Apple today announced several new products, including Apple Watch Series 8, AirPods Pro 2, and the iPhone 14 lineup. However, the company has also made iOS 16 RC available to developers and beta users ahead of the official release next week. And while this release doesn’t have any major new features, it does come with some interesting changes.
Crash detection API
One of the new features in iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 is collision detection. It uses new accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to detect a potential car accident, so the device automatically calls emergency service.
As analyzed by 9to5Mac, iOS 16 RC includes a new collision detection API, so third-party apps can request access to the feature. Exactly how the API works isn’t clear at this point, but Apple might let developers integrate Crash Detection into their apps (which would be useful for remote diagnostics, for example).
Unsurprisingly, there will be a new privacy toggle in the iOS Settings app so users can choose which apps have access to crash detection data.
New settings for AirPods Pro 2
The second-generation AirPods Pro feature new touch controls on the earbud stem, so users can not only tap to play or pause, but also swipe up or down to adjust volume. iOS 16 RC has a new accessibility setting that allows AirPods Pro 2 owners to change the wait time between swipes to prevent unintended volume adjustments.
Apple has also added new video guides to the system to help users disable Find My on an individual AirPod or the new AirPods Pro charging case as an anti-harassment measure.
Disable always-on display
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature an always-on display, which works quite similar to the same technology currently available on the Apple Watch. However, users wishing to save battery power can turn off always-on display by going to iPhone settings.
Boot chime for iPhone 14 Pro
Another new feature in the iPhone 14 Pro models is a startup chime. Specifically, users will have the ability to make the iPhone play a sound whenever the device is turned on or off as part of the accessibility features of iOS.
Since the boot sound is played during the boot process, the chime is part of the new A16 chip’s bootrom – which is probably why this option isn’t available for other iPhone models.
You can listen to the new sound below:
Find my animation for Dynamic Island
The iPhone 14 Pro has a new dynamic island that not only replaces the notch, but brings a new concept of interactivity in this area. Among notifications and media controls, Dynamic Island also offers a cool animation to show Find My app interactions.
Availability of iOS 16
According to Apple, iOS 16 will be officially released for iPhone users on Monday, September 12. As for iPadOS 16, Apple had already confirmed that the update would be released separately at a later date.
Spotted any other changes in today’s release of iOS 16 RC? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @9to5Mac.
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