Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the launch of the first betas.

iOS 16
Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates over-the-air after installing the appropriate profile from the Developer Center. Going forward, beta updates will not require a profile and will instead be done directly on device through an Apple ID linked to a developer account. Note: There appears to be an issue with the iOS 16.4 beta 2 update that is preventing some developers from seeing it at the current time.

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 add new emoji characters, including shaking head, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, jellyfish, hyacinth, ginger, black bird, and more. There are 31 new emoji in total, including left and right hand options in several skin tones.

Safari Web Push notifications have been added on the iPhone and iPad, and you can receive them from websites that have been added to the Home Screen on your device. Web Push notifications are identical to the notifications that you get from websites on the Mac, and behave like any other iOS notification.

Third-party browsers like Chrome are now able to let users add websites and websites to the ‌Home Screen‌, and Apple has reintroduced the HomeKit architecture upgrade. There are also changes to Podcasts, minor updates to Apple Music, new options for Shortcuts, and more, with a full list of new features in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 available in our features guide.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

xxray Avatar
37 months ago
“I’m not seeing anything on my device.”

Give it a half hour. It’ll come.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
37 months ago
Exactly One year from today! See below. ??

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/28/apple-event-invites-could-be-sent-out-tomorrow/

I'm happy Apple released a new iOS 16.4 Beta 2 today. Let's get it! ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
37 months ago
Released today to devs
iOS 16.4 beta 2 (20E5223e) - February 28, 2023
iPadOS 16.4 beta 2 (20E5223e) - February 28, 2023
macOS 13.3 beta 2 (22E5230e) - February 28, 2023
watchOS 9.4 beta 2 (20T5233d) - February 28, 2023
tvOS 16.4 beta 2 (20L5474e) - February 28, 2023
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usurffree Avatar
37 months ago

So is the HomeKit architecture working better?
At some point, I really hope they allow us to pick the primary hub device. I have 6 New Homepods, 2 Older Homepods, 11 Minis, and 6 of the newest Apple TV's 128 versions. That's 23 total Apple "hubs" in my home app. It's constantly picking a mini at the far end of the house a majority of the time, but also switches to others that make little sense.(Basement models). I'd love to put the primary living room Apple TV as my hub, it's 4 feet from where the Internet/routers and all the goodies are.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jsamuels Avatar
37 months ago
I have a dev account. Here's what I'm seeing. Maybe it will straighten itself out.


Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjjacobson Avatar
37 months ago

I have a dev account. Here's what I'm seeing. Maybe it will straighten itself out.

I had that message on phone so selected personal user and 5 minute later it works but left as developer on ipad and it also worked 5 minutes later. I am appleseed member for years so I think that is some kind of developer mode anyway it worked.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)