Samuel Axon
Apple today released new updates for most of its software platforms, including macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4 and watchOS 9.4.
These are all feature updates. So in addition to fixing bugs and addressing security vulnerabilities, it actually adds new features.
iOS and iPadOS 16.4 adds some minor features. The headliners are (of course) 21 new emojis, including new heart colors, additional animals, bobbing heads, and more. Other improvements, according to Apple, include improved audio isolation during calls, support for notifications from web apps added to the phone’s home screen, a new way to deduplicate the photo library, and a slew of bugs. … apparently … to correct.
As far as accessibility goes, iOS and iPadOS can now automatically dim the screen when a video with flashing lights is playing, and VoiceOver is now supported for maps found within the Weather app. I was.
tvOS 16.4 has only one listed change. It’s the flashing light protection feature mentioned for iOS and iPadOS.
On the Apple Watch side, watchOS 9.4 is primarily aimed at bringing features to new regions. Cycle Tracking is currently supported in Moldova and Ukraine, and AFib history is supported in these two regions plus Colombia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Then there’s another big one. macOS Ventura 13.3. It includes some of the same features as iOS 16.4, including new emojis, duplicate photo albums, and accessibility features. It also added a “move background” feature to Apple’s visual note-taking app Freeform to “isolate the subject in the image.” There are also some macOS-specific bug fixes and expanded keyboard language support.
iOS 16.4 release notes
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- 21 new emojis are now available in the emoji keyboard, including animals, hand gestures and objects
- Web app notifications added to home screen
- Voice isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out background noise
- Photo Duplicate Album expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in iCloud Shared Photo Library
- VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
- Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when a flash of light or strobe effect is detected
- Addresses an issue that could prevent ‘Purchase Request’ requests from children from appearing on parents’ devices
- Addresses an issue that could cause Matter-compatible thermostats to become unresponsive when paired with an Apple Home
- Optimized crash detection on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
macOS Ventura 13.3 Release Notes
This update includes new emojis as well as other Mac enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.
- 21 new emojis are now available in the emoji keyboard, including animals, hand gestures and objects
- Removing the freeform background option automatically isolates the subject in the image
- Photo Duplicate Album expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in iCloud Shared Photo Library
- Transliteration support for Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu keyboards
- New keyboard layouts for Choctaw, Chickasaw, Akan, Hausa and Yoruba
- Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when a flash of light or strobe effect is detected
- VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
- Resolves an issue where trackpad gestures could sometimes become unresponsive
- Addresses an issue that could prevent ‘Purchase Request’ requests from children from appearing on parents’ devices
- Fixed an issue where VoiceOver would become unresponsive after using Finder
