Yesterday, Apple released iOS 15.4 for the iPhone along with updates for most of its other devices, including the iPad. This is an action-packed update with a lot of new features. Here are the new features that jumped out at me the most, but there are also many smaller new features.
- New Emoji. There are 123 new emoji in iOS 15.4. This includes seven new smiley faces: Melting Face, Face with Open Eyes and Hand Over Mouth, Face with Peeking Eye, Saluting Face, Dotted Line Face, Face with Diagonal Mouth, and Face Holding Back Tears. Other additions include empty nest, beans, mirror ball (a disco ball), low battery, an ID card, many different types of hands, and much more. Click here for a more complete roundup from Keith Broni on Emojipedia.
- Use FaceId with a Mask. If you are wearing an Apple Watch, you have been able to unlock your iPhone even while wearing a mask since April 26, 2021. But now, you can (optionally) tell your iPhone to unlock while wearing a mask just based upon your eyes and other facial features outside of the mask. It seems like this is even faster than using an Apple Watch. I don’t yet know how much of an impact this has on security.
- Password Notes. If you store passwords in the iPhone’s keychain, you can now add a note to your password when you go to Settings -> Passwords. And then you can search those notes from the same screen, which can make it easier to find and update the correct password. I still prefer using 1Password to manage my passwords, but Apple continues to improve the built-in password capabilities.
- New Siri Voice. If you select the American variety of Siri voice, there is now a fifth voice to select, a high-quality voice that is more gender neutral.
- Apple AirTag Changes. When you first associate an AirTag with your account, you now get new information including a warning that law enforcement can learn details about you if you use an AirTag improperly. There are also new alerts for when an unexpected AirTag has been near you for a while.
- SOS Changes. Speaking of security changes, when you first install iOS 15.4, you will see a screen prompting you to review your SOS settings. This serves as a reminder of the different ways that you can use your iPhone to call for help, and it also lets you set certain features such as whether your iPhone makes a noise when you call for help.
- EU COVID. The Apple Wallet app now supports the EU Digital COVID Certification format.
- Podcasts App. The built-in Podcasts app now lets you filter episodes by seasons, played/unplayed, saved, or downloaded.
- Shortcuts Notifications. You can now turn off notifications for personal shortcuts in the Shortcuts app, which means that you can run some shortcuts with fewer interruptions.
- Apple Card Widget. You can now add an Apple Card widget to your home screen.
- SharePlay Access. If you are using an app that supports SharePlay—a way for different people to share an app experience by using FaceTime, such as watching a movie at the same time—there is now an option to activate SharePlay directly from the share sheet, making it easier to start.
- TV App Artwork. You can choose what type of artwork you want to see associated with a show in the TV app. One option is the traditional poster art, but another option is a still frame from when you were last watching the show. Switch between the settings in Settings -> TV -> Up Next Display.
- Bigger AirPods Info. When you open up your AirPods case next to your iPhone, the card that pops up is now bigger and easier to read.
If you are using an iPad, there are some additional updates in iPadOS 15.4. Perhaps the biggest one is:
- Universal Control. If you have both a Mac and an iPad signed in to your iCloud account, you can now use a single keyboard and cursor to control both devices. To turn this on, after you update your Mac to macOS12.3, go to System Preferences -> Displays, and then click the Universal Control button. Then turn on each of the features. (You will see several warnings that this is still just a beta feature.) I used this feature for a short period of time last night, and Universal Control worked incredibly well. It is immediately apparent to me that this is a feature that I will find very useful.
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 are major updates with lots of big and small improvements. I'm looking forward to using all of the new features.
