iOS 16.4 – BIG

With the release of iOS 15, Apple added mic modes to the iPhone that brought features like ‘Wide Spectrum,’ ‘Voice Isolation,’ and ‘Standard’ to calls. However, the modes were limited to calls on FaceTime.

With iOS 16.4, Apple is expanding the feature to work with regular cellular calls, essentially improving the quality of calls on the iPhone.

Voice Isolation mic mode gets rid of all the ambient background noise around you and prioritizes your voice only, allowing the person on the other side of the call to hear you clearly. It’s worth noting that the Wide Spectrum mic mode is currently unavailable for cellular calls, but when it does roll out, instead of isolating your voice and removing all the background sound, your mic will capture, intensify, and transmit all the noise around you during a cellular call. The Standard mic mode, as the name suggests, reverts your mic to the regular mode.

To be able to use the feature with your iPhone, you need to be running iOS 16.4. Once updated, simply hop on a cellular call and pull up the Control Center by swiping down on your phone.

On the top right, you’ll see a ‘Mic Mode’ option, which will be on Standard mode by default. Tap on it and you’ll see the Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes. Tap on either of the modes depending on your need.

Besides the new mic modes, iOS 16.4 also bring expanded support for detecting duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library, notifications for Web Apps, new emojis, VoiceOver support for Maps in the Weather app, and more.

Apple’s latest iOS 16.4 developer beta is out now, and it brings new emojis, web app notifications and keyboard updates for some languages to the iPhone.

Read on for a brief overview of what’s new features are coming to the iPhone with the OS and how you can start using iOS 16.4 starting today.

New emojis

iOS 16.4 developer beta brings several new emojis to the mix from the new Unicode 15 emoji characters. In total, there are 21 new emojis added, including shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, grey heart, leftwards pushing hand, rightwards pushing hand, moose, donkey, wing, black bird, goose, jellyfish, hyacinth, ginger root, pea pod, folding hand fan, hair pick, maracas, flute, khanda and wireless.

Keyboard updates

International language keyboards are getting a significant update with iOS 16.4. Apple is enabling autocorrect for Korean keyboards by default with the update for testing and feedback, alongside enabling predictive text for Ukrainian keyboards. Further, some South Asian languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, and Gujarati, are gaining transliteration layouts in the new beta.

The developer beta also adds new keyboard layouts for Choctaw and Chickasaw.

Safari web push notifications

Any websites that are added to your Home Screen as a web app can now send you web push notifications on your iPhone running iOS 16.4.

Apple first announced the feature at its WWDC event last year, saying that web apps added to your Home Screen can ask for permission to enable push notifications, and permissions for the apps will appear alongside other apps in your device’s notification settings.

Web app notifications function in the same manner as notifications from any other application. They will appear on the Lock Screen, within the Notification Center, and on a paired Apple Watch as well.

Further, third-party web browsers, like Google Chrome, now allow users to add websites and web apps to their iPhone Home Screen.

Homekit update

Apple’s Homekit architecture update that was pulled from the iOS 16.2 release is finally rolling out with the iOS 16.4 developer preview.

The updated ‌HomeKit‌ framework is put in place to enhance the reliability and effectiveness of communication between Apple devices and smart home accessories.

Apple podcasts

The Podcasts app has received multiple updates in iOS 16.4 developer beta. The app now includes channel access in the Library section. Furthermore, the Up Next feature now enables users to resume episodes, play saved episodes, and delete episodes they prefer to skip.

With CarPlay, users now have the ability to either continue playing a podcast where they left off by utilizing the Up Next feature or discover new podcast options via the Browse feature.

Find out everything new in iOS 16.4 developer beta here.

How to download iOS 16.4 developer beta

It’s worth noting that the iOS 16.4 developer beta is called a developer beta for a reason. The OS is sure to have some unstable elements, as Apple is still actively polishing it.

To download the developer beta, you need to have an Apple Developer Account. The simplest way to get your hands on an Apple Developer Account is through the Apple Developer app. Download the app from the App Store and head to the in-app ‘Account’ section. The app will ask you to sign in with your Apple ID, after which, you can click on the ‘Enroll Now’ button. Once you’ve got your hands on a developer account, the rest of the download procedure is simple.

Head to developer.apple.com on your iPhone, tap on the menu on the left and tap on ‘Discover.’ You’ll be brought to a new operating system page, and you need to tap on ‘iOS.’ Tap on ‘Download’ on the top right and log in with your Apple Developer Account credentials. Tap on ‘Download’ again after signing in and you’ll see the iOS beta software profile has begun downloading. Once the download is complete, head to your iPhone’s Settings and tap on ‘Profile Downloaded’ under your Apple ID banner, tap on ‘Install’ and enter your device’s passcode. Provide your consent and tap on ‘Install’ again. Upon the completion of installation, restart your device.

Then, update your iPhone like you normally would. Head to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install and you’re good to go.

Image credit: Unicode

Source: Apple, via: MacRumours