Apple is known to be already working on iOS 16.2, the next major iPhone service update. Now, beta 2 revealed a new mode for users, which turns the operation completely upside down, if desired and for special cases.
Even if an iPhone is already easy to use, in the future it will be even simpler. The colleagues from 9to5Mac have discovered the so-called “Custom Accessibility Mode” in the second preview version of iOS 16.2. This is a custom accessibility mode and is similar to the already known “guided access” on the iPhone.
Apple changes the operation: iPhone gets “senior mode”
Briefly paraphrased: The new mode basically replaces the so-called Springboard (the actual interface of iOS) with a slimmer and simpler interface. Once activated, even the interface of apps is extremely simplified with larger elements. Visible in the screen shots published by 9to5Mac. All this is not by chance reminiscent of typical senior phones, which have been geared towards impaired, often elderly, citizens for years.
These could then also reach for the iPhone in the future. Particularly useful in this context: Users can define which apps should be available on the home screen, which contacts are allowed at all, and which hardware keys can be used when the mode is activated. In addition, it is possible to set a password to prevent others from unceremoniously changing these settings again. Good to know: The user-defined input mode can be activated and deactivated very quickly with a triple click on the side button (or the home button, if available). However, an accidental activation can probably be ruled out this way.
Release time of the function not yet known
However, it is still not entirely clear whether the new function will actually come with iOS 16.2 or whether it will be introduced at a later point in time. The feature is not yet directly available for testing in the current beta. It is quite possible that Apple will need a bit more time. After all, iOS 16.2 will probably be released this year.
