The wait is over. Apple has released iOS 16 to the public. You can download the latest version of the company's mobile operating system by opening the Settings app on your iPhone and tapping on "General," followed by "Software" and then "Update." The software is available on the iPhone 8 and later.
The theme of iOS 16 is personalization. Apple redesigned the iPhone's lock screen to give you more control over the interface. You can now tweak the typeface and accent color of the on-screen clock and date to more closely match your wallpaper. Additionally, you can add widgets to your home screen and change the information that's displayed toward the top of the screen. It's now also possible to create multiple lock screens and tie them to specific focus modes. Complementing those changes are redesigned notifications that support a feature called Live Activities that makes it easier to track things like scores and Uber rides.
Other notable new features include the ability to edit and unsend messages in iMessage. You can also mark texts as unread to remind you to read them later. On the iPhone XS and later, you can use the Photos app to copy an object from an image and paste it somewhere else without a background. Apple has also added support for passkeys to add an extra layer of security to your online credentials. Passkeys will work with non-Apple products and they're available through your iCloud Keychain.
One thing to note about today's update is that iPadOS 16 will arrive at a later date to give Apple more time to polish the software's Stage Manager feature.