Release Candidate of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to developers. A week after beta 4, Apple has released the Release Candidate of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to developers, a particular version of the software that is a prelude to the final and stable release.
Release Candidate of the macOS 13.3 update to developers
Among the novelties of iOS 16.4 and iPad OS 16.4 there is support for push notifications of web pages, a technology that allows sites to send short information (precisely, notifications) via browser, a feature that Apple had already promised last year. announcing iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, explaining that it would be implemented in 2023.
Users can choose to receive notifications of sites saved as a web app on the Home Screen (with a website icon on the Home screen) even from iOS and iPadOS, a feature possible for developers using the Push API, those for Notifications and worker servers (scripts that the browser can run in the background).
Notifications for websites will work the same as notifications for apps, either in a list or grouped on the lock screen. Another novelty of the version of Safari integrated in iOS 16.4 is the support for notifications taking into account full immersion (the feature that allows you to minimize distractions).
In the beta of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 we also find new Unicode 15 emojis, with emojis such as: the flickering face, pink heart, blue heart, donkey, moose, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth aquatic, pod, ginger, flute, maracas, crow and more.
Other innovations integrated into iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 concern the Podcasts app, with a list of channels that can be consulted from a single point, news for podcast creators, and the Up Next function, with episodes that may be of interest for listeners and features to automatically save these to the library.
Also new is the presence of a button to access your profile in the Apple Music app, making it easier to change settings.
The Settings > General > About > Coverage Now section showing warranty information for your iPhone and other connected devices (e.g. Apple Watch and AirPods).
The latest betas of iOS 16.4 and PadOS 16.4 offer the HomeKit architecture update that was dropped from iOS 16.2 after reports of numerous issues from developers.
In the Updates section of the Home app, iPhone and iPad users who have not yet updated to the new architecture will see a “Home update available” alert.
Apple reports that the new HomeKit architecture improves the reliability and efficiency of communication between smart home accessories and Apple devices.
In the release notes, we still read that the duplicate album in Photos expands support for detecting duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud shared photo library.
As always, registered developers can download iOS 16 beta and iPadOS 16 beta profiles from the Apple Developer Center and, after installing the profile, install the update with the usual over-the-air mechanism.
Starting with the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 betas, Apple Developer Program and Beta Software Program members can activate the betas from the Software Update section in the Settings app, without necessarily installing a profile from the Developer Center.
