iOS 16 release: Apple makes new iPhone software update available to download

The iPhone update can be downloaded by heading to the Settings app

Apple has released iOS 16, the latest update for the iPhone.

The new operating system brings with it a range of changes, mostly focused on personalisation, from redesigned notifications to the ability to delete and edit messages.

Apple also released WatchOS 9, the new Apple Watch operating system, at the same time. That adds changes to the workout app so that it will show new information such as running power, as well as some of those same personalisation changes that come to the iPhone.

However, Apple did not release iPadOS 16, the operating system for its tablets. Every previous year, those new operating systems have arrived at the same time – but Apple announced in recent weeks that the tablet version was not yet ready, and it is expect to arrive this month.

The iPhone update can be downloaded by heading to the Settings app, choosing “General” and then clicking the software update button. iPhones should also download the update automatically, and will prompt users to install it.

The Watch update can be installed through the dedicated app on a paired iPhone.

Both updates could be slow in the hours after the release on Monday afternoon, as Apple’s servers are hit by millions of people attempting to download the new update. It may not show immediately to some users at all.

Apple revealed all of the updates at its Worldwide Developer Conference event in June. Since then, beta versions of the update have been available to developers and the public – but with the caveat that they could include bugs.