Apple Releasing iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 Next Week

Apple today said iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 will be available to all users next week, following weeks of developer and public beta testing.

iOS 15.4 includes major new features for iPhone users, with the most notable perhaps being the ability for users to unlock their iPhone using Face ID while wearing a mask. Apple said that it's been able to update the ‌Face ID‌ system to uniquely identify the area around a users eye and can use that information to unlock the device even while wearing a mask. The feature is only available on the iPhone 12 and later.

On iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, the most notable new feature is Universal Control. ‌Universal Control‌ was originally demoed in WWDC 2021, and despite Apple's promise to get the feature out of the door before the end of 2021, it had to delay it to Spring 2022. ‌Universal Control‌ lets users use one mouse and keyboard across multiple Macs and iPads for a seamless user experience.

Apple has said macOS Monterey 12.3 will also launch next week.

iOS and iPadOS 15.4 also include other new changes and features, such as 37 new emojis and laying down the foundation for "Tap to Pay on iPhone." The updates also include enhancements to AirTags, the option to add custom domains to iCloud Mail right on device, and tons more. The release notes for all of the updates will be released once the updates go live next week.