Technologies

iOS 16.5 Is Out, but You May Have Missed These iOS 16.4 Features

When it was released, iOS 16.4 brought plenty of new features to your iPhone.

Apple is set to release iOS 16.5 soon, and though that update will likely bring a few new features to your iPhone, you may’ve missed some of the added features that iOS 16.4 brought.

Your iPhone is in need of an update if you still haven’t downloaded iOS 16.4 — not to mention iOS 16.4.1 (a) or iOS 16.4.1. Apple released iOS 16.4.1 (a), the company’s first rapid System Response update, and iOS 16.4.1 to patch security vulnerabilities and squash some bugs. These updates didn’t have any added features, but their predecessor, iOS 16.4, includes several new features in addition to updates and security fixes.

Below are some of the biggest additions to your iPhone with iOS 16.4. And here’s how to download and install the update if you haven’t already. For more, here’s everything to expect from the next major iPhone update, iOS 16.5.

31 new emoji

The iOS 16.4 update brings 31 new emoji to your iOS device. The new emoji include a new smiley; new animals, like a moose and a goose; and new heart colors, including pink and light blue.

9 of the new emoji, arranged in a grid on a pink background: peapod, hair pick, goose, hand, smiley, gray heart, maracas, donkey, wifi signal — Some of the new emoji released in iOS 16.4.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The new emoji all come from Unicode’s September 2022 recommendation list, Emoji 15.0.

Voice Isolation comes to cellular calls

Voice Isolation was introduced with iOS 15 in 2021, and at the time it worked only on FaceTime calls. Now with iOS 16.4, you can use the feature on your cellular calls too.

When enabled, Voice Isolation can help the person you’re on a call with hear you more clearly by muffling background sounds, like kids playing in the other room or construction outside your window. It could therefore cut back on the number of times you have to repeat yourself in a phone call because the other person can’t hear you.

Easily find photo duplicates across shared albums

In iOS 16.4, you can easily find duplicate photos in shared albums in Photos. If you share photos with family or friends via iCloud, iOS 16.4 will show you all the duplicates across albums. You can also Merge these duplicate photos.

Support for PlayStation 5 controller

According to MacRumors, iOS 16.4 adds support for the PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge Wireless Controller. You can use the controller to play controller-enabled games from services like Apple Arcade — a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick — on your iPhone.

DualSense Edge Review: Sony’s Premium Controller for PlayStation 5 See at CNET

Apple Books update

The page-turn curl animation is back in Apple Books with iOS 16.4, after it was removed in a previous iOS update. Before, when you turned a page in an ebook on your iPhone, the page would slide to one side of your screen or it would vanish and be replaced by the next page. You can still choose these other page-turn animations in addition to the curl animation.

Music app changes

The Kid Cudi album Man On the Moon artwork with the track list below — A small banner appears at the bottom of the screen when you choose to play a song next in Apple Music in iOS 16.4.

Zach McAuliffe/CNET

The Music interface has been slightly modified in iOS 16.4. When you add a song to your queue, a small banner appears near the bottom of your screen instead of a full-screen pop-up like in previous iOS versions.

Also, if you go into your Library in Music, you can organize your Library by Artist and tap into an artist, across the top of your page you will see an icon for that artist. A search bar used to be at the top of this page. Tap the artist’s icon and you will be taken to that artist’s Music page.

Apple Podcasts updates

Apple Podcasts also gets an update with iOS 16.4. Now you can access a Channels tab in your Library, which shows you different networks you follow. Tap into each channel and you can see the shows you subscribe to and other shows that channel produces.

See who and what is covered under AppleCare

With iOS 16.4, you can go to Settings > General > About > Coverage to check who and what devices are covered on your AppleCare plan. That way, if your AirPods break, you can easily check whether they’re covered. You can manage your coverage from here too.

Focus Mode filters added

If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, iOS 16.4 lets you enable or disable the always-on display option with certain Focus Modes. When creating a new filter, scroll down to the bottom of the edit page, tap Focus Filter, then tap Always-On Display to enable or disable the display for that Focus Mode.

New Apple Wallet features

You can add three new order-tracking widgets for Apple Wallet to your home screen with iOS 16.4. Each widget displays your tracking information on active orders, but the widgets are different sizes: small, medium and large.

No Active Orders displayed in the Apple Wallet widget — The medium-size Apple Wallet order tracking widget takes up two rows on your iPhone’s screen.

Zach McAuliffe/CNET

More accessibility options

The update also adds new accessibility options. One new option is called Dim Flashing Lights, and it can be found in the Motion menu in Settings. The option’s description says video content that depicts repeated flashing or strobing lights will automatically be dimmed. Video timelines will also show when flashing lights will occur. VoiceOver support has also been expanded to the maps and Weather apps.

Apple ID and beta software updates

Text that reads You can sign in with a different Apple ID that is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program or the Apple Developer Program — The latest iOS update lets you sign into another Apple ID to access other beta software.

