Apple Releases iOS 16.1 to the Public - Brings iCloud Shared Photo Library Support, Matter, More

Apple today released iOS 16.1 to the public. The operating system update brings a number of new features to the iPhone 8 and newer, including support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Live Activities for the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models. and more.

Also, Apple Fitness+ can now be used on the iPhone without an Apple Watch.

iOS 16.1 can be downloaded on compatible devices over the air by going to “Settings” -> “General” -> “Software Update.” You may want to wait a day or so to download the new update, as things could be slow, due to high demand.

Apple’s full release notes are below.

This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

iCloud Shared Photo Library
– Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people
– Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library
– Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together
– Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos
– Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth

Live Activities
– Live Activities from third party apps are available in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro models

Fitness+
– Apple Fitness+ is supported on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch

Wallet
– Key sharing enables you to securely share car, hotel room, and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp

Home
– Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

Clean Energy Charging
– New setting that can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available

Books
– Reader controls are automatically hidden as you start reading

This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
– Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages
– Dynamic Island content is not available when using Reachability
– CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app

iOS 16.1 Compatibility List

iOS 16.1 is compatible with the following iPhones:

iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)