Chance Miller
Apple is currently beta testing iOS 16.4, and it includes a number of new
features and changes for iPhone users. Head below as we recap all of those
new features, and speculate on when iOS 16.4 will be released to everyone.
What's new in iOS 16.4?
New emoji
One of the most popular new features in iOS 16.4 is the addition of new
emoji. These new emoji are part of the Unicode Standard for Emoji Update
15.0, which was announced in July 2022.
Among the new emoji, there are icons for a shaking face, a goose, a
hyacinth, and a plain pink heart.
These new emoji are also included in the latest betas of macOS 13.3, watchOS
9.4, and iPadOS 16.4. It's important to note that users running older
versions of these operating systems won't be able to see the new emoji, even
if someone who has already updated sends them.
Changes to the beta testing process itself
Apple is cracking down on sharing iOS beta profiles. In the past, anyone
could download the latest iOS betas by installing the beta "profile" on
their device. In particular, this meant people could install the developer
beta version of iOS even without a developer account.
In iOS 16.4, however, the beta enrollment process will be tied to a
developer's Apple ID and accessed directly in the Settings app:
block quote
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.
block quote end
Faster 5G and expansion to more countries
iOS 16.4 also enables 5G Standalone for T-Mobile users in the United States.
Notably, 5G SA can deliver wildly fast speeds, up to 3Gbps, and it looks
like iPhone could be the next device to take advantage of the tech. 5G SA is
also supported by Brazilian carriers Vivo and TIM Brazil, as well as
Japanese carrier Softbank.
Additionally, 5G itself has expanded to iPhone users in Macau, Azerbaijan,
and Turkey. iOS 16.4 also expands 5G connectivity to support Google Fi for
the first time.
New Safari and third-party browser features
As detailed on the WebKit blog, iOS 16.4 gives Home Screen web apps access
to push notifications via the HTML5 standard Web Push API, including badges,
for the first time. Access to the Apple Push Notification service was
previously only available to App Store apps.
Additionally, third-party browsers are now able to show a user interface for
users to add a website to their home screen.
Apple Books animation returns
In iOS 16.4, the Apple Books app has regained its iconic page-turning
animation. This animation was removed when Apple redesigned the Books app
with the initial release of iOS 16.
Apple Podcasts changes
For Apple Podcasts, there are changes to the Library, improvements to Up
Next, and new CarPlay updates.
. Channels in Library : Easily access the channels you subscribe to and
browse channels from shows you follow.
. Up Next Enhancements : Resume episodes you began, start episodes you
saved, and remove any you want to skip.
. CarPlay Updates : Quickly pick up where you left off with Up Next and find
new shows in Browse.
. In the Music app, there are various interface tweaks and icon changes. For
instance, adding a song to your queue no longer causes a full-screen pop-up.
Instead, there's a much smaller notification at the bottom.
. The Always-On Display can now be tied to Focus modes.
. In Shortcuts, there's a new "Set Always-On Display" action, a new "Lock
Screen" action, and a new "Set VPN" action.
. iOS 16.4 includes a new screen in the Settings app where you can see all
of your AppleCare coverage for multiple devices like the iPhone, Apple
Watch, and AirPods.
. iOS 16.4 enables rich previews for Mastodon links in the Messages app.
. There's a new Home Screen widget for the Wallet app's integrated order
tracking feature.
. iOS 16.4 will allow users to track the impact of the Always-On Display on
battery life.
When will iOS 16.4 be released to everyone?
iOS 16.4 is currently on its third developer and public beta, and the fourth
beta could be released as soon as this week. With Apple now on a weekly
cycle for new betas, the most likely outcome is that iOS 16.4 is released to
the public sometime this month.
For comparison's sake, Apple released iOS 15.4 last year on March 14, after
four betas and a final Release Candidate. This year, the company is behind
schedule compared to that timeline, but again, a release in March still
makes sense.
Finally, Brazilian carrier Claro recently said that it has been working with
Apple to enable 5G Standalone for iPhone owners. More specifically, Claro
said that users will have access to this new technology "in March of this
year," with the release of iOS 16.4. While Apple's plans may change, the
statement pretty much confirms that iOS 16.4 will be released to the public
in the coming weeks.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Apple Music Classical is set to launch
on March 28.
While Apple Music Classical is not tied to a specific version of iOS, Apple
may want to time the launch of the new app with a new iOS release to help
drive attention.
9to5Mac.
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