iOS 16.4 adds Voice Isolation to reduce background noise on your cellular phone calls

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It should be easier for both parties to hear each other.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro incoming call
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple is adding a new feature that will make it easier for people to hear each other when they're on cellular phone calls. The new Voice Isolation feature will arrive with iOS 16.4 and is currently available in the latest developer beta.

The feature will be available on all compatible devices ranging from the very best iPhone money can buy today to the iPhone 8. And no matter which device you're using you can expect improved audio separation when on a phone call.

If Voice Isolation sounds familiar, that's because Apple added it to iOS 15, but only for calls made via internet-based services like FaceTime and WhatsApp. Now, Voice Isolation is coming to old-fashioned cellular calls as well.

Sounds good!

Apple confirmed the addition in its iOS 16.4 Release Candidate release (RC) notes, MacRumors reports. It's said that Voice Isolation will block background noise in an attempt to make sure that voices can be clearly heard when on a call.

Making a call in a noisy area can make or break the conversation, but this new feature could change all of that. Voice Isolation is likely to be enabled via Control Center, with that being the mechanism currently used.

The iOS 16.4 update will bring with it bug fixes and improvements alongside a number of new emojis and support for push notifications for web apps. Those web apps must be added to the iPhone's Home screen in order to receive push notifications, and permission must be granted for them to work.

As for when iOS 16.4 will be released to the public, that isn't immediately clear. But Apple's recent RC release suggests that we might not have to wait too much longer before iOS 16.4 is rolled out to everyone.

Beyond iOS 16.4, attention will soon turn to iOS 17 which will likely be announced during the WWDC23 event that is expected to take place in June.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.