Zach McAuliffe/CNET

With iOS 16.4, developers and beta testers can check whether their Apple ID is associated with the developer beta, public beta or both. If you have a different Apple ID, like one for your job, that has access to beta updates, iOS 16.4 also lets you switch to that account from your device.

New keyboards, Siri voices and language updates

This iOS 16.4 update also adds keyboards for the Choctaw and Chickasaw languages, and there are new Siri voices for Arabic and Hebrew. Language updates have also come to Korean, Ukrainian, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu.

Here are Apple’s release notes for iOS 16.4.

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard.

• Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen.

. • Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you.

• Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library.

• VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app.

• Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected.

• Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent’s device.

• Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home.

• Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.

Curious about what else is new with Apple? check out what might be coming to your iPhone with iOS 16.5 and how to enable Voice Isolation in phone calls.

Watch this: Apple’s Classical Music App: The Highs and Lows

08:00

Technologies

Unboxing Samsung’s $400 Galaxy A36 5G

Technologies

You Can Still See the Aurora Borealis Tonight. Here’s Where the Brightest Lights Will Glow

While not as strong as Tuesday’s lights, tonight’s auroras could be impressive for many in the northern US.

The Fourth of July holiday will bring explosive light shows on Friday night, but many folks will see much quieter and calmer lights in the sky tonight, as recent solar activity will continue to bring the Aurora Borealis to several US states.

Wednesday night marks the winding down of a Kp 4 magnetic storm that the Space Weather Prediction Center reported starting late Monday evening. The K-Index measures the horizontal impact of geomagnetic storms, and a Kp4 or Kp 5 rating results in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls a «moderate» aurora.

As Wednesday night turns into Thursday morning, the aurora will pull back a little and become less visible, unless you’re on the northern border with Canada.

Which states could see the aurora borealis tonight?

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, Wednesday night’s aurora will be visible in Alaska, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine. The northernmost sections of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire might get lucky as well.

Alaska and Canada will have the best views by a wide margin, with virtually the entire state of Alaska getting coverage.

Much like with the Earth’s weather, space weather prediction can be hit or miss. So if you’re in any of the above states, it’s worth taking a look if you’re up that late. The magnetic storm may be slightly stronger or weaker than forecast, which will affect how far south the northern lights reach. This event won’t be as strong as the epic show we saw in May 2024.

Tips on viewing the northern lights

The standard space viewing tips all apply here. You’ll get a better view if you get away from the city and suburbs to avoid light pollution. Weather will play a role as well, since any clouds will obfuscate the view. If you attempt to photograph the aurora, we recommend using long exposure times to give your camera more time to soak in the light.

Other than that, you’ll want to look toward the northern horizon to give yourself the best chance at a good view, since (as you may’ve guessed) that’s where the northern lights originate.

Technologies

Here’s When to See July’s Spectacular Buck Moon, Along With Mars and Venus

July’s full moon, also known as the Thunder Moon, will fill the sky on July 10.

It’s officially summer, and with that comes the first full moon of the season. July’s full moon — known as the Buck Moon or the Thunder Moon — will light up the night sky on July 10 and be at its fullest going into July 11, reaching peak luminosity at around 4:37 a.m. local time, which is a bit late, but it’ll still be bright for the whole night.

According to Stellarium’s sky map, the moon will rise from the southeastern horizon just after sunset in your local time and streak across the sky before setting on the southwestern horizon just before dawn. No matter where you are in the US, you’ll be able to see it virtually all night.

Should you not be able to see the moon due to weather or some other reason, you can also soak up a great view anytime from July 8-12 as the moon will be more than 95% full during those days.

Why is it called the Buck Moon or Thunder Moon?

According to The Farmer’s Almanac, July’s full moon actually has several names, including Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Feather Moulting Moon, and Salmon Moon. These names typically come from Native American and colonial times and were used to describe the moon for the entire month, not just when it’s full.

White-tailed deer start growing antlers in March or April as the days start to lengthen. July marks the peak of their antler growth season, hence the name Buck Moon. Thunderstorms are also common in July, which is why it’s also called the Thunder Moon.

The other two names are less common, but July marks the time when some species of salmon begin migrating for the mating season, while ducks engage in their annual molting around this time of year as well.

Catch a glimpse of Mars and Venus, too

The moon will be joined in the sky by Mars and Venus during its trip across the sky on July 10. Mars will be visible just after sunset in the western sky before setting. You won’t have long, since it’s scheduled to dip below the horizon before midnight. If you choose to stay up late, Venus will crest the eastern horizon shortly after 2 a.m. local time and be visible until sunrise.

Saturn will also be visible in the eastern sky, not far from the moon, but you’ll likely need binoculars or a telescope to see it with the moon’s glow.

Once the moon finishes its monthly cycle, skygazers can check out the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids meteor showers, both of which are scheduled to peak during the last few days of July.