Gerry Palmers Tech 06.22.2022 23:Jun PM EDT

iOS 16’s Report Junk Feature Will Soon Cover SMS Messages

Soon, not only will iOS users be able to report junk iMessages to Apple, but also junk SMS messages as well to both Apple and the user's carrier.

Using this "Report Junk" feature on iOS 16, users who flag SMS messages as junk will be sending the number and content of the text to both Apple and their phone or device's carrier. Reporting unwanted texts to a phone carrier normally needs users to forward the entire unwanted message to a four-digit number, which they need to look up.. As such, having this reporing feature part of iOS 16 saves them the time and effort to do so. However, doing so doesn't block the number, users will still need to do this manually.

This was announced during the unveiling of iOS 16 beta 2 for developers on Wednesday. Apple said it will introduce the expanded "Report Junk" feature to certain carriers but did not identify them.

New Feature Comes Amid Surge in Spam Texts, Scam Messages

This comes amidst a massive surge in suspicious texts that offer free gift cards or delivery alerts for items you didn't order. Spam and scam SMS messages are also on the rise, partly due to data breaches from phishing attacks and software scammers use to send such messages in bulk. About 12 billion spam texts were sent in the month of May in the US, according to an estimate from spam blocking app RoboKiller as quoted by Engadget.

Can't wait to have this tool on your iPhones? Don't worry. Apple said it expects the consumer release of iOS 16 to happen in the fall.

Other new features on iOS 16 include a customizable lock screen with live widgets, a refreshed notification system, new Messages tweaks and much more.

Other New iOS 16 Features

The most remarkable feature for most iPhone users will definitely be the new lock screen experience - seen as the the biggest change in its history, offering new layouts, colours schemes and quick-glance information that feels inspired by the Apple Watch.

iOS 16 will delve a lot on customization. Not only will users be able to adjust the layout of the lock screen, using different fonts and color options available for the time and date, but users can also add fun effects with a swipe. These effects are auto-generated depending on the selected wallpaper to keep things on-theme and well-organized, though they are editable, if necessary.

Users can likewise embed widgets within the new lock screen, positioning the background and widgets around as needed. That's ideal for getting at-a-glance info like the weather, your current fitness levels and upcoming calendar events - just like the Apple Watch.

here's also a subtle depth effect when using Portrait images taken on your iPhone, with the clock appearing in front (or behind) the subject of the shot.

Choosing a wallpaper is also easy. Apple is offering a new wallpaper gallery with millions of combinations, together with a Photo Shuffle mode that will shuffle between images in your library throughout the day. New interactive wallpapers are also available, such as like a live weather wallpaper, with fluid animations available too.

The best thing about this is that users can have as many wallpapers as you like, with specific lock screens for specific Focuses. In fact, users can swipe between them to automatically enable the corresponding focus mode without navigating to the home screen.