Apple's iOS 15.4 update for iPhone is out after 46 days of beta testing, and it has some exciting features you won't want to miss. Here's everything you need to know about the new software.
The iOS 15.4 software has been available to developers since Jan. 27, 2022, and public beta testers since Jan. 28. The release candidate, the last stage in beta testing, was released after Apple's Peak Performance event on March 8 where the company revealed its new iPhone SE, among other things. Apple pushed out the final iOS 15.4 build, as well as iPadOS 15.4 for iPad, on Monday, March 14.
You can download and install the update manually via Settings –> General –> Software Update, or you can wait for it to auto-update at night if you have that set up. If you're not quite ready yet, check out the features below to see what you're missing out on!
1. Over 100 New Emoji
The iPhone's last big emoji update was nearly 11 months ago in iOS 14.5, but new emoji have been available in the Unicode 14.0 standard since before Apple released iOS 15.0. Apple finally brings those missing emoji to life in iOS 15.4. In all, there are 37 new characters to enjoy — 112 if you count all the skin tone variations — and they also appear in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3.
Highlights include Melting Face, Saluting Face, Face Holding Back Tears, Biting Lip, Pregnant Man, Pregnant Person, Person with Crown, Troll, Coral, Lotus, Empty Nest, Nest with Eggs, Low Battery, Bubbles, and various hand gestures, including a mix-and-match emoji picker for Handshake to choose different skin tone combinations. Head to our guide on iOS 15.4's new emoji to see all emoji and skin tone variations.
Apple also updated its Face with Hand Over Mouth emoji, giving it a smile, smiling eyes, and blushing cheeks, which is more consistent with how other platforms used it. The old design was changed to Face with Open Eyes and Hand Over Mouth, which was added to Unicode 14.0 for all platforms.
- See Them All: The New Emoji in iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, and macOS 12.3
2. Use Face ID with a Mask
Apple previously added mask-related updates in iOS 13.5 and iOS 14.5 to make unlocking your iPhone easier when wearing a face covering, but they pale in comparison to iOS 15.4's new "Use Face ID with a Mask" feature for iPhone 12 and newer. That means you don't have to enter passcodes or have an Apple Watch.
The new Face ID mode hones in on the unique features around your eyes since the mask hides the rest of your facial features. It's less secure than full-face scans but about a thousand times more convenient, especially since it also works with Apple Pay, auto-fill passwords, and third-party app logins.
In my experience, it works very well when unlocking your iPhone but can be a bit buggy during the setup process. The latest update includes a "Look down to unlock" message on the screen to let you know it needs to see around your eyes better to authenticate. Read our complete guide on iOS 15.4's new Use Face ID with a Mask feature to learn more.
3. iCloud Keychain Notes
If you prefer iCloud Keychain instead of LastPass or another third-party password manager, iOS 15.4 has finally added notes to password entries. You can't add notes when first making a password entry, but once it's in your iCloud Keychain list, you can tap "Add Notes" to jot something down about the website or account.
4. Hide iCloud Keychain Security Recommendations
Apple includes security recommendations for iCloud Keychain that push you to change your password when it's at risk of being compromised. Some of those situations are for easily guessed passwords, ones that appear in data leaks, reused passwords, and ones that incorporate common words.
If you don't care to change your password, iOS 15.4 lets you hide those recommendations per site. Just tap the X next to the security recommendation and tap "Hide." You can view all of the hidden ones in the "Security Recommendations" settings, as well as reset them all.
5. Add Custom Email Domains
Apple added custom email domain support for iCloud Mail in iOS 15, but you could only add your domains via iCloud.com. There's an easier way in iOS 15.4, which lets you add your domains from your iCloud settings. Tap your Apple ID at the top of Settings, then go to iCloud –> iCloud Mail –> Custom Email Domain to get started.
- Don't Miss: 8 Ways Your iPhone Can Make Emailing More Secure
6. iCloud Mail Menu in Settings
To make way for custom email domains, as seen above, Apple moved the "Mail" menu in the iCloud settings from the very bottom to near the top where the "iCloud Mail" toggle was. The toggle now appears inside the menu, with everything from the old "Mail" menu included. Head to Settings –> [Your Apple ID] –> iCloud –> iCloud Mail to check it out.
