Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Mobile
  4. News

iOS 16.2 is here, adding Apple Music Sing (plus a lot more) to your iPhone

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

Apple has just released iOS 16.2 for iPhones, as well as watchOS 9.2 for compatible Apple Watch devices. iOS 16.2 has been in the beta testing stages for a few months, and it is now finally available for everyone. This is a relatively big point update, bringing with it several new features.

In iOS 16.2, we have the newly announced Advanced Data Protection. With Advanced Data Protection, end-to-end encryption has been expanded to many more iCloud data categories. This includes Messages backups, photos, notes, reminders, voice memos, and more points of data. Advanced Data Protection is currently only limited to those who are in the U.S., with a worldwide rollout starting in early 2023.

The newly introduced FreeForm app that allows collaborating users to access a digital whiteboard of sorts. The app is displayed across an iPhone, iPad, and Macbook.
Apple

We also have the new Freeform app, which is available on iPad and Mac in addition to the iPhone. This is Apple’s collaboration app that provides an infinite canvas where you can type or write notes, add sticky notes, shapes, photos and video, links, PDFs, and more. Though we imagine Freeform works best on the iPad because of Apple Pencil support, you can still use it on an iPhone with a capacitive stylus.

Recommended Videos

Though we enjoy the way Apple implemented the always-on display (AOD) with the iPhone 14 Pro, not everyone was a fan. Thankfully, in iOS 16.2, Apple has provided more options for the AOD by letting us choose whether we want to show the wallpaper and notifications when the iPhone 14 Pro is idle. This is more akin to how Android devices handle an AOD, where the screen is a solid black, and the information on the screen is very minimal.

Apple Music Sing with lyrics on an iPhone.
Apple

Apple Music Sing is also making its debut in iOS 16.2. This is a karaoke-like feature that lives on the lyrics screen in Apple Music, and it lets you sing along to your favorite songs from the catalog of tens of millions of tracks. With Apple Music Sing, you can reduce the volume of a song’s vocals and then take over as the singer. Apple Music Sing only works with devices that have an A13 or newer chip, so that means iPhone 11 and later, certain iPads, and the most recent Apple TV 4K.

Other small features that are in iOS 16.2 include two new lock screen widgets for sleep and medications, Live Activities for sports scores from the Apple TV app, new AirDrop settings, new Home app architecture, improved search in Messages, and more.

New Apple Watch goodies, too

Apple also released watchOS 9.2, which includes Automatic Track Detection and Race Route. What Automatic Track Detection means is that using Apple Maps data and GPS, the Apple Watch can detect when you arrive on a standard 400m outdoor track. Then, when you start an Outdoor Run workout, users are automatically prompted to select their lane from one of the thousands of tracks in the U.S.

Race Route will let users race against their own previous performances done through Outdoor Run workouts. Similar routes are grouped together after at least two runs, and users can choose to race against their last or best performance on those select routes.

Both iOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.2 are available to download now via an over-the-air update or through your computer.

Christine Romero-Chan
Christine Romero-Chan
Former Staff Writer, Mobile
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…
Topics
Stop fighting with your roomie over outlets and get one of these multi-port chargers before you head back to school
One plug, zero drama, all your devices charged by morning.
Satechi ChargeView

Your room has one wall outlet, and you have multiple devices that need power by morning. Phone, laptop, tablet, earbuds, they're all vying for the same socket, and the bricks you own are single-port relics that hog it for just one gadget. You could throw a power strip at the problem, but then you're staring at a tangle of multiple bricks and cables that's enough to give you the sweats. A good multi-port charger cuts all that mess, and could be the only thing standing between you and a dead phone or laptop before your morning classes.

Back-to-school season is a smart time to buy one. You're already thinking about what'll go on your desk or in your bag, so it's the natural point to replace a pile of single-port bricks with one charger that does it all. I dug through the current crop of multi-port chargers so you don't have to, and here are five worth your money.

Read more
Back-to-school phone shopping on a tight budget? Here’s the one phone I’d recommend without hesitation
The budget phone market got messy this year, but one phone still makes sense.
Galaxy A17 in all colors on gradient background

Somewhere between the last day of school and the first day back, your phone conked out. Perhaps the screen shattered after a particularly nasty fall, or its battery regularly gives up by noon, or apps take so long to launch that by the time they do, you've forgotten why you opened them in the first place. You don't think it'll last another school year, but between all the school supplies and everything else, a budget phone is all your wallet can handle right now.

Fortunately for you, cheap phones have come a long way, offering better screens, bigger batteries, and more capable cameras than devices launched just a couple of years ago. Since you're already prepping to head back to school, this is as good a time as any to lay your old phone to rest and lock in an upgrade. But unfortunately, the timing isn't great for the smartphone industry in general, and that has had a real impact on entry-level phones.

Read more
5 mid-range phones I’d recommend you spend your Back-to-School budget on
From the Pixel 10a to the Moto G Power 2026, these five phones prove you don't need flagship money for a great back-to-school upgrade.
Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

Does your phone have a cracked screen? A battery that barely makes it past 3 PM? Or a camera that captures a blurry mess instead of great memories? You know it's high time for a new one, and right now, while you're shopping for the new school year, is probably the best time to make the switch.

The best part is that you don't need to spend flagship money to get a phone that'll last you the next few years. Mid-range phones have gotten seriously good of late, closing the gap with flagships where it matters the most, be it battery life, performance, or camera quality. Whether you're upgrading your own phone or picking one out for your kid before classes start, here are the best mid-range phones worth your money this back-to-school season.

Read more