The latest beta version of iOS 16.4 is now out for developers and beta testers.
Apple recently released iOS 16.4 beta 2 for developers to test out for themselves, allowing them to see what's new in Apple's upcoming iOS update.
The Cupertino-based tech giant has yet to announce when iOS 16.4 will emerge from its beta version and be available to the public for downloading.
Apple iOS 16.4 Beta 2 Features And Details
Apple added a handful of new features to iOS 16.4 Beta 2, but not as many as the iOS update's first beta, according to MacRumors. One of these updates involves Apple's Books app, which made its page-turning animation an option for users to toggle whenever they wish.
It also comes with three page-turning styles to choose from: Curl, Slide, and None, with Slide being the default iOS 16 page-turning animation Apple Books has, while Curl is from Apple's iOS 15 animation. None, on the other hand, is a simpler animation that turns the page without much fanfare.
In addition to new page-turning features for Apple Books, Apple also added 31 new emojis that bring a new smiley, new animals like a moose and a goose, and new heart colors for users to add to their messages, per CNET.
Furthermore, Apple iOS 16.4 Beta 2 saw changes to Apple Podcasts, with it allowing users to access podcast channels they subscribed to in "Library," while using "Up Next" to resume podcast episodes they've started. Users can also use "Up Next" to start their saved episodes and even remove them to skip ahead.
Tech Crunch reports that Apple added the ability for developers to send a push notification after asking for permission from users when they added a web app to the home screen - a feature Apple previously showcased during its 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple also added battery consumption starts for users to see how much battery charge their phone's always-on display is consuming, allowing them to determine if the feature is worth the battery charge it consumes, per Tom's Guide.
Last but not least are the new shortcut settings, which now have some options for automation for silencing unknown callers, setting announce notifications, VPN, Airdrop Receiving, and auto-answering calls from people.
Apple also added a new Home app architecture previously featured in iOS 16.2 but was removed due to compatibility issues.
How To Test These New Features
As previously mentioned, only beta testers and developers could use these new features in the meantime to test them out. However, users could opt-in to become a beta tester for Apple, per XDA Developers.
If a user already opts to become a beta tester, they can now update their phone to the second beta version of iOS 16.4 by following these instructions:
- Launch the Settings app and open the General section
- Tap on Software Update and give it a few seconds to refresh
- Once the update appears, tap on Download and Install and agree to the Terms of Service
- Plug in the phone to a power source while it updates itself to iOS 16.4 Beta 2
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