7. New Gender-Neutral American Siri Voice
Siri has a new gender-neutral American voice you can set for the assistant. The last time we got new Siri voices was in iOS 14.5, so it's nice to have another option. Go to Settings –> Siri & Search –> Siri Voice, then choose "American." You'll now see five options under the Voice header instead of four.
8. Siri Can Give Date and Time When Offline
Before, whenever you had a bad internet connection or had Airplane Mode on, Siri wouldn't be able to tell you the date or time. As crazy as that sounds, iOS 15.4 fixes it, so you can get the current date and time according to your iPhone when offline. However, it only works on devices with the A12 Bionic or A12Z Bionic chips or newer. That means at least an iPhone XS or iPad Pro (4th generation), respectively.
Siri can't provide time/date offline in iOS 15.3.1 (left) but can in iOS 15.4 (right).
Siri can't provide time/date offline in iOS 15.3.1 (left) but can in iOS 15.4 (right).
9. App Store Notification Settings
You can now choose to include or omit either "New Features & Updates" or "Recommendations & Offers" notifications for the App Store. Before, it was either all or none. To make changes, tap your profile icon in the App Store, then "Notifications." You can also get to these options from Settings –> Notifications –> App Store –> App Store Notification Settings (or Settings –> App Store –> Notifications –> App Store Notification Settings).
10. Collapse Folder Trees in Mail
Apple's Mail app has a minor but much-appreciated update on the primary Mailboxes view where all of your email accounts are listed.
When you scroll past the inboxes, you can tap an account to see all of the folders and labels you've created and tucked emails into, as well as junk, trash, drafts, and sent. Before iOS 15.4, all of your custom folders and labels would look unwieldy since it automatically showed the leading folder directory and all its subdirectories. So if you had folders within folders, you'd see them all.
It still does that in iOS 15.4, only now you have the option to collapse and hide subfolders, and it will remember your preference. You can then uncollapse them whenever you need to dig deeper.
11. Scan Text in Notes and Reminders More Easily
Live Text is now easier to work with in the Notes and Reminders apps. Before, you would have to long-press on the area where you wanted to scan and input text from a physical document, then select the Live Text icon to get started. Now, you place the cursor where you want, tap the camera icon in the toolbar, and choose "Scan Text."
12. Notify When Run in Shortcuts Automation
Shortcuts is great for automating tasks, but it comes with a lot of unnecessary notifications that can make the experience visually interruptive. While iOS 15.4 doesn't solve all of the notification problems in Shortcuts, it does for certain automations (not to be confused with regular shortcuts).
Now, instead of seeing the "Running your automation" alert, you won't see anything, making the automation more of a background process like you'd want it to be. The setting is per automation, so you can keep the alerts with any automation you want. Check out our full article on blocking "Running your automation" notifications for automation to see how it all works.
- Full Guide: How to Block Annoying 'Running Your Automation' Notifications for Shortcuts on Your iPhone
Before and after. Notice it does not remove "Tap to respond" alerts.
Before and after. Notice it does not remove "Tap to respond" alerts.
13. New Glyphs for Shortcuts Actions
If you use Shortcuts a lot, you'll notice new glyph icons for many actions. There are nearly 50 icon updates in the Scripting section alone that are either completely different or have minor tweaks, such as a new color or alternative icon design. For example, all of the Calculator actions have individual icons instead of just having them all be the Calculator app icon.
Action glyphs in iOS 15.3.1 (left) vs. iOS 15.4 (right).
Action glyphs in iOS 15.3.1 (left) vs. iOS 15.4 (right).
14. Reminders Tag Support for Shortcuts
Another small but important change in Shortcuts is tag support for the Reminders app. Now, you can add, remove, or search for reminder tags in shortcuts and automations.
15. Up Next Display Choices
If you save TV shows and movies to Up Next in the Apple TV app, you may have noticed that it displays the poster art for all unplayed shows and still frames from where you left on in-progress titles. If you don't like those still frames, you can go to Settings –> TV –> Up Next Display, a new menu, and choose "Poster Art" over "Still Frame."
Still frames (left) vs. poster art (right) for in-progress titles.
Still frames (left) vs. poster art (right) for in-progress titles.
16. Better Apple Wallet Security on Lock Screen
Previously, when you would open the Apple Pay and Apple Wallet interface using the double-click gesture on the Side or Home button, all of your payment cards and loyalty cards would show up right away. To improve security, Apple now requires you to use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode before showing you any cards.
17. Sorting Filters in Podcasts
The Podcasts app gets a small but important update in iOS 15.4 that provides sorting capabilities for podcasts. When a podcast has multiple seasons, whether in your library or not, you'll see a season selector to choose the one you want. Then, you can filter seasons for podcasts in your library by all episodes, unplayed, downloaded, saved, and played.
18. Improved Magnifier Camera Picker
When you have the "Camera" control added to the Magnifier app's interface, tapping it would make you choose between "Front" and "Back" cameras. Now, tapping it switches the camera automatically on iPhone models without telephoto or macro lenses.
On an iPhone 13 or 13 Pro model, tapping it gives you "Auto," "Close-up," and "Front" choices. Auto works with the wide and telephoto lenses, Close-up uses the ultra-wide camera's macro abilities, and Front uses the selfie camera. Auto's icon is a regular camera, Close-up's is a flower (it used to be a leaf), and Front's is a camera with arrows chasing each other in a circle (it used to be a profile icon).
19. Warning Message During AirTag Setup
On Feb. 10, 2022, Apple issued a statement about bad actors misusing AirTags to track and stalk people instead of personal belongings. In it, Apple announced a few upcoming software updates to dissuade malicious and criminal use of AirTags, and iOS 15.4 seems to be one of those updates.
Now, whenever you set up an AirTag for the first time in Find My, you'll see a different message after naming it. Instead of just saying that the AirTag will be registered to your Apple ID, it states:
AirTag is intended solely to track items that belong to you.
Using AirTag to track people without their consent is a crime in many regions around the world.
AirTag is designed to be detected by victims and to enable law enforcement to request identifying information about the owner.
20. Updated 'Me' Tab in Find My
Before iOS 15.4, the "Me" tab in the Find My app had an "Item Safety Alerts" switch. Disabling it would turn it off and prompt the user with: "The owner of an unknown item will be able to see your location and you will no longer receive notifications when an unknown item is found moving with you."
That switch is gone in iOS 15.4, and it's replaced with "Customize Find My Notifications" and "Customize Tracking Notifications" links. The former takes you to Settings –> Notifications –> Find My, while the latter leads to a new Settings –> Notifications –> Tracking Notifications menu item.
Find My's "Me" tab in iOS 15.3.1 (left) vs. iOS 15.4 (right).
Find My's "Me" tab in iOS 15.3.1 (left) vs. iOS 15.4 (right).
21. Customizable Tracking Notifications for Find My
Expanding on the feature above, you now have control over what used to be the "Item Safety Alerts" switch in Find My. You can get to the setting from the "Me" tab in Find My or via Settings –> Notifications –> Tracking Notifications. However, whenever you change anything in Tracking Notifications, no warning pops up like it did when disabling the "Item Safety Alerts" switch before iOS 15.4. That may change in future updates.
22. Apple Card Widget
If you have an Apple Card, iOS 15.4 gives you a widget to quickly glance at your balance, available credit, and spending activity. You can add it to the Today View or Home Screen.
23. Tap to Pay
If you sell goods, Tap to Pay in iOS 15.4 makes it much easier to accept more payment types. Before, you had to rely on third-party accessories to accept debit and credit card payments on your iPhone. Now, anyone with an iPhone X or newer that registers in the Apple Business Register can accept card payments in person without any accessories.
Even better, it can also accept in-person payments made with Apple Pay and other NFC-compatible digital wallets like Google Pay and Samsung Pay. A third-party payment processing provider like Stripe or Shopify is needed, so Tap to Pay is a behind-the-scenes feature until one of those providers adds support.
Apple
Apple
Apple
Apple
24. Discover Audio Content Easier in News
If you're an Apple News subscriber, you can find more audio content to listen to in the Today and Audio tabs. For instance, you may see Editor's Picks in the Audio tab, "Preview Audio" buttons in the Today feed for non-subscribers, and other changes.
25. Dialog HTML Element Support in Safari
Chrome, Edge, and Firefox all have support for the HTML
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