Apple iOS 16.4: update, new features, release date

Q: How to download the iOS 16 update?

To update your Apple device to iOS 16, you must open the Settings app and select Software Update. Lire la suite

Q: When will iOS 16.5 arrive and what will its new features be?

Meanwhile, the release of iOS 16.5 is already in the works, with beta testing already available. Looking at 16.5 beta we can already announce some of some of the new features that the release is bringing: Lire la suite

In this article, we will look at the new features, a list of supported devices, and how to download the iOS 16.4 update. Here you will also hear about the iOS 16.5 release, and how to install its beta version.

When is the iOS 16.4 release date?

iOS 16.4 is already available to download. The latest version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 16.4, was released on March 28. Previous versions have already fixed some bugs. Is it worth making the switch? Here's everything you need to know about it.

What's new in the iOS 16.4 update?

With every iOS version comes new updates and features. Although iOS 16 has been on the market for quite some time, a new version is available on all its models, starting with the iPhone 8, to improve its performance. Here we explain the most important ones:

New Emoji characters: the 16.4 update includes 31 new emoji, including new animals (crow, goose, jellyfish, donkey...), maracas, a comb, new hand signals, a new smiley, new heart colors and more. These characters were all approved in September 2022 by the Unicode Consortium as part of Emoji 15.0.
Voice Isolation for cellular calls: when you make a cellular call, you can now turn on Voice Isolation to cut out background noise. This was previously only available for FaceTime and other VoIP services.
Safari web push notifications: Now, websites saved on the Home Screen on both iPad and iPhone can send push notifications, just like on the Mac. You can request to receive these notifications by using a "subscribe" button or similar. The notifications will appear just like ones from Apps, but the website will need to support the update so it may not work on all sites immediately. These can also be incorporated in Focus, so you can view them in your Daily Summaries.
Page turning animation returns: When iOS 16 was launched, it came without the page turning animation that had existed in the Apple Books app since the early days. Lots of folks missed it, so it has now been reintroduced as an option in 16.4. There are now three options for page turning: curl, slide, or none.
Upgrade to HomeKit architecture: Pulled from iOS 16.2 due to a wide range of bugs, the HomeKit architecture upgrade has been reintroduced in 16.4. This should improve the reliability and efficiency of communications between Apple devices and smart home accessories.
Podcast updates: the iOS 16.4 update contains numerous changes to Podcasts. Channel access is now available directly from the Library, Up Next allows you to resume episodes, start saved episodes, and remove ones you want to skip. If you use CarPlay, you'll notice that you can now pick up an episode where you left off or look for a new one in Browse.
Expansion to Emergency SOS via Satellite: This update now expands the SOS service on the iPhone 14 to Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
Track orders with Home Screen widget: this allows tracking for purchases made through Wallet

What's new in the iOS 16 update?

A more personalized Lock Screen

The new iOS 16 Lock Screen offers more personalization tools, such as a depth effect to the Lock Screen photo or a dynamic set of pictures that will shuffle throughout the day. Users can also customize the font and type style. Widgets like calendar events, battery levels, alarms, etc., are displayed differently in a more helpful way.

Focus update

With the new iOS 16 update, you can personalize your Focus modes. With Focus filters, you will only see the relevant content without getting distracted by something else.

Messages

To facilitate your iMessage interaction with friends and family, you can now undo, send, edit, and mark your messages as unread. Also, you can now share files via the Messages app.

Mail update

You can schedule email delivery, cancel a message delivery, receive reminders, etc. The search feature has also been improved, offering more accurate search results.

Visual Look Up and Live Text

From now on, you can tap and hold on to the subject of an image (people, animals, birds, statues, etc.) and lift it from the background to place it into Messages.

With the new update, your device can recognize text on the screen, and you can instantly copy, translate, or even convert currency.

Passkeys in Safari

Users can enjoy a more secure Safari browsing experience with the Passkeys feature. Also, you can share collections of websites and links with your group members.

New accessibility features

Door Detection, Apple Watch Mirroring, and Live Captions are added to the new update to facilitate the lives of people with low vision, physical disabilities, and hard of hearing.

