iOS 16.4 is here: Better iPhone calls, 21 new emoji and more

update released
Better phone calls, 21 new emoji and more: This is what the new iOS 16.4 brings to your iPhone

The new iOS 16.4 has been available for download since yesterday evening. And significantly improves one of the main functions of the smartphone.

It’s that time again: Yesterday evening, millions of iPhones around the world reported that Apple made a new update available with iOS 16.4. And that brings a whole range of improvements in detail. The most important concerns a core function: Calls now sound considerably better. But numerous other of the new features are also extremely useful.

The fact that phone calls now sound better is due to a function that Apple actually introduced in 2021: so-called voice isolation. It ensures that the device separates the voice from the surrounding noise during calls – and the latter simply does not transmit. Instead of wind, children playing or street noise, the other person only hears what is being said. So far, this has only worked in calls via Apple’s Facetime service. The update now also brings clear conversations to classic telephone calls.

iOS 16.4: New emoji and many detailed improvements

And then of course there are the 21 new emoji that are now available. Those who were looking forward to numerous new faces will be disappointed. It is true that the “shattered face” is an extremely useful symbol for expressing shock or disbelief. However, the remaining emojis are not faces. With a hand stretched out to the left or right, a “stop” or a combination of the two can be used to express a high five. The remaining symbols stand for some new animal species such as donkeys or mooses, new instruments and foods such as ginger. See the image below for an overview.

The other innovations are primarily useful changes in detail. The flip animation is back in the Books app. The Photos app’s Duplicates feature now also searches shared photo libraries. The Musk app now more subtly indicates when a song has been added to a playlist. You can now follow entire stations in the podcast app. For videos with rapidly flickering content, the brightness can be automatically reduced during this time. And last but not least, accident detection has been optimized for the newer iPhone models to reduce false alarms. Websites like stern.de can now also send you push messages on the iPhone if you wish.

How to get the new iOS 16.4

To install the new system, go to “General” in the settings and then “Software update”. Depending on the version already installed, the download is several gigabytes in size. If you have activated automatic updates, the device independently requests permission to install the update overnight. The update will appear for all devices that also received iOS 16 (you can find an overview here).

Source: Apple