iOS 16.4 is now out. From new emojis to HomeKit upgrades, the latest software update for your iPhone has lots for us to unpack.
iOS 16.4 has some great additions to iOS 16 that make the best iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the rest of the iPhone lineup even better. Here’s everything you need to know about the next update for your iPhone, iOS 16.4.
New features in iOS 16.4
New emojis!
New emojis are always worth updating your iPhone for and iOS 16.4 is no different as it brings 31 new emoji options into the fold.
The new emoji characters being added include a "shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, fan, comb, flute, maracas, and a number of left and right facing hand options."
Safari Web Push Notifications
With iOS 16.4, web apps will now be able to send push notifications to your iPhone. This means that any website you add as a web app to your Home Screen will be able to send push notifications – Adding iMore to your Home Screen would mean you never miss an article again!
You can also manage the push notifications from web apps directly from within Settings. Apple is also adding support for adding websites from third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox to your Home Screen.
HomeKit architecture upgrade
iOS 16.4 also adds an upgrade to HomeKit’s architecture. This update was initially released back in December 2022 as part of iOS 16.2 although Apple revoked the upgrade after several bugs affected users who had upgraded their homes to the new architecture.
Better precision for Emergency SOS via satellite
With iOS 16.4 Emergency SOS via satellite will be more precise with the feature now able to tell you exactly when you’ll be in range to use the emergency feature.
- Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s) and [x]Minute(s)
- Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s)
- Next Satellite Available in [x]Minute(s)
- Next Satellite Available in Less Than 1 Minute
Cellular Voice Isolation
Currently available for VoIP calls in devices running iOS 15 and macOS Monterey or later, Apple is now bringing Voice Isolation to cellular calls.
On FaceTime, Voice Isolation can be enabled to help improve microphone quality by removing background noise.
Everything Else
- Podcast Channels are now available in the Library section of the Podcast app
- Up Next on the Podcast app now lets you resume episodes, start saved episodes, and remove episodes
- Podcast app in CarPlay adds Up Next and Browse sections
- The return of the “curl” animation to Apple Books after Apple removed the animation with the launch of iOS 16
- Apple Music profile icon now available across tabs in the app
- New Coverage section of the Settings app on iPhone to display AppleCare coverage
- New options in Shortcuts app to lock screen and control Always-on Display for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro
- Previews for Mastodon links in the Messages app
- 5G support is coming to Turkey
- Always-On Display control is being added to Focus modes
- 5G Standalone support for T-Mobile customers, enabling download speeds up to 3Gbps
- Users can opt-in to beta releases right from the Software Update screen in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4
- Icon addition for devices in the "Coverage" section of the Settings app
- Splash screen to explain changes in the Podcasts app
- Changes to the order of Always-On Display settings
- 5G Standalone support is coming to Brazilian carriers Vivo and TIM Brazil as well as Japanese carrier Softbank
- Duplicate Image Detection for iCloud Shared Photo Library
How to install iOS 16.4
- Make a backup of your iPhone
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Software Update
- Tap Download and Install on the iOS 16.4 update
