Oliver Haslam·

iOS 16.4 Beta Features, Changes, Release Notes All In One Place

Here are all iOS 16.4 beta features, changes and release notes all in one place for your iPhone and iPad.

Apple’s first iOS 16.4 update is now available for developers to download and we can expect it to be offered to the public once the beta program completes. But we already have a good feel for what new features we can look forward to.

It’s still early days for the iOS 16.4 beta program and there will surely be some changes before it’s ready for primetime. But for now, here’s a list of all of the features that are new to iOS 16.4.

Web Apps Gain Push Notifications

For the first time web apps can send push notifications to users as if they were apps that were installed from the App Store. They’ll need to ask for permission, but this is a big change for Apple to make as it fights App Store antitrust complaints around the world. Badge counts will also be available to web apps for the first time as well.

3Gbps 5G Capabilities

Apple is reportedly readying new 3Gbps 5G data transfer speeds so long as you happen to be on a network that supports it. The feature, dubbed 5G SA, is available on T-Mobile and is being expanded to more devices soon.

New Emojis

Apple has added the new Unicode 15 emoji characters that were first approved back in September 2022. They include pink heart, donkey, moose, goose, and a ton more.

Third-Party Browsers Can Add Pages To The Home Screen

For the first time apps like Chrome can add a web app to the iPhone’s Home Screen, just like Safari.

HomeKit Architecture Upgrade is Back

Apple is having another try at bringing its upgraded HomeKit architecture to the public. It was added to iOS 16.2 initially but was pulled due to the issues it caused for some people.

Mastodon Previews

Mastodon links now have previews in the Messages app for the first time.

Podcasts Improvements

The Podcasts App now includes Channels access from the Library as well as a CarPlay change that means “there’s now an option to pick up where you left off on a podcast with Up Next, or find new podcast options in Browse, according to MacRumors.

New 5G support in Turkey

Apple has enabled 5G support for users in Turkey.

Beta Profile Changes

The iOS 16.4 update lays the groundwork for Apple to remove developer beta profiles entirely.

There are other tweaks that are less notable including changes to how SwiftUI works, improvements to the StoreKit 2 APIs, and alterations to the way Safari web extensions function, too.

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