Alongside the macOS 13.3 beta that came out this week, Apple has provided a beta of new 16.4 firmware that's designed for the Studio Display.
All Studio Display models are able to receive over-the-air firmware updates, but this firmware update is limited to Macs that are running the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta at the current time. Studio Display owners running macOS Ventura 13.3 can go to System Settings > Software Update to install the firmware.
Apple has not provided details on what's included in the firmware update.
Apple today seeded the first beta of macOS Ventura 13.3 to its public beta testing group, letting the general public test out the features ahead of the software's release. The public beta comes one day after Apple provided the beta to developers.
Public beta testers can download the macOS 13.3 Ventura update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.
Like iOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3 adds support for new emoji characters that include shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, fan, comb, flute, maracas, left hand, and right hand.
It also supports updating to the new HomeKit architecture that Apple has reintroduced after the update was pulled from iOS 16.2.
The Messages app now supports content previews for shared Mastodon links, and there are new options in Shortcuts for creating workflows that include Siri notification announcements.
Apple says that macOS Ventura 13.3 will be released in the spring, a timeline that ranges from March 20 to June 20.
Apple this week released the trailer for its upcoming thriller film "Tetris," inspired by the true story of how the video game became a worldwide sensation. The film will be available to stream on Apple TV+ around the world starting March 31.
"Tetris" stars Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, who traveled to the Soviet Union in 1989 and resolved a rights dispute that ultimately led to Nintendo licensing Tetris for the Game Boy console and the game becoming a smash hit globally.
"Based on a true story, 'Tetris' is a Cold War–era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes and a nail-biting race to the finish," said Apple. The film is directed by Jon S. Baird based on a script written by Noah Pink.
Apple TV+ costs $6.99 per month or $69 annually following a price increase last year. The streaming service is available in the Apple TV app across several devices and platforms, including but not limited to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV box, PS5, Xbox Series X, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming sticks, and select smart TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio. Apple TV+ content can also be streamed on the web at tv.apple.com.
You can get Apple's AirPods Pro 2 for $199.99 today on Amazon, down from $249.00. This remains the best price on the accessory that we've seen so far in 2023, and Amazon estimates a delivery date as soon as February 20 for Prime customers.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple's AirPods Pro 2 earphones feature better noise-canceling technology than the previous generation, improved Transparency mode, and an H2 chip. Overall, the earphones are similar in design to the original AirPods Pro, featuring a rounded design with silicone ear tips and a short stem.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
Apple today seeded the first beta of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to public beta testers, opening the beta testing process up to the general public. Today's betas come one day after Apple provided the betas to developers.
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's free beta testing program can download the iOS 16.4 beta over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website.
This is the last beta that will use certificates in this way as future beta updates will be linked to an Apple ID for both developers and public beta testers.
The iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates add a number of new emoji characters, including shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, fan, comb, flute, maracas, and left and right facing hand options.
Safari Web Push notifications are available, but web developers will need to add support. With this feature, you can add a website to your Home Screen and the website can send you push notifications, just like on the Mac. These notifications behave like any other iOS notification and can be filtered out with Focus mode, delivered on Apple Watch, and more
There's a new add to Home Screen option for third-party browsers so you can add a favorite Chrome site directly to your Home Screen, plus the HomeKit architecture upgrade that was pulled from iOS 16.2 is now available again.
Apple has made minor tweaks to the Podcasts app, Apple Music app, and the AppleCare coverage interface, plus there are new Shortcuts, 5G connectivity in Turkey, an option to add an always-on display filter to Focus more, and more. Full details on everything new can be found in our dedicated iOS 16.4 guide.
Earlier this week, Apple held its annual AI summit for employees at the Steve Jobs Theater, the first fully live in-person event at the company's Apple Park headquarters since the pre-COVID era. The latest AI summit comes at a time of great excitement surrounding the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot and Google's recent announcement that it is releasing its own LaMDA-powered AI chatbot, called Bard.
Google is adding the technology behind Bard to the Google search engine to enable complex queries to be distilled into digestible answers, and Microsoft is expected to follow a similar path by integrating ChatGPT into Bing Search. AI image generation tools such as DALL-E 2 have also captured public interest in recent months, alongside the technology's potential for music creation, video editing, and more.
In February last year, Apple purchased an AI start-up focused on auto-generated music, but the company is publicly missing from the current race to innovate in the generative AI space. We look at where Apple may have advantages that it could leverage for AI, potential integrations in features like Siri and Spotlight search, and where we could see the first Apple generative AI tools emerge.
If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our in-depth discussion about the rumored "iPhone Ultra" model that could emerge next year with Andru Edwards.
Apple Maps now offers cycling navigation in Germany, allowing users across the country to receive turn-by-turn directions while riding a bike.
Apple Maps offers cycling directions along bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly roads as much as possible, complete with details like elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along a route. On the Apple Watch, voice guidance and haptic feedback make it easier for users to stay focused on the path ahead.
As noted by German blog Macerkopf, Apple Maps has also rolled out its "Detailed City Experience" to Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. The revamped experience offers more detailed road markings, additional custom-designed 3D models of landmarks, and more.
Apple Maps cycling directions are also available across the United States, China, and Japan, as well as in select major cities around the world, such as London, Barcelona, and Toronto. Apple continues to play catch up with Google Maps, which began rolling out cycling directions in 2010 and now offers the feature in over 30 countries.
Logitech today launched a big sale on select accessories at Best Buy, including solid deals on speakers, mice, and keyboards. These prices are only available through Best Buy, and the deal prices should last through the end of the weekend.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You can find every item on sale by visiting Best Buy, and we've also highlighted select accessories in the lists below. The event mainly focuses on mice and keyboard deals, including a few Apple-specific items like the MX Keys Mini Bluetooth Scissor Keyboard that was built for iPad and other Apple devices.
Google allegedly pays Apple a portion of all search revenue from Chrome for iOS in what appears to be a non-compete deal, The Register reports.
According to a source said to be familiar with the matter who spoke to The Register, Google has been paying Apple a portion of search revenue generated by Chrome users on iOS in return for being the default search provider in Safari and other commercial benefits. The relationship between Apple and Google is an ongoing area of scrutiny for the U.S. Justice Department and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which are apparently looking into the secretive search revenue sharing deal.
Google pays Apple around $15 billion annually to ensure that its search engine is the default option on Apple devices, but the latest news that Google is purportedly paying Apple for searches in Chrome for iOS as part of a search revenue sharing deal is a new development. The revenue sharing agreement is said to be known about in detail by only a small number of people. The amount Google is paying Apple and the wider terms of the deal have been redacted from CMA reports.
Apple does not provide any obvious value to users seeking to use Google Search within Google Chrome for iOS. As a result, the CMA is concerned that the payments are designed to discourage Apple from competing with Google with its own search engine, which would have major ramifications for Google's business model.
The arrangement was first alluded to publicly in an antitrust lawsuit filed on December 27, 2021 in San Francisco. In an amended PDF from March 2022 related to the lawsuit, the complaint alleges that Apple has been paid for the profits it would have made if it had competed with Google, minus the challenges and costs of actually doing so:
20. Because more than half of Google's search business was conducted through Apple devices, Apple was a major potential threat to Google, and that threat was designated by Google as "Code Red." 21. Google paid billions of dollars to Apple and agreed to share its profits with Apple to eliminate the threat and fear of Apple as a competitor. 22. Google viewed the aspect of Apple as a potential competitor to be "Code Red." 23. If Apple became a competitor in the search business, Google would have lost half of its business.
Apple and Google are seeking a dismissal for the case on account of lack of evidence of a horizontal agreement between the two companies, but the CMA's investigation now seems to suggest that such an agreement does exist.
This may explain why Apple has been reluctant to launch a rival search engine or develop Safari to the point of becoming a credible challenger to Chrome on macOS, according to The Register. Likewise, Google would be disincentivized from pushing Apple to allow a non-WebKit version of Chrome for iOS.
The result is a situation where Apple and Google see substantial benefits in maintaining each others' dominance. This division of the market is said to be "per se illegal" under U.S. antitrust laws and is likely to come under fire as more information emerges.
Telegram Messenger this week released a new update for iPhone and iPad that adds a new chat translation feature, network usage statistics, new emoji features, and more.
Telegram channels have become very popular with groups of various nationalities and languages, and with the arrival of Telegram v9.4.2, if you're a Premium user, it's now possible to translate entire chats in real time as you scroll them or receive new messages.
If you administrate your own groups, this update means you can now control whether group members can send nine different types, like Photos, Voice, and Video Messages. It's also now possible to quickly create group and profile pictures from animated emoji and stickers with a new Set Emoji option.
Elsewhere, there's a new Network Usage section in Settings that allows you to check how much of your data was spent on Telegram, and it's now possible to adjust which media should be automatically saved to your Camera Roll from chats, based on size, type, and source.
As for what's new in the world of emoji: There are new emoji and sticker filters like "love" and "celebration" to help you quickly find the ones you want, and premium users can check out trending emoji packs in the emoji panel and zoom in on individual emoji.
AirTag competitor Tile today announced a new Anti-Theft Mode for Tile tracking devices, which is designed to make Tile accessories undetectable by the anti-stalking Scan and Secure feature.
Scan and Secure is a security measure that Tile implemented in order to allow iPhone and Android users to scan for and detect nearby Tile devices to keep them from being used for stalking purposes. Unfortunately, Scan and Secure undermines the anti-theft capabilities of the Tile because a stolen device's Tile can be located and removed, something also possible with similar security features added for AirTags.
Tile's Anti-Theft Mode disables Scan and Secure so a Tile tracking device will not be able to be located by a person who does not own the tracker. To prevent stalking with Anti-Theft Mode, Tile says that customers must register using multi-factor identification and agree to stringent usage terms, which include a $1 million fine if the device ends up being used to track a person without their consent.
The Anti-Theft Mode option is meant to make it easier to locate stolen items by preventing thieves from knowing an item is being tracked. Tile points out that in addition to Anti-Theft Mode, its trackers do not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them, making them more useful for tracking stolen items than AirTags. Apple has added alerts for nearby AirTags to prevent AirTags from being used for tracking people.
Unlike other Bluetooth trackers on the market, namely AirTags, Tile does not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them. These proactive notifications can communicate to thieves that a tracker is on the stolen item, allowing them to remove it and making recovering the item less likely. Some competitor products go as far as to issue an audible beep once the tracker has been separated from its owner, making it clear that a tracker is present and enabling thieves to find it with precision. The proactive notifications found in the Bluetooth tracker industry were designed to prevent stalking; however, these anti-stalking measures have been criticized for being insufficient for victim protection. Instead, these alerts have the possibility of making Bluetooth trackers easily identifiable by thieves.
Enabling Anti-Theft mode will require users to link a government-issued ID card to their Tile account, submitting to an "advanced ID verification process" that uses a biometric scan to detect fake IDs.
The ID sync is meant to deter people from using Tile trackers for stalking or other nefarious purposes. Tile says that any individual convicted of using Tile devices to illegally track another individual without their consent will be fined $1 million, wording that is in the Tile terms of service. Tile says it is also taking a "highly collaborative stance" with law enforcement, and users who turn on Anti-Theft Mode acknowledge that their personal information "can and will" be shared with law enforcement officials in cases of suspected stalking.
Tile claims that these usage terms are "progressive safety measures" that will protect people from being stalked with Tile devices.
Anti-Theft Mode is rolling out to Tile users starting today, and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.
With the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple is planning to adopt a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port in order to comply with regulatory changes that are being introduced in Europe. The USB-C port has been widely rumored at this point, but a first look at the actual iPhone 15 Pro chassis with included USB-C port was today provided to MacRumors and later shared on Twitter by leaker Unknownz21.
It's not hard to imagine what a USB-C port on an iPhone looks like as a replacement for a Lightning port because Apple already uses USB-C ports for iPads and Macs, but it is always interesting to get a look at leaked components. In addition to confirming a USB-C port for the iPhone 15 Pro, the image also provides the first glimpse at the tweaked curves rumored for the device.
Apple is expected to make some minor design updates to the iPhone 15 Pro chassis, adding a deeper curve that's visible in the leaked image. The company is also rumored to be transitioning to a titanium material instead of stainless steel, and the brushed metal of the device does look like it has a titanium finish.
With the transition to USB-C, Apple is planning to replace the E75 Lightning Controller with an E85 Port Controller, according to Unknownz21.
Note that while it is the iPhone 15 Pro shown with a USB-C port, the port update is coming to the entire iPhone 15 lineup, including the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The design refinements will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Apple today released the iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, watchOS 9.4, and tvOS 16.4 updates to developers after a three week wait for new beta content. The software adds a number of new features, ranging from fresh emoji characters to web push notifications on iOS devices.
iOS 16.4 and its sister updates include new Unicode 15 emoji characters that were first approved in September 2022. The new emoji options include shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, fan, comb, flute, maracas, and a number of left and right facing hand options.
This is a feature that Apple first announced at WWDC with the introduction of iOS 16, and it is now ready to start rolling out. Web apps added to a user's home screen can request permission to receive push notifications through a "subscribe" button or another similar direct interaction.
As on the Mac, the iPhone or iPad will prompt the user to give the web app permission to send notifications, and the notifications can be managed on a per web app basis in the Notifications section of the Settings app. Notifications from web apps work exactly like notifications from other apps, showing up on the Lock Screen, in Notification Center, and on a paired Apple Watch.
Note that to receive push notifications for a website, you will need to add it to the Home Screen. Web developers also must implement support for this feature, so it may not be working on iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 right away.
Focus Support for Web Push Notifications
Notifications for Home Screen web apps can be incorporated into Focus, so they can be rolled into Daily Summaries and there are options for configuring where and how to receive the web notifications.
Users who add the same web app to their Home Screen on more than one iPhone or iPad will see Focus mode automatically apply to all of them.
Badges for Home Screen Web Apps
Web apps added to the Home Screen can display badges to make users aware of alerts and notifications, similar to badges for regular apps. Badges are shown after a user gives permission to allow notifications, with web apps displaying the current badge count.
Add to Home Screen for Third-Party Browsers
Third-party browsers like Chrome can now let users add websites and web apps to the Home Screen from the Share menu.
Beta Opt-In Changes
With the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 betas, those who are enrolled in Apple's developer program are able to turn on developer betas directly from the Software Update section in the Settings app.
This will eliminate the need to install a profile from the Developer Center in order to get developer betas, simplifying the beta downloading process. There is also an option for public beta testers as well who want to install updates with less hassle.
Note that this will put an end to the public sharing of developer beta profiles as installing a developer beta will require each person to be signed into an Apple ID linked to a developer account.
In the Software Update section of the Home app, iPhone and iPad users who have not yet upgraded to the new architecture are seeing a "Home Upgrade Available" option after updating to iOS 16.4.
The new HomeKit architecture is meant to improve the reliability and efficiency of communication between smart home accessories and Apple devices.
The initial launch caused some HomeKit devices to go missing from HomeKit setups or