Apple officially released iOS 16.4 to the public on Monday, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s a big release with tons of new changes, features, emojis, bug fixes, and more. In this video, I go over more than 50 new features. Be sure subscription 9to5Mac on YouTube For videos like this one.
What’s new in iOS 16.4?
As mentioned, iOS 16.4 is loaded with new additions. On my watch, I go through a great deal of what’s new. However, in this written post, I wanted to consider some interesting new features.
Many shortcuts updates
Perhaps outside of WebKit, the underlying framework behind Safari, the Shortcuts app gets the most attention in iOS 16.4. New shortcut actions include the ability to silence unknown callers, auto answer calls, night shift and true tone. You’ll find new actions to change the Always On Display found on iPhone 14 Pro, turn off your device, lock the screen, and more.
Video walkthrough: 50+ iOS 16.4 changes and features
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My favorite new feature is dedicated to the intercom feature that works with iOS devices and HomePods. This new app can announce an incoming message using the intercom and accept text and media files and output to all the HomePods in your home.
Other shortcut changes were added in 16.4, such as the ability to find screen recordings within the Photos app, connect to a VPN, or launch a set playback target action with Siri. Bottom line? If you’re a fan of shortcuts, iOS 16.4 is a must-have.
Music app UI changes
The Music app doesn’t get any drastic changes in iOS 16.4, but there are a number of UI changes that I like. In particular, the pop-up that appears when you add songs to your library, or the Next Queue, has been significantly reduced in size and is now presented at the bottom of the interface. An updated sort button, smaller playlist thumbnails, and a profile button are now available in the top-right corner of every Music app tab.
However, my favorite new Music app feature is the enhanced waveform that appears with track titles. Previously, the waveform was a generic animation that had no effect on the song being played. In iOS 16.4, the updated waveform is directly related to the audio being played.
Best previews for Mastodon in Message
Although Mastodon is still relatively unknown among the public, it is already a thriving place for techies. With this, Mastodon links in Messages now appear with better previews in iOS 16.4. Such a change might have been endorsed by Apple Fellow and former head of global marketing Bill Schiller, who has since deleted his Twitter account and is now officially on Fediverse.
Browser improvements
Of all the changes in iOS 16.4, WebKit and by extension, no area has gotten more attention than Safari. As mentioned on the official WebKit website, 16.4 Includes 135 new web features and over 280 Polish updates.
Some of the more obvious Web-centric features in iOS 16.4 include support for creating home screen bookmarks directly from third-party browsers. Additionally, opening these home screen bookmarks will now respect the installed default browser configured in iOS settings.
For the first time, web apps now get support for push notifications, and that includes notification badges and compatibility with iOS’ focus modes. This change should make web applications more attractive than they were in the past.
9to5Mac’s tag
Of course, some of the features listed in this post are just a taste of everything included in iOS 16.4. In my video, I look at over 50 new changes and features in this massive new update. In general, I feel like iOS 16 saw the most updates of any major version of iOS we’ve seen so far, and there’s a chance we’ll see even more new features like iOS 16.5, which is already here. Available in its initial developer beta, maturing.
What’s your favorite new iOS 16.4 feature? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts.
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