In addition to finally supporting Face ID in landscape orientation on iPhones, Apple will now push standalone security improvements to iOS 16 devices between standard software updates.
This new update will allow Apple to patch known security flaws even faster, which would be critical for fixing bugs discovered shortly after an update exposes potential issues. In theory, this will allow for a security update to get pushed to iOS devices in between "point" updates, with less overhead for Apple's code base maintainers.
Additionally, Face ID will work in landscape on supported iPhone models in iOS 16. Currently, users need to hold the iPhone in portrait orientation to unlock their phone with Face ID.
AppleInsider reached out to Apple for specifics on what "supported models" means, but have as of yet not received a response. We have tested the feature with an iPhone 13 Pro with success.
Apple has announced other security updates, including Safety Check, a feature that allows victims to sever potentially dangerous ties with abusers. Users can remotely disable messaging on secondary devices, turn off location tracking, and more.
