iOS 16.4 Released For All: Everything New
Introduction
Apple released iOS 16.4 and officially announced all major new features and bug fixes brought to our iPhones with the new version of iOS. This iPhone software update brings improvements to audio calls with the new voice isolation implementation, new AppleCare coverage menu, Apple Music, Podcasts optimisations and many more. Together with iOS 16.4 Apple also released watchOS 9.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3 and tvOS 16.4
Apple iOS 16.4 - Release Notes
Apple, as expected, published all the release notes of iOS 16.4:
21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you
Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent's device
Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home
Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
Here’s our video about iOS 16.4
New Features
21 New Emojis
Apple is once again introducing a new set of emojis for iPhone and iPad users with the release of iOS 16.4 beta. These new Emojis (version 15.0) are based on the Unicode Standard version 15.0 released back in September 2022. Notable additions include the much-requested pink heart, a shaking face, and the wireless emoji, alongside several new animals and objects. This mean that once you update your device to iOS 16.4 you will be able to enjoy the latest fun emojis!
Voice Isolation For Cellular Calls
Apple is making a significant change with iOS 16.4. In fact this is probably the most useful feature for all of us, since we tend to make or receive a plethora of phone calls on a daily basis. This feature is no other than Voice Isolation. Perhaps, you are thinking that this is not a new feature. Well it actually is for cellular calls. Apple introduced voice isolation for FaceTime calls with iOS 15. At the same time an API was available for developers to add this feature to their own apps. However, adding voice isolation on regular calls was a far more challenging feature. It doesn’t really matter anymore since Voice Isolation is finally available for all with iOS 16.4.
Here’s how it works:
Emergency SOS via Satellite in More Countries
Emergency SOS via Satellite arrives in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal with iOS 16.4 All iPhone 14 users are now able to use this feature in case of an emergency when no cellular network coverage is available. We wish everyone to never be in a situation where this will be necessary but on the other hand it’s really useful for people under an emergency situation where cellular networks simply do not exist.
Check more information here.
New Coverage Menu
AppleCare Coverage details are now available directly in Settings for all your Apple devices. This new menu is available under Settings - About - Coverage and shows the list of devices with useful information such as warranty expiration date, repair parts availability, availability of support services and more for each of your device. Apple also added some small images of each device which is a small but nice addition. We love when Apple pays attention to such small details.
Books UI changes
Apple is finally bringing back the page-curl animation on Books in iOS 16.4. This animation was removed for unknown reason by Apple when iOS 16 was launched last fall. Hardcore Books users have been complaining about this change ever since. This animation is finally making a comeback in this beta version.
Podcasts
Apple keeps refining Podcasts on iOS and iPadOS including CarPlay. Podcasts app now includes a new Channels section in Library which provides easy access to your favourite creators. Through Channels You are able to easily check all followed or non followed shows from your favorite creators as well.
Apple also brings some Up next improvements. Up next queue now allows users to resume episodes also from shows that they do not necessarily follow.
These changes are also reflected in the CarPlay version of Podcasts which also make it easier for you to quickly pick up where you left or find new shows in Browse.
Music
Apple keeps polishing the Music application with new animations that appear when you add a track to a Playlist or when you tap a song to play next. Apple is also improving the interaction with your personal profile if this is enabled on your Apple Music.
Of course we also have the addition of Apple Music Classical which is now available as a separate category in Apple Music. Apple Music Classical is available for preorder on the App Store but it will be officially released on March 28. This isn’t an iOS 16.4 exclusive but it is something new so it worths to be mentioned.
New Order Tracking Widget in Wallet
With the introduction of iOS 16.4, Apple is rolling out a new Wallet Home Screen widget. If you've ever made a purchase using Apple Pay from a participating app or website on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can now easily track your order in Wallet on your iPhone with the new Order Tracking widget. This feature will make it more convenient to keep tabs on your purchases, so you can stay informed and up-to-date with your order status. Whether you're a frequent online shopper or just looking for a more efficient way to track your purchases, the new Order Tracking widget is definitely worth checking out.
