iOS 16.4 brings security fixes and new emojis
Keeping your devices updated is essential from a security standpoint, but you sometimes also get some neat features to go along with it. Apple’s iOS 16.4 brings all that and more, bundling important fixes with some nice quality-of-life updates and a bit of fun thrown in.
Apple security fixes
Let’s begin with the big stuff. Apple’s iOS 16.4 brings 32 security fixes, including several flaws that allow attackers to take over your device.
Here are some highlights:
- Fixed a privacy issue where an app may be able to access information about a user’s contacts.
- Fixed an issue where importing a malicious calendar invitation may send out your information.
- Apps can no longer read sensitive location information via the Find My tool.
- Photos belonging to the Hidden Photos Album can no longer be viewed without authentication through Visual Lookup.
- Apps can no longer create unexpected bookmarks on the Home Screen.
Other fixes and improvements
Not every flaw is as threatening as a vulnerability. Here are some other issues that have been fixed, along with excellent improvements.
- Your voice is prioritized over ambient noise during calls.
- The Duplicates album in the Photos app now detects duplicate photos and videos in iCloud Shared Photo Libraries.
- VoiceOver support added to the Weather app.
- An accessibility setting was added to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected.
- Fixed 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 was optimized on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.
More emojis
The update also brings new emojis, including what Emojipedia calls one of the most “discussed absences on the emoji keyboard’: A plain pink heart. Were people missing it that much?
There’s also a shaking head, a Wi-Fi symbol, new musical instruments, hand gestures, animals and plants. Check out our roundup of the 21 new emojis here.
All the best new emojis for your iPhone
Apple just released iOS 16.4, and with it comes 21 new emojis. Comparatively sparse to emoji releases of previous years, this expansion does not disappoint.
At last, we have a plain pink heart! Widely recognized as a significant gap on the already vast emoji keyboard, you can now send your loved ones a simple, sweet pink heart. The update also introduces complimentary light blue and gray hearts.
How to add emojis using your voice with Siri and Google Assistant
Although voice dictation technology lets you send hands-free text messages, it has glaring shortcomings. For example, smart assistants often have trouble understanding you.
That means you’ll have to constantly repeat yourself when the AI doesn’t get what you’re saying. Here are five ways to make your smart assistant understand you better. Here’s another pain point: Smart assistants not sending emojis when you tell them to.
This emoji you use all the time probably isn't what you think
Using the wrong emoji can cause an epic amount of embarrassment. Especially if you send certain ones because you don’t know their true meaning. Tap or click here to see the X-rated codes behind these popular emojis.
Not all emojis are X-rated, but some innocent ones still can confuse. Depending on how you look at it, the folded hands emoji could mean one of two things. Most people use it when they want to convey condolences or asking for a favor. To them, the folded hands emoji symbolizes praying hands.