Apple Rolls Out iOS 16.4 Update With New Emojis, Voice Isolation for Calls, More: Details

Apple has released iOS 16.4 for iPhone users, which incorporates a number of new features such as an extensive set of emojis, voice isolation for calls, website push notifications, and more. Alongside the iOS update, Apple has released the iPadOS 16.4 update for iPad. The company also released tvOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3. The stable version of iOS 16.4 is now rolling out for iPhone users across the globe.

Users can update their devices by going to the Settings app, selecting General, and then Software Update. If they don't see the update immediately, keep checking periodically as the updates should be available for everyone soon. When the installation process starts, the iPhone or iPad will download the update and then prompt the user to restart the device to complete the process. It is worth noting that the device will be inoperable while the update is being installed.

Those in Apple's developer programme can now enable the developer beta option instantly from the Software Update section by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and selecting the developer beta. Instead of having to install a profile from the Developer Center, this is a quick way to receive the stable developer beta version. However, because you will need to be signed in to an Apple ID linked to a developer account, public sharing of developer beta profiles will be discontinued.

The changelog for the iOS 16.4 update includes 21 new emojis including a shaking face, a pink heart that has been demanded for long, two pushing hands, a Wi-Fi symbol and others, including various animals and objects. These emojis were approved by the Unicode Consortium last year, and it was confirmed in February that they would be included in the latest iOS update. There are also grey and light blue hearts, a folding hand fan, ginger, a pea pod, jellyfish, a moose, a goose, a hair pick, maracas, a flute, and other emojis in the new batch.

Another feature added with this update is voice isolation for cellular calls, which prioritises users' voices while blocking out ambient sound. The feature was already usable for FaceTime as well as other VoIP apps, but not for cellular calls until now. To access this feature, open the Control Center while on the call, tap on Mic Mode, and then from the list available, select Voice Isolation.

Apple demonstrated a feature last year at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that permitted developers to send web-based push notifications to target consumers. With an update to macOS Ventura, the company previously added this feature to Safari 16.1. It now allows iOS developers to send a notification to users who have pinned a web application to their Home Screen after requesting permission.

This web application update could be directly applicable to some of Twitter's new rivals, such as Post and T2, who have not yet developed native iOS editions of their apps yet, but would like to notify the user of important discussions. This also allows Apple to mitigate assertions that its App Store serves as the sole way to connect with mobile consumers, which might aid in the company's fight against antitrust regulations and other litigation.

Apple's new iOS 16.4 update also fixes bugs regarding duplicated album in Photos and also brings support to detect duplicate photos or videos in an iCloud Shared Library. The Weather app now gets VoiceOver support for maps. Moreover, a new accessibility setting can automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are seen.

The iPhone keyboard now supports indigenous languages like Chickasaw and Choctaw and Apple has also added support for transliteration for Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu language keyboards.

Finally, the update also fixes an issue where previously Ask to Buy requests from children would often fail to appear on the parent's device. It addresses an issue where Matter-compatible thermostats may become unresponsive when connected to Apple Home devices. The iOS 16.4 update also comes with Crash Detection optimisations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.