Beta Profiles Enrolment
Apple is making a significant change to how iPhone owners can install developer and public betas to their device.
Up until iOS 16.3, users had to install a beta configuration profile in settings which would allow them to install the next beta through Software Update.
But with the new iOS 16.4 update, things have changed. Now, Apple will recognize if you are either a developer or enrolled in the public beta program, based on the Apple ID installed on your device without the need to download a configuration profile.
In fact on iOS 16.4 Beta 4 the already installed iOS 16 configuration profile is automatically uninstalled when updating to beta 4.
This means that users will be able to select if they want to install a developer or public beta version or update when the official public release becomes available.
And for developers who are enrolled as Apple developers by using a different Apple ID than the one used for their personal device, Apple gives the option to use a secondary Apple ID in the Software Update options of their device. This allows them to update their personal devices to a developer beta as well.
This change will exclude non-developers from testing upcoming iOS releases by downloading a developer configuration profile from a friend or other third-party online resource.
5G Standalone 5G for Google Fi users. 5G also in Turkey and Macau
Apple adds support for 5G standalone (or 5G SA). 5G SA is an implementation of 5G that solely uses a 5G core network, meaning it has no dependency on 4G LTE network control functions. This is expected to bring faster access speeds, higher data transfer rates and lower latency for supported carriers (approximately 16% of carriers globally have implemented or tested 5G SA).
iOS 16.4 seems to be enabling 5G SA for T-Mobile users in the US which according to T-Mobile provides download speeds of up to 3GBs. Apple is also bringing support for 5G SA to the customers of Japanese carrier Softbank and the Brazilian Carriers Vivo & TIM Brazil.
Apple is also bringing 5G support for Google Fi users as well as for certain carriers in Turkey and Macau.
Safari Push Notifications
Apple is bringing a new feature to iOS that lets you receive web push notifications directly in Safari, without needing to download an app. This means you can stay up-to-date with your favorite websites without the extra hassle of downloading an iOS application from the App Store.
To use this feature, you will simply add a shortcut to your Home Screen from your favorite website. The shortcut icon will show you how many new notifications you have, just like a regular iOS app. When you tap on the Home Screen shortcut, you'll be taken directly to the website to see your notifications.
Apple is also enabling Focus and Badge Support for Home Screen Web applications.
With this update, Apple will also allow 3rd party web browsers to use the “Add To Homescreen” feature which will allow you to create a Home Screen shortcut from a webpage that will open directly in an alternative browser such as Chrome or Edge.
Of course developers need to take advantage of these features and adjust their websites accordingly so that they can enable these features.
You can read our detailed article about the upcoming Safari changes.
Home App
Home application has also been updated to support a new architecture for easier and more reliable performance. The app asks from users to update to the new architecture when launching the app for the first time after updating to iOS 16.4 from an earlier version. This update was about to be delivered with iOS 16.2 but it was later pulled off by Apple due to several performance and connectivity issues.
The Home application now supports automatic software updates for Matter accessories. Developers need to take advantage of this option, but it's still significant that Apple provides this feature from iOS 16.4 onwards.
Always On Display Filter On Focus Modes
Apple now gives iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max owners the option to tie enabling or disabling the Always On Display of their device with any Focus mode. For example, users will be able to select disabling Always On display while in Sleep Mode, but keep it enabled while using another Focus mode.
Furthermore, Apple brings several new Shortcut options with iOS 16.4 including the option to enable or disable the Always On Display through Shortcut apps.
Apple is also allowing iOS 16.4 users to create a shortcut that will allow them to turn off or restart their device.
New Hover Actions on iPad Pro
On the iPad we have some enhanced functionality for the Apple Pencil on iPadOS 16.4. Apple Pencil hover now provides Tilt and Azimuth support. This feature is available on the latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M2 chip released in 2022.
Tips app User Guides
With iOS 16.4 tips app show you the user guides not only for your current device but also for your other linked Apple devices such as the Apple Watch, HomePod and AirPods.
