Our iPads and iPhones have notifications that we are eligible for an upgrade to iOS 16 (currently 15.7.1). Has anyone here made the move and, if so, how has it been?

I installed iOS and iPadOS 16.0 in early July and I am currently on iOS and iPadOS 16.2 beta 3. I ran into a couple of minor glitches and a few new features that were not working, but all those were resolved long before the 16.1 beta that was released in early October. The .1 and .2 releases seem to be pretty routine “touch-ups”. There are some really cool new features in both, but many of those require hardware features found only in the latest iPhones and iPads. Among the new features that do not rerquire new hardware are enhancements to Focus feature including different screens and watch faces for each focus. IPadOS 16, continues to differentiate itself by adding real multi-tasking in Stage Manager and as promised the first of new “Industrial strength” applications in the form of the complete suite of Affinity’s graphics applications Designer 2, Photos 2, and Publisher 2 with all the functionality and power of their macOS siblings. My wife and daughter upgraded their devices to 16.0 with absolutely no drama and it went so smoothly they thought it was an upDATE not an upGRADE.

I haven't noticed any change for anything that I do on my iPad since installing 16. I don't do much on it though.

Okay. I'm assuming we'll be okay on the iPads as they are new (the second last version i.e. 9th generation) but I'm not sure about the iPhone SEs....about 3 years old. Anyway, sounds good. Thanks.

Age?...per joemike's advice about needing the latest hardware for some stuff. Anyway, we're like you....haven't been doing a lot that matters, although I will admit to an interest in the Apple pen functions.

Well, I couldn't tell you how old my iPad is. It's an 8th generation model. That's about all I know.

Sounds like the one I moved up from. I think that, when my old iPad was made, there were still wooden battleships.

I have found myself using my 11' iPad Pro III a lot more since I installed macOS 13 and iPadOS 16. Cross-platform capabilities such as the ability to use the macOS keyboard and trackpad to control the iPad and automatic sharing of internet connections make it attractive to use the iPad as an adjunct to my Mac. Add to that its utility as a stand-alone utility device with true multitasking and the availability of "industrial strength" applications and I more and more often find myself using my iPad in preference to my Mac. By-the-way, although I have not heard or read anything about it, it seems to me 'Scribble" is either noticeably improved in iPadOS 16 or my handwriting has dramatically improved.


Some features, like "Continuity Camera", satellite communication, and accident detection and notification require new hardware features on the iPhone and Apple Watch; those are pretty remarkable, but seldom used. The pen is IMHO essential, but for maximum effectiveness you also need a screensaver that offers some drag and a softer tip than the one that comes on the pencil. Fortunately, both are relatively cheap, but I went through several of each before I found a combination that has the right feel.