In iOS 16.4, Apple is adding new features to its Podcasts app, such as Channels in the library, changes to “Up Next,” and more accurate analytics for creators. The company gave developers the first beta versions of iOS 16.4 and other operating systems around the middle of February.
The new software update will improve web apps and add new emojis. The Apple Podcasts app is another thing that will be changed. First, when someone follows a show that is part of a channel, they can find the channel in the app’s Library and look through it.
People who pay for channels are at the top, and channels with free shows are below them. By tapping on a channel, listeners can see the shows they follow. There are also rows for the shows and episodes they’ve signed up for.
Most of the time, the beta version of the next minor iOS release comes out a day or two after the main release of the previous version. So, when iOS 16.3 came out on January 23, we thought that the beta for iOS 16.4 would start on January 24.
The first beta version of iOS 16.4 didn’t come out until February 16, which was more than three weeks after it was supposed to. It went into beta at the same time that iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS 13.3 did. We think the final version of iOS 16.4 will come out in March, maybe at Apple’s spring event.
Table of Contents
New Features in iOS 16.4
Here are some of iOS 16.4’s most important new features and changes.
New emoji
With this release, emoji that are part of the Unicode 15.0 standard are added. They have a face that shakes from side to side to say “no,” hearts in different colors, hands that push to the left and right, a moose, a goose, a jellyfish, a few food items, and a few musical instruments.
Web Push Notifications
With this release, it is now possible to get push notifications on the web. Web apps that are saved to the home screen can send system notifications through the Push API, the Notifications API, and Service Workers by using the standard HTML5 Web Push API. Websites have to ask for permission just like apps do. The user has to do something like click the “subscribe” or “like” button.
Easier Beta Participation
If your device is registered as a beta tester, you can go to Settings > General > Software Updates and choose from a new menu to get no beta updates, Developer Beta updates, if they are available, or Public Beta updates.
Changes in Your Home Page Looks
iOS 16.4 brings back the upgrade to the Home architecture that was taken out of iOS 16.2. This is different from the updated Home app, which hasn’t changed.
New Podcasts App
The Up Next queue is better in the new Podcasts app for iPhone, iPad, and CarPlay, and you can filter episodes and browse by season.
How to Set Up the iOS 16.4 Public Beta?
Since the developer beta is only for registered developers, most of us will be using this version of iOS 16.3 before it comes out. When the public beta for iOS 16 comes out, you can install it by doing the things below.
- Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page, then sign up with your Apple ID.
- Sign in and you can join the Beta Software Program.
- To add your iOS device, click Add. If you signed up for the beta of a previous version last year, you might need to uninstall that version’s profile and then sign up again for the new one.
- Go to beta.apple.com/profile on your iPhone or iPad.
- Get the profile configuration and put it in place.
- You might have to go to the Settings menu to turn on the profile. In General > VPN and Device Management, tap on the iOS 16 beta profile.
- When you do that, you can find the beta version in the Settings app, under General > Software Update.
How to Set Up the iOS 16.4 Beta for Developers?
Each stage of iOS 16.3’s development will be shown first to developers and then, usually within a day or two, to public beta testers. This is the one to use if you’re a developer and want to make sure your apps work with the latest version of the OS. Here are eight simple steps to set up the iOS 16.3 beta for developers:
- Sign in with your Apple ID at developer.apple.com using Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
- Go to the Downloads section which is in the left menu, scroll down to iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 beta, tap Install Profile, then Accept.
- Start the app and go to Settings. You should see “Profile Downloaded” at the top of the main screen. Click this. If you can’t find it, go to Settings > General > VPN and Device Management and tap on the iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 beta profile there.
- Tap Install in the upper right corner to install the iOS 16 beta profile or the iPad 16 beta profile.
- Read the developer consent form and check the box if you agree with the terms.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Now, go to Settings > General > Software Update. There, you should see that the iOS or iPadOS 16 beta is available.
- Click on Get and Install.
- Wait for the update to finish downloading and then tap Install when prompted.
And if everything went as it should have, the iOS 16 beta is now running on your iPhone.
Other Minor Changes
Not only the major changes, but small changes also matters. Other than the changes we mentioned above Apple has also made some minor changes which creates big difference. Those changes are listed below:
- Apple says in the Home app that you can now manually or automatically update Matter Accessories.
- The new home architecture, which was taken away because it wasn’t reliable, is also brought back by the update.
Changes Made in the Keyboard
- Now, the Ukrainian keyboard can guess what you want to type.
- The keyboards for Choctaw and Chickasaw now look different.
- Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu keyboards can now be set up to use transliteration layouts.
- Autocorrect is turned on by default for the Korean keyboard so that you can try it out and get feedback.
- The hover feature of the Apple Pencil can now be used with both tilt and azimuth.
Precautions to Take
First, you should know that betas are test versions of soon-to-be-released software. They are not finished by definition, and while they should have most or all of the features of the final product, they will look different and have bugs and other problems that need to be fixed during development. In other words, don’t assume that everything will go right for you. Even apps you use a lot might not work perfectly with the new version if you already have them.
In the worst case, the beta could break your device so that you can’t use it again until the next beta comes out. Early beta software often has problems, like running down the battery too quickly. We can’t stress enough how important it is to back up your iPhone before installing a beta on it, or even better, use a different iPhone or iPad instead of your main one.
Conclusion
Apple just put out the first version of iOS 16.4 in beta. Thanks to changes in policy and the WebKit engine, this version has a lot of big changes for web apps. Any site you visit with iOS 16.4 mobile Safari won’t be able to ask for web push permissions.
This is different from Safari on your computer. Apple only lets you add web apps to your Home Screen by adding a shortcut to a website through the “Share” sheet’s “Add to Homescreen” button. In your app grid, these short cuts look like app icons.
Every web app will need permission to send notifications, just like native apps. Once set up, the Focus system can also be linked to a web app that sends push notifications. If you add the same web app to more than one device, they will all have the same Focus state.
In a related change, third-party browsers can now show users how to add a website to their home screen by using the standard system share sheet. Now, shortcuts to web apps on the Home Screen will open in both Safari and the user’s default third-party app. It will be easier for you to use after these changes.