Wallet: if you want, you can uninstall the Wallet app from your iPhone.
Screenshot UI: its interface has changed and now gives you more options to share them from other apps.
Compatibility with Passkeys: the password encryption protocol is now available, so you don't have to memorize them.
Shared photo library: now you can share your iCloud photo library with the rest of your family members or selected groups of friends.
Fitness+: you can use this service to track your physical activity from your iPhone without needing an Apple Watch.
Customize the home or lock screen: when you press and hold your finger on the screen, you will see different options to customize both the Lock screen and the Home screen. You can change the background image or add widgets to your liking.
Battery percentage: with the new update, all iPhone models that have it will be able to display the battery percentage in the icon at the top right.
Support for Live Activities: an API for developers to implement, allowing them to show events or activities of an app in real-time in a widget at the bottom of the lock screen.
Compatibility with Matter: this is the new smart home standard promoted by Google, Apple, and Amazon, which will be integrated into HomeKit.
Stage Manager: more windows can be added with a new button. There will be new shortcuts such as Globe + Date down to see all the windows of an app and other improvements.
Power grid analysis: this option analyzes the power grid to optimize the charging of your mobile and, for the moment, it is only available in the United States.

You can check the complete list of the iOS 16 updates on the official Apple website.

How to download the iOS 16 update?

To update your Apple device to iOS 16, you must open the Settings app and select Software Update.

For the latest update to download and work on your gadget, it's important to have a relatively new device that supports the latest versions of the OS. Here you can find a list of older devices on which the new versions of iOS do not work.

How to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS?

As usual, Apple will send its users a notification on their phones indicating the availability of the new iOS update. However, we recommend you first save a backup copy on iTunes or iCloud. (unnecessary action, at your discretion).

Using Over The Air (OTA) update

Once you get it, you can select the received notification that will take you to Settings. Select General and then Software update. Next, confirm the new update and wait for the system to download and install it automatically, restarting it with the latest operating system version.

Update from iTunes

The update to the new iOS 15 can also be done through iTunes. In this case, you will need to connect the device to your computer with the cable and wait for it to be recognized. Once this is done, go to Summary and Check for updates. Accept the available update and the device will restart and proceed with the automatic update.

When will iOS 16.5 arrive and what will its new features be?

Meanwhile, the release of iOS 16.5 is already in the works, with beta testing already available. Looking at 16.5 beta we can already announce some of some of the new features that the release is bringing:

Apple News Sports tab: When launching the Apple News app, users will see a new Sports tab at the bottom of the screen. It replaces the dedicated Search tab, which is now part of the Following tab. In iOS 16.4 and earlier, My Sports could be found below the For You section on the Today screen.
Siri screen recording: Users will be able to start and stop a screen recording by saying, "Hey Siri, start a screen recording" and "Hey Siri, Stop screen recording" Logically,

To install the iOS public beta on your device, you'll need your Apple ID and enrollment in the Apple Beta Program. Once you have registered, follow the following step-by-step instructions.

What was added in the previous major iOS update?

If you are only now updating your phone to a newer version of iOS, you may have missed the previous update and the added features.

Advanced data protection for iCloud: end-to-end encryption for the highest level of cloud data security. This includes Messages, iCloud Drive, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Voice Messages, Safari Bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, and Wallet Passes backups.
New ways of the Emergency SOS call: in this iOS, Call with Hold option was been replaced with Call with Hold and Release. This prevented accidental emergency calls. There is also a possibility to Call Quietly without any flashing or alarm.
Security keys: users could now use third-party security keys for their Apple IDs. Security keys add an extra layer of protection from scams and phishing.
The new Unity wallpaper celebrating Black History Month became available.
Support for the 2nd generation of HomePod: this iOS supports the new HomePod that was released in February.
Bug fixes: iOS 16.3 fixed several bugs, including a black screen when locking the phone, horizontal lines appearing when turning on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Siri issues for music requests and CarPlay, and ApplePencil recognition bugs in Freeform for iPad.