Apple has released iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. The updates feature new emojis, push notifications support for web apps, voice isolation for cellular calls, and more.
iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 were previously released to the general public as minor updates with a bunch of bug fixes for iCloud and Siri, as well as security patches.
iOS 16.4
March 28 – Apple has released the final version for all users.
March 21 – Apple has rolled out the release candidates to developers for iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.
Here are the complete releases notes from Apple:
- 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
Beta 4
March 15 – Apple has released the fourth developer beta for iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.
Beta 3
March 7 – Apple has released third beta updates to developers.
Beta 2
February 28 – Apple has released the second beta updates to developers. Read more about the new features in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.
- iOS 16.4 beta 2 adds new 5G Standalone feature for compatible carriers
- Apple releases new Rapid Security Response updates for iOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3 beta testers
Beta 1
February 16 – At the time of writing, we are unclear as to what new iOS 16.4 features are included in this update. Apple has not updated the release notes on its developer website.
- Everything new in iOS 16.4 beta 1 – Safari web push, emojis, more
- iOS 16.4 beta adds 15 new emoji to iPhone: shaking face, goose, new heart colors and more
- New “ComputeModule” device discovered in iOS 16.4 code hypes M2 Mac Pro launch
- Apple cracks down on sharing developer beta profiles in iOS 16.4 beta 1
Update: Apple has shared the release notes. Here are the highlight features and changes:
- No more iOS beta configuration files in the future! Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings. This new option will be automatically enabled on devices already enrolled in the program that update to the latest beta release. Your iPhone or iPad must be signed in with the same Apple ID you used to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in order to see this option in Settings. In future iOS and iPadOS releases, this new setting will be the way to enable developer betas and configuration profiles will no longer grant access.
- In Home app, both manual and automatic Software Update support is now available for Matter Accessories.
- Keyboards updates:
- Support for new Unicode 15.0 Emoji.
- Autocorrect for the Korean keyboard is enabled by default for testing and feedback.
- Ukrainian keyboard now supports predictive text.
- Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu keyboards add support for transliteration layouts.
- New keyboard layouts are available for Choctaw and Chickasaw.
- Apple Pencil hover now provides Tilt and Azimuth support.
It is likely that Apple will use iOS 16.4 update for delayed features such as Game Center SharePlay support, Game Center contacts integration, updated architecture for HomeKit and Home app, Apple Pay Later, and more. We will update this post as we find and test out new features in this update.
iOS 16.4 download and installation process is quite straightforward. As long as you are a registered member of Apple Developer Center, you can download and install the profile on your iPhone or iPad to enroll it in the developer beta program. Once done, you should start receiving the beta updates simply by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Moving forward, after iOS 16.4, users will simply be able to switch a toggle in settings to start receiving beta updates, as long as they have a registered Apple Developer Center account, as Apple will stop issuing developer beta profiles.
