iOS 16.4 is here. The update for our iPhone comes loaded with new features and also accompanied by macOS 13.3, watchOS 9.4 and the rest of the systems. New emoji, improvements in the sound quality of calls, or a more capable duplicate photo detection are just some of the examples.
The so-called spring update is now available to install on all our devices. An update that, by the dates in which we are, has to be the last with great news before iOS 17 is presented at the WWDC 2023 next June.
Many new features, and on all systems
The list of new features, both on iPhone and iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and other devices, is quite long, so let’s start breaking down all the details. Let’s start with iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, according to Apple’s release notes, these are the new features:
- 21 new emojis, including animals, hand gestures and objects, are now available on the emoji keyboard.
- Notifications for web applications added to the home screen.
- Voice isolation for phone calls prioritizes your voice and blocks ambient noise around you.
- Duplicate album in Photos extends support for detecting duplicate photos and videos in a shared iCloud photo library.
- VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app.
- Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when light flares or strobe effects are detected.
- Fixes a bug where Request to Purchase requests from children could fail to appear on the parent’s device.
- Fixes bugs where Matter-compatible thermostats could stop responding when paired with the Home app.
- Crash detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.
On the Apple Watch, this update also brings some new features to note. The cycle tracking feature is extended to Ukraine and Moldova, while the AFib History, is extended to Colombia, Malaysia, Moldova, Thailand and Ukraine. In parallel, alarm clock alarms are now no longer silenced by a screen-covering gesture to avoid accidental cancellations while sleeping.
In the Mac the list of new features is also considerable. It includes the 21 new emoji that we have already commented, and in addition, according to the release notes of Apple, these changes:
- Remove background option in Freeform automatically isolates the subject of your image.
- Photo duplicate album extends support for detecting duplicate photos and videos in a shared iCloud photo library.
- Accessibility settings to automatically dim video when light flares or strobe effects are detected.
- VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app.
- Fixes a bug where trackpad gestures could occasionally become unresponsive.
- Fixes a bug where Request to Purchase requests from children could fail to appear on the parent’s device.
- Fixes a bug where VoiceOver could become unresponsive after using the Finder.
Finally, software updates, both automatic and manual, for Matter devices arrive on our Apple TV with tvOS 16.4.
While we celebrate that iOS 17 has changed strategy, and we prepare for the developers conference, the updates keep coming. iOS 16.4 and the rest of the systems bring a good amount of new features that we can already install on all our devices. Settings > General > Software Update and that’s it.
