12 iOS 16.4 features that are about to make your iPhone even better

The addition of 31 new emojis is one of iOS 16.4’s most notable features. Some of these include pink (finally!) and light blue hearts, new animals like a moose and a goose, peas in a pod, maracas, a “speak to the hand” motion, and a shaking face.

Unicode 15.0, which was released in September 2022, is responsible for the introduction of all of these new emoji.

Push notifications from websites with Safari

You can authorise websites to send you push notifications if there is a particular website you usually visit and you don’t want to miss anything, like Digital Trends.

This functionality will only function with websites that you’ve saved to the home screen from Safari because you obviously don’t want to receive a barrage of online push alerts.

Always-on display options for Focus modes

Apple’s brand-new always-on display is available to those who own the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max. iOS 16.4 introduces a new Focus mode filter for the always-on display settings if you use Focus modes. When Focus is on, you should be able to choose whether to keep the display on all the time.

New Apple Wallet widgets

Apple updated the Wallet app in iOS 16 with some new features that enable users track specific online orders through the Shopify app. As long as the website where you made the purchase supports Shopify, Apple has integrated new widgets that display your tracking information with iOS 16.4. For your convenience, the widgets are available in small, medium, and big sizes.

Mastodon link previews in Messages

Several individuals have migrated to Mastodon, the decentralised alternative to Elon Musk’s Twitter, while the latter continues to be destroyed. Mastodon may be complicated for some, but with the correct app and user interface, the network can compete with Twitter.

Mastodon links have been shared in Messages due to its recent exponential development, but you wouldn’t receive the attractive post preview that Twitter provides. Rich previews for Mastodon links have been added by Apple in iOS 16.4, allowing you to see a preview of the post before actually clicking on it.

Improved Home app with HomeKit

Originally included in iOS 16.2, a redesigned Home app architecture was subsequently removed due to bugs. However, iOS 16.4 will bring it back, so HomeKit users may anticipate that.

The new architecture was created to enhance communication between your Apple devices and any smart home accessories. For instance, if you use Philips Hue light bulbs, you should anticipate improved and more dependable connections with your iPhone when iOS 16.4 is installed.

Easier beta opt-in from the Settings app

Some folks can forget whether they’re signed up for Apple’s developer beta programmed or the public beta programmed. Apple has made it simpler to determine whether your current Apple ID is linked to the developer beta, public beta, or both with iOS 16.4.

Individuals who may have a separate Apple ID for beta testing, such as for business, can even switch to that account immediately on the device to access the most recent beta. It’s much simpler to handle your Apple IDs for beta testing, which is always a good thing.

See who (and what) is covered with AppleCare

It can be challenging to keep track of all the Apple devices for which you have AppleCare coverage. If you use Family Sharing and have other members in your Family group, this is even more true. In iOS 16.4, this is also simpler to control.

You may check who and what is now covered by AppleCare by going directly into Settings with the most recent iOS 16.4 version. All devices covered by AppleCare will have a symbol next to them for quick identification.

Voice isolation for phone calls

Voice isolation is a feature that has been available for video calls and other services, such as FaceTime. But iOS 16.4 is bringing voice isolation to cellular calls as well, which is a feature that has been missing for quite some time.

In fact, some people even just use FaceTime Audio when it’s an option just to make use of the voice isolation feature. But now that it’s coming to regular phone calls, you won’t need to do this workaround anymore.

Apple Music improvements

The Apple Music app has undergone some minor, but welcome, changes. First off, there is now a more obvious profile button at the top, making it simpler to access your profile. This makes accessing your profile settings simpler. Another change is that instead of taking up the full screen when you add a song to your queue, now only a little banner appears down the bottom.

A better Podcast app