After over a month of beta testing, Apple has released iOS 16.4 to the public for all compatible iPhones. Check out all the new features iOS 16.4 brings to your iPhone.
1. New Emojis
Every iOS update packs in a set of new emojis. iOS 16.4 update brings in 21 new emojis introduced with Unicode 15.0. Also, these emojis will be available on iPadOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3.
Here’s a list of all the new emojis coming with iOS 16.4.
- Shaking Face
- Blue heart
- Grey heart
- Pink heart
- Rightwards pushing hand
- Leftwards pushing hand
- Wireless (Wi-Fi)
- Moose
- Donkey
- Angel Wings
- Black Bird
- Goose
- Jellyfish
- Khanda
- Hyacinth
- Ginger
- Peapod
- Folding hand fan
- Hair pick
- Maracas
- Flute
Apple is also adding a couple of new keyboard layouts viz. Choctaw and Chickasaw. Additionally, the Korean keyboard will have the autocorrect feature enabled by default and the Ukrainian keyboard will finally support predictive text. Lastly, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Urdu keyboards will support translation.
2. Improvements to the Podcast App
With iOS 16.4, a new Channels section is added to the Library menu within the Apple Podcast app. This section lists all the Channels whose podcasts you listen to. Tapping on an individual channel will also reveal various podcasts under the brand.
Apart from this, the Up Next feature will automatically queue new episodes from the podcasts you follow. And, it is finally available on Apple CarPlay. The episode dashboard is
3. New Focus Filter for AOD
The iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max have the exclusive Always On Display feature. It allows you to check widgets or notifications without unlocking your device. And, it is a little distracting. To fix this, iOS 16.4 adds a Focus Filter for Always On Display. It allows you to enable or disable AOD when you turn on a particular Focus.
4. Better 5G Connectivity
If your cellular carrier is T-Mobile, you’ll see a new 5G Standalone toggle in Cellular Settings in iOS 16.4. And if you use a device from the iPhone 14 series and your cellular carrier is AT&T, you can access the 3.4 GHz spectrum for higher speeds. Also, the update enables 5G for iOS users in Turkey.
5. Improvements to Apple Music
There are some changes to the Apple Music app’s user interface. The Profile tab is now fixed to the top right corner and is visible in every tab. Also, when you add a song to the queue, a small banner pops up at the bottom instead of the full-screen banner.
6. Voice Isolation for Cellular Calls
The Voice Isolation feature is available for FaceTime calls and video calls placed through other VoIP services. It isolates your voice from the surrounding sounds so that the person on the other end of the call can hear your voice clearly. With iOS 16.4, you will be able to use this feature for normal cellular calls.
The toggle to enable voice isolation for cellular calls is located in the Control Center. Whenever on a normal call, just open the Control Center, tap the Mic Mode option, and select Voice Isolation.
7. Automatically Remove Duplicate Images From iCloud Shared Photo Library
Apple added a Duplicates album with iOS 16 that allows users to merge or delete duplicate images. With iOS 16.4, this feature is also made available for images in the iCloud Shared Photo Library. If you are part of an iCloud Shared Photo Library and it has duplicate images, just head to the Utilities album and select the Duplicates option to merge or delete these files.
Other Updates
- HomeKit architecture update: iOS 16.2 introduced changes to the Home app but it was pulled back due to software bugs. With iOS 16.4, the HomeKit architecture is finally receiving the update, and Home app users will see a “Home Upgrade Available” option within the app.
- Easier to opt-in for Beta Update: Apple is getting rid of developer profiles for installing iOS beta updates. If you’re part of Apple’s Developer Program, you can opt-in for beta updates directly from Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates.
- Web apps push notifications: Web apps or websites added to your iPhone’s Home Screen can send push notifications in iOS 16.4. Also, you can now add web apps to the Home Screen through third-party browsers.
- New animations for Apple Books: With iOS 16.4, the Curl animation makes its way back to the Apple Books app. There are a total of three animations: Slide (default), Curl, and None.
- Preview Mastodon Links: All Mastodon links shared through the Messages app will display previews with iOS 16.4.
- Dedicated AppleCare section: A new section named Coverage is present in the Settings app that displays all the Apple devices linked to your Apple ID and if they have an active AppleCare or AppleCare+ subscription.
- New Shortcut Actions: iOS 16.4 also adds a handful of new actions to the Shortcut app. Lock Screen, Enable/Disable VPN, Set Stage Manager and Set True Tone are a few examples of the new Actions.
Get the Most Out of iOS 16.4
Apple has released most of the features it promised with iOS 16. However, there are a few pending updates to Apple Pay that we hope to be released in the upcoming updates.
Alongside iOS 16.4, Apple also released iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 to the public.
