After a few weeks of testing, iOS 16.4 is now available to all iPhone users. After a mild iOS 16.3 release at the beginning of the year, this update brings a handful of new features, including 30+ emojis. This is the first time Apple has brought new emojis to users in more than a year.
Here’s all you need to know about this update and why you should install it.
20+ new emojis: There are 21 new figures available. And, for the first time, no people figures are being added. The highlights include a donkey, jellyfish, hair pick, high-five hands, and new heart colors.
Web push notifications: Home Screen web apps can finally send web push notifications, including badges. In addition, third-party browsers can show a user interface for users to add a website to their home screen.
5G Standalone: Another iOS 16.4 feature is the new 5G Standalone function. This will help your iPhone deliver faster speeds of up to 3GBps. T-Mobile, Brazilian carriers Vivo and Tim, and Japan’s Softbank are some companies supporting it.
Apple Music and Apple Podcasts tweaks: For the Music app, iOS 16.4 includes several tweaks. For example, adding a song to the queue no longer brings a full-screen pop-up. The playlists menu also shows the artwork cover in a smaller size. Apple Podcasts, for example, brings changes to the Library, improvements to Up Next, and CarPlay updates.
Apple Books: iOS 16.4 brings back the page-turning effect. The animation had been removed with the revamped Books app with iOS 16.
Battery consumption: iOS 16.4 also tells you how much the Always-On display consumes while using it. That said, iPhone 14 Pro users will have more control over this feature and whether they’ll leave it on or off.
Voice Isolation for calls: This important feature was available until the iPhone 12 and was removed by Apple when it launched the iPhone 13. Different from the Apple Books animation, this one wasn’t related to a software update but to the hardware itself. Now, the Cupertino firm is applying the same technology of FaceTime calls to let you isolate your voice on a cellular call so outside noise won’t disturb you.
Duplicate detection on iCloud Shared Photo Library: Released with iOS 16.1, iCloud Shared Photo Library lets you create a library with your family members for special moments, such as a trip, a lunch, or a celebration. Now, with iOS 16.4, this operating system will detect duplicate photos or videos and will ask if you want to keep both or delete the redundant image.
New Home Architecture: After pulling out the new Home architecture with iOS 16.2, Apple is reenabling it with the latest beta.
Focus Mode improvement: Certain Focus modes can automatically enable or disable the Always-On display with iOS 16.4.
