The iOS 16 update – “the biggest update ever,” according to the announcement – arrived on Sept. 12, bringing many different customizations to the table. The new update allows users to fully customize their home and lock screen to the fullest potential, adding different time fonts, widgets, and many other customizable options. On top of the time, depending on one’s homescreen wallpaper, the subject mainly exposed in one’s photo will overlap the time for an aesthetic effect.

“Photo subjects are dynamically displayed in front of the time to make the subject of the photo pop,” according to Apple’s statement.

Alongside these styles, users are now able to add widgets to their lock screen such as the weather widget or the battery widget.

“[You can] choose to display a set of widgets as part of your Lock Screen to glance at information like the weather, time, date, battery levels, upcoming calendar events, alarms, time zones and Activity ring progress,” according to the statement.

The lock screen gallery allows users to customize multiple lock screens and either create a sequence or choose different lock screens depending on occasion or mood, or even just a quick change of digital scenery.

“Eventually I’ll put nice photos of myself doing nice things, but for now it’s just funny photos,” Senior Joseph Enck said.

“For inspiration on how to make the Lock Screen your own, browse a gallery of many options, each with a unique backdrop, stylized view of the date and time, and information you can see at a glance,” according to the announcement.

“The update has not changed how I use my phone at all, but I like how it allows more creativity when customizing,” Junior Matthew Dellatorre said.

Upon opening your phone, the notifications that were displayed under the time originally now roll up from the bottom of the screen, and if you have music playing, a new display is shown, enlarging the album cover and allowing easier timeline manipulation.

Besides the main focus of lock screen innovation, new additions to the iMessage application have been applied.

“You can edit a message for up to 15 minutes after sending it. Recipients will be able to see a record of edits made to the message,” Apple’s announcement stated.

In addition to editing messages, Apple announced users can also unsend messages for up to two minutes, which can help with any accidental text messages that weren’t meant for that person.

“Editing or deleting messages is a good feature because mistakes do happen and it’s necessary for awkward interactions,” Dellatorre said.

Another addition to the iMessage application is the new SharePlay implementation. While messaging each other in the app, one is able to share movies, games, and many more features outlined in the announcement.

“[You can] share synchronized activities like movies, music, workouts, games, and more with friends while chatting in Messages.”

This new implementation can bring conversations to the next level by allowing bonding through activities other than just typing out messages.

The new iOS update also created many more small additions to their software, while also fixing many existing bugs. While the update did not bring anything particularly revolutionary for the iPhone or any Apple products, it did help people realize the limits that could be pushed with custom interfaces, and that they can make their phone fit their personality or work ethic.

“[Apple] did not give users much creativity when it comes to their phone, so this is a step in a good direction,” Dellatorre said.