The launch of iOS 16.4 is almost upon us and there are plenty of new iPhone features on the way.
Although this isn't a full-blown update, there are plenty of bells and whistles arriving with iOS 16.4 to keep iPhone fans happy until WWDC 2023 gives us our first look at iOS 17.
While we don't have a definite release date for iOS 16.4, Apple is targeting springtime, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says it should be within the next few weeks. This means we could see the iOS 16.4 release date anywhere from late March to early April.
Apple has focused on a few key improvements with iOS 16.4 that include web push notifications and, of course, a new roster of emojis. But those are just the topline additions; there's much more to dig into.
Here are all the new features you can expect to see on your iPhone with iOS 16.4.
New emojis
iOS 16.4 brings with it all the new emojis introduced with Unicode 15.0. These are the first new emoji characters in over a year and include 21 new symbols. That goes up to 31 if you count the skin tone variations.
They include a mixture of hearts, animals, foodstuffs and a few other graphics. Some of the highlights are the shaking face and the “talk to the hand” gesture.
Here’s the full list of new emojis:
- Shaking Smiley Face
- Angel Wings
- Donkey
- Hand Fan
- Moose
- Jellyfish
- Grey Heart
- Pink Heart
- Light Blue Heart
- Goose
- Hyacinth
- Pea Pod
- Ginger
- Flute
- Hair Pick
- Maracas
- Wi-Fi
- Khanda
- Pushing hand right (six skin tone variations)
- Pushing hand left (six skin tone variations)
Web push notifications
Once iOS 16.4 is active on your iPhone you’ll be able to take advantage of web-based notifications from Safari.
Just like with an app, users can opt in to receive notifications from the web browser. For example, you can receive notifications from a website, such as Tom's Guide, when a new article is published.
To avoid you getting bombarded with pings, only websites saved to the Home Screen will be given the authority to send push notifications.
Always-on display filter for Focus mode
The iPhone 14 lineup arrived with an always-on display feature that meant you never had to unlock your phone to check widgets and notifications.
With this update, iPhone 14 and 14 Pro users will be able to add a Focus mode filter to the always-on display. Switching the device to Focus mode should therefore become quicker and easier for times when you need to get your head down for a bit.
Podcast improvements
The divisive Apple Podcasts app has been given a bit of an update with iOS 16.4 and will now feature a section devoted to channels. This means a provider can have all their podcast offerings in one place. Listeners will be able to browse the channel and discover new shows on iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Up Next is also being given extra functionality. Episodes saved to your library will already be added to the queue, but you’ll be able to touch and hold a show’s artwork to remove it. Up Next (and Recently Played) will also be available to view when you’re using Podcasts with CarPlay.
What’s more, the episode dashboard has been made clearer. Listeners can see how many unplayed episodes are available for them at the top of each show page and from the Recently Updated section of Library. They can quickly understand how recently a new episode was published, and identify “early access” subscriber episodes that are made available to them as part of their subscription.
Apple books animation
Whether you prefer to read on-screen or have your favourite novel delivered by audiobook, the Apple Books app is your gateway to the literary world.
With iOS 16.4, Apple is reintroducing an Apple Books feature it initially killed off with the mainline iOS 16 release: the page turning animation.
Readers who were sad to see it go have the option to reactivate it in the Themes and Settings section of the Books app.
And, because Apple wants to spoil you, there are three possible page turn animations you can choose from: Curl, Slide and None.
Content preview for Mastodon in Messages
As Twitter continues to...ah..evolve, you may have noticed a few people migrating to rival service Mastodon. Until now, if someone sent you a link to a Mastodon post in Apple's Messages app, the detail conveyed was minimal.
With iOS 14.6, Apple is bringing integration with Mastodon up to parity with Twitter. So, if someone sends you a post, the app will display a rich preview including the post text, author name and attachments.
The new update will render the details inline in the conversation thread. So if you're thinking of getting in to Mastodon, this will come in handy as you start to share posts you've found with others.
New Home app architecture
With iOS 16.4 Apple is rolling out the revamped Home app architecture it originally launched with iOS 16.2. That version was scrubbed due to bugs but it makes a reappearance with this update.
The revamped architecture is meant to improve communication between any smart home accessories and Apple devices. So if, for example, you’re a fan of Philips Hue light bulbs you can expect a more reliable connection from your iPhone.
This bump in efficiency is something Apple has been working on since it announced iOS 16 at WWDC 2022 last year.
Simpler beta opt-in
With iOS 16.4, users will be able to enable beta updates in your Settings app rather than having to go through a browser to download the correct device profile first.
To find it, navigate to General > Software Update in the iPhone’s Settings app. It means that, if you’re a part of Apple’s Developer Program, you can streamline the process of trying test versions of apps. You will also be able to enable public betas of iOS itself from this new menu.
Apple Pay support for South Korea
Apple Pay is currently supported in various countries in the Asia Pacific region, including Japan, Malaysia and the Chinese mainland.
With iOS 16.4, Apple is bringing Apple Pay support to South Korea. We're not sure how Samsung will feel about that.
Rapid Security Response
Rapid Security Response is Apple's system for delivering time-sensitive security fixes through its own standalone updates. Until now, Apple's method for addressing security updates was through its larger software updates. With iOS 16.4, Apple's latest effort can be downloaded directly from the iPhone's Settings menu.
Go to Settings > General > Software update and you'll see iOS Security Response 16.4(b). It's not clear if this second Rapid Security Response push is dealing with a specific issue or is more testing on the part of Apple. Likely the latter and, once the company is happy with the system, it will push out to a full release.
5G Standalone
iOS 16.4 will also add support for the “5G Standalone” service with the goal of delivering faster speeds when out and about.
Currently, the feature is only offered by T-Mobile but, theoretically, the feature could enable speeds up to 3Gbps in certain areas.
Also, if you happen to be an iPhone owner and living in Turkey then good news as iOS 16.4 will bring 5G support to the country.
Car Key dropping support for NFC
Car Key on the iPhone (or Apple Watch) lets drivers open their car and even start the engine without reaching for their keys.
Since the feature was introduced in 2020, it has relied on NFC (near-field communication) and Apple's own UWB (Ultra Wideband) to bridge the connection with the vehicle.
However, code spotted in iOS 16.4 by 9to5Mac seems to suggest Apple could drop support for NFC in Car Key going forward.
That could pose a problem for those with motors that are NFC-only compatible. According to 9to5Mac, these drivers may lose access to the feature and instead be shown the error message: “car is not compatible with this iPhone/Apple Watch model.”
If Apple were to implement this change, the reasoning is pretty simple: UWB is a newer and more accurate technology than NFC. It can better gauge the distance between iPhone and car. And it's better from a security standpoint too.
The result of dropping NFC would mean only Apple devices with the U1 chip would be able to take advantage of the feature once iOS 16.4 is installed. That means no iPhone prior to the iPhone 11 series would work nor would any Apple Watch before the Apple Watch 6.
Bad luck if you're an iPhone SE or Apple Watch SE user as neither of these models boast the U1 chip. Of course, we'll need to wait and see for certain if this change does come to pass.
Apple Music app profile
Eagle-eyed Apple Music listeners will spot a handy change to the app in iOS 16.4.
A more prominent button for accessing your profile inside the app will appear atop the search bar. This should make it quicker and easier to get to your profile settings.
What's missing?
Not everything promised with iOS 16 has yet to appear. For example, on the financial side of things we haven't seen the high-yield savings account from Goldman Sachs make its way into Apple Pay yet.
Similarly, users still can't utilize Apple Pay Later within the Wallet app.
This could be because, according to reports, Apple's fintech team has had to deal with several departures in the last year. Partnerships and developments have also been thrown into uncertainty by macroeconomic factors Apple has no control over.
These may be addressed within iOS 16.4 or we may have to wait until WWDC 2023 to get a fuller update. Time will tell.
