar events, weather, battery level, alarms, time zone, activity ring progress, and more.

Focus

One of Apple's most popular products, the Focus is also getting an upgrade as part of iOS 16. The feature is now connected to the lock screen, allowing you to bind lock screen wallpapers and widgets to a specific Focus. Focus filters apply to apps like Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari, and only show content relevant to the user's focus, which Apple says keeps a clearer mind.

Messages

There's also an update to the Messages app in iOS 16, bringing a lot of requested features, including the ability to edit messages right after they've been sent. Recently sent messages have a new Undo Send option, perfect for last-minute changes.

And you also have the option to mark messages as unread if you want to reply later without forgetting. SharePlay is also integrated into the Messages app, allowing you to watch movies, listen to music, and more while chatting with friends via text.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

Another iOS 16 feature is iCloud Shared Photo Library, which allows users to share photos using a separate iCloud library, allowing up to six users to collaborate, contribute, and enjoy. Even better, you can choose to share an existing photo from your personal library, or share based on the start date or the people in the photo.

To make the sharing experience even easier, Apple has also introduced a new toggle in the Camera app that enables you to automatically send photos to the shared library. You'll receive smart suggestions for shared photos, including participants in the shared photo library, and each user can add, delete, edit, or favorite shared photos or videos.

Live Text & Visual Look Up

Live Text is now expanding to include video, meaning users can pause the video at any frame and interact with the text. It also adds quick currency conversion, translated text, and some more convenient extras.

For Visual Look Up, users can now tap and hold the subject of an image to lift it from the background and place it in apps like Messages. Better still, new-age technology has expanded to identify birds, insects, and statues.

Apple Pay Later

Apple Pay Later is a new feature of Apple Pay in iOS 16 that basically does what it says on the tin-allowing you to pay later for purchases made with Apple Pay.

What's more, Apple will offer the ability to share payments with no interest and no fees, although the six-week window is an interesting one given that most people get paid on a monthly basis.

Apple Pay will also partner with Tap to Pay in the US, allowing small merchants to make payments directly on the iPhone without any additional hardware.

Safety Check

One of the least-known upgrades to iOS 16, Security Checkup is a big boost for iPhone users. Designed for users whose personal safety is at risk from domestic or intimate partner violence, new privacy tools allow you to quickly remove the access they grant others. With an emergency reset, you can easily sign out of iCloud on all other devices, reset privacy permissions and limit messages to the device in your hands.

Some iOS 16 issues

As tempting as iOS 16's new features are, you'll likely have to pay dearly for them. Here are some common iOS 16 issues:

● Installation and download problems: Some users have noticed an error when installing iOS 16/iPadOS 16.
● iOS 16 Rapid Battery Drain: Battery drain has always been an issue on iOS due to inefficient battery usage and lack of app optimization. This problem is not small and can be a very big one for many users.
● iOS 16 app crash issue: Any new iOS version is designed to work best with the latest and updated apps, and iOS 16 is no exception. As a result, many users may experience app crashes, some of which crash on startup and others while in use.
● iOS 16 Wi-Fi not working: Wi-Fi issues are a common problem with almost every new iOS release. We may also see Wi-Fi connectivity issues on iOS 16. 
● iOS 16 touch screen not responding: An unresponsive touchscreen is by far the worst nightmare for any smartphone user. This issue may also occur on iOS 16.
● iOS 16 Bluetooth problems: Like Wi-Fi connectivity issues, Bluetooth connectivity issues are present in almost every iOS version. For iOS 16, this issue should come as no surprise. Your iPhone may refuse to connect to other devices via Bluetooth.

Recommendation: Make a backup before upgrading to iOS 16

Anyhow, iOS 16 is attractive to iPhone users. If you want to update your iPhone right away, even if you are having issues with the iOS 16 beta, backing up your iPhone data is very necessary to keep everything safe.

You can use AOMEI FoneBackup to back up vital files to your computer. With this tool, you can transfer photos, videos, music, contacts, and messages to computer or other storage devices. It allows you to selectively or fully back up important files.

It supports most iPhone models from iPhone 4 to the iPhone 13/12/11/iPhone SE 2022/2020 and is perfectly compatible with the latest iOS 16/15/14. Download it on your computer to back up your data.

Step 1. Open AOMEI FoneBackup, click Selective Backup on the home interface.

Step 2. Select the type of data to back up. You can click each icon to select items to back up and click OK to continue.

Step 3. Choose a storage path to save your data, tap Start Backup to make it. (You can even choose to back up iPhone to flash drive).

If you want to restore the backup, please go to the Backup Management > select the backup task > preview the backup file > tap Start Restore to proceed.

Conclusion

Should I upgrade to iOS 16? It is believed that you can make a choice. Actually, iOS 16 brings a lot of new features that are worth tying. But for regular users who know little or nothing about beta updates, it's not worth the risk. You can wait for the stable version of iOS 16 to be released with the iPhone 14 series in September 2022.

However, before updating to iOS 16, whether you update the beta version now or the stable version later, you'd better use AOMEI FoneBackup to back up your iPhone in case of data loss due to various unexpected issues. Methods in this post can also be applied to the newest iOS 17/18.