Apple Releases iOS 16.1 With Support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Matter, Live Activities and More

Apple today released iOS 16.1, the first major update to the iOS 16 operating system. iOS 16.1 comes more than a month after the launch of ‌iOS 16‌, which was released in September.

The ‌iOS 16‌ update Apple’s can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users due to high demand.

With this update, Apple is adding several features that did not make it into the launch version of ‌iOS 16‌. There is support for iCloud Shared Photo Library for managing a photo library with friends and family, plus it adds Live Activities to the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.

Apple Fitness+ can now be used on iPhone without an Apple Watch, and the update adds support for Matter, among other features. 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 addresses a long list of vulnerabilities, including a kernel issue that Apple says may have been actively exploited. More information is available in Apple’s security support document.

iOS 16.1 is accompanied by iPadOS 16.1, the first launch of the iPadOS 16 software. Apple delayed iPadOS 16.1 because it wanted to do additional work on Stage Manager, a new multitasking feature. More information on all of the features introduced with the ‌iOS 16‌ update can be found in our roundup.
Related Roundups: iOS 16, iPadOS 16Related Forum: iOS 16
This article, “Apple Releases iOS 16.1 With Support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Matter, Live Activities and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Related posts

Latest posts

Best MagSafe accessories for Android phones 2025

MagSafe may be a feature that's exclusive to select iPhones, but it's not outside your reach. Here's how you can

Alleged Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 test results claim next-gen phones will be stronger

Qualcomm's next Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC reportedly scored higher than the first in its early performance test.

Pixel Sense could be rebranded as ‘Magic Cue’ on the Pixel 10

Google's Pixel 10 might see a rebranded exclusive AI assistant known as "Magic Cue."

I used Redmagic’s 10S Pro for two weeks — this gaming phone has unbelievable battery life

Redmagic isn't making too many tweaks with the 10S Pro, but it combines a unique design with powerful internals and

Take a Break From WWDC 2025 With Apple’s Chill Coffee Shop Playlist

It is day four of WWDC 2025 week, and the dust is finally beginning to settle. Whether you are an

Apple Quietly Fixed Zero-Day Exploit Used in Paragon Spyware Attack

Apple today quietly updated the list of security fixes that were introduced in iOS 18.3.1, noting a previously undisclosed fix

Apple Plans to Release Delayed Siri Apple Intelligence Features in Spring 2026

Apple is aiming to debut its delayed personalized Siri features in the spring of 2026, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman

iPadOS 26 Gets New 3D Graphing Feature for Math Notes

Apple improved the Math Notes feature in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, allowing users to input equations to create graphs

AutoMix in iOS 26 Adds DJ-Like Song Transitions to Apple Music

Apple Music is one of the apps that got a noticeable Liquid Glass design overhaul in iOS 26, but Apple

iOS 26 Streamlines Apple Music Replay

iOS 26 improves the Apple Music Replay viewing experience.As spotted by Hidde Collee and others, Apple Music Replay is now