iOS 16.4: New Emojis and Features

Apple has rolled out the iOS 16.4 update for its users, offering an array of fresh features such as website push notifications, voice isolation for calls, and an expanded collection of emojis. Users can install the latest version of the update by visiting the Settings > General > Software Update option.

The new emojis are a particular highlight, as users can access 31 new additions with this update, including a pink heart, a shaking face, two pushing hands, and various animals and objects. Although the release notes reference "21" new emojis, this is due to how the variations are counted. The Unicode consortium authorised these emojis last year, and their availability with the latest iOS update was announced in February.

Apart from the aforementioned emojis, users can also access 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 many others through this update. Although iOS updates are often aimed at patching security holes or tweaking smaller settings, updates that offer new emojis or increased functionality tend to be more popular among users, leading to high demand for the download.

Here are two major features seen with iOS 16.4

Web Push Notifications

Apple had previewed a web-based push notification feature for developers during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last year. With the macOS Ventura update, the feature became available for Safari 16.1. The company has now expanded this feature to allow iOS developers to send notifications to users, provided they have obtained user permission and the user has pinned a web app to their Home Screen. This feature could be particularly useful to new Twitter competitors like Post and T2 that have not yet developed native iOS apps but still want to notify users about important conversations.

Apart from helping new competitors, this feature also offers Apple a way to counter claims that its App Store is the sole medium for reaching mobile consumers. This could help the company fend off antitrust regulations and other lawsuits.

Voice Isolation

The iOS 16.4 update has brought along an exciting new feature called voice isolation, which allows users to prioritise their voice and eliminate ambient noise while making cellular calls. This results in clearer conversations, as users can hear the speaker's voice without any distractions from background noise like other people talking or environmental sounds. Although this feature was previously available for FaceTime calls and other VoIP apps, it had not yet been integrated into cellular calls until now.

To use this feature, users must access the Control Center while on the call, select Mic Mode, and then select Voice Isolation from the list.

Other Notable Features

The iOS 16.4 update includes a number of additional adjustments and bug fixes, including:

• Expanded support for detecting duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library, thanks to the updated Duplicates album in Photos.
• Improved VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app.
• Added an accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected.
• Added support for indigenous languages like Chickasaw and Choctaw on the keyboard, along with transliteration support for Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu keyboards.
• Fixed an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may not show up on the parent's device.
• Addressed issues with Matter-compatible thermostats that could become unresponsive when connected to Apple Home.
• Optimised Crash Detection for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models