After iOS 15.3 was mostly bug fixes and security updates, iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 are Apple’s biggest iOS 15 updates to date, with a host of new features and updates for iPhone and iPad. your. Here’s everything included in the update and how to install it on your device.
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4: New Features
General control
Unique to iPadOS 15.4, you can finally try Universal Control, which was supposed to release last fall but was delayed until spring 2022. The feature lets you drag and drop files between iPad and Mac running macOS 12.3. when sharing a wireless keyboard and mouse between them, which can be found in AirPlay & Handoff tab in Shared Setting. There you will see a Pointer and keyboard right to buy. Learn all about the Multi-controller and how it differs from the Sidecar in our brief article.
Face ID with mask
Better late than never, right? While iOS 14.5 lets you unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch when Face ID isn’t working, that’s not much use for those who don’t have a watch but are trying to reduce the spread of the deadly pandemic by How to wear a mask in public spaces.
Inside Face ID & Passcode in iOS 15.4 you will find a new toggle to Use Face ID with Masks. When enabled, Face ID will “use unique features around the eye area for authentication” instead of full facial recognition, including unlocking, payments, and password/login authentication. There is also a new “Add glasses” setting so the system can properly identify your facial features. Apple warns that Face ID is more accurate when the settings are turned off.
AirTag change
Apple has announced a number of AirTag changes coming this year, first in iOS 15.4. Apple added a new notice during setup that AirTag is “designed for victim detection and allows law enforcement to request identifying information about the owner.” It also warns that using AirTag to track people without their consent is a crime.
Emoticon
There are dozens of new emojis as part of the Unicode Consortium’s Emoji 14 release. These include melt faces, salute faces, biting lips, jars, peas, x-rays, bubbles, and more.
New Siri voice
iOS 15.4 also brings a new American Siri 5 voice that can be applied to all interactions. According to Apple, the new voice is not clearly male or female and has been recorded by a member of the LBGTQ+ community. It’s another step in Apple’s efforts to promote diversity, which began with iOS 14.5 last April when the default female voice was removed and two black actors recorded the voices.
DualSense Adaptive Trigger
This release allows developers to support the adaptive triggering functionality of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller.
iCloud Keychain Notes
You can add a note to the password entry in the Keychain. Go to Settings> Password to view and edit your Keychain entries.
Safari Password Manager
With iOS 15.4 3, Safari will no longer silently save passwords for websites when it doesn’t have a username. Instead, it will prompt you to enter your credentials, so that it has a more complete password entry. The change has been acknowledged by the Apple developer Ricky Mondello on Twitter.
Apple Card Widget
There’s a new Apple Card widget that can be added to your home screen or Today view. It shows your current balance and spending activity.
Immunization records in the EU
The Health app now supports the EU Digital COVID Certificate format, so you can add your vaccine records to the Health and Wallet apps in supported regions.
Click to pay
As previously announced, Apple added the framework for Tap to Pay in iOS 15.4. The new payment processing feature allows iPhone to accept Apple Pay payments without the need for a credit card terminal or additional hardware. This feature requires support from apps, and Apple worked with Stripe to test it, so Stripe users should be among the first to get the feature.
ProMotion in third-party apps
The iPhone 13 Pro brought 120Hz ProMotion to the iPhone, but support in apps was somewhat limited due to a Core Animation bug that limited most third-party app animations to 60Hz. With iOS 15.4, that bug in Core Animation has been fixed, and third-party apps using this framework will automatically receive animations up to 120Hz.
iOS 15.4 and iPad OS 15.4: How to Install
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 are available for all iPhones and iPads running iOS 15. To install it on your device, go to the Settings app, then Shared > Software updates and Download and install.
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4: Security Update
There is a long list of security updates in iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4, some of which appear to be high-risk fixes for the Kernel, Graphics Drivers, and Safari. Among the three dozen patches were several WebKit bugs that “could lead to code execution”.
iOS 15.4 Release Notes
Apple’s official release notes are as follows:
iOS 15.4 adds the ability to unlock with Face ID when wearing a mask on iPhone 12 and later. This update also includes new emojis, new voice options for Siri, and other features and fixes for your iPhone.
Face ID
• Face ID when wearing mask option on iPhone 12 and later
• Apple Pay and in-app password autofill and Safari can be used with Face ID while wearing a maskEmoticon
• New emojis including faces, hand gestures and house objects are now available in emoji keyboard
• Handshake emojis that let you choose a distinct skin tone for each handFaceTime
• SharePlay sessions can be started directly from supported appsSiri
• Siri can provide date and time information offline on iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 or later
• Siri now includes an additional voice, expanding the variety of optionsVaccination card
• Support for EU Digital COVID Certificates in Health allowing you to download and store verifiable versions of COVID-19 vaccinations, lab results and recovery records
• The COVID-19 Immunization Card in Apple Wallet now supports the EU Digital COVID Certificate formatThis release also includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
• Safari website translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
• Podcasts app adds episode filters for seasons, played, unplayed, saved or downloaded episodes
• iCloud custom email domains can be managed from Settings
• News provides enhanced discovery of audio content in the Today feed and the Audio tab
• The camera on the keyboard can be used to add text to Notes and Reminders
• Shortcuts now support adding, removing or querying tags with Reminders
• Emergency SOS settings changed to use Call with Hold for all users. Calling with 5 taps is still available as an option in the emergency SOS settings
• Close-up in Magnifier uses the ultra-wide camera on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to help you see small objects
• Saved passwords can now include your own notes in SettingsThis release also includes fixes for your iPhone:
• The keyboard can insert periods between entered numbers
• News widgets in Today View may not open articles when tapped
• Photos and videos may not sync with iCloud Photo Library
• The Speech Accessibility feature may exit unexpectedly in the Books app
• Live Listen may not turn off when turned off in Control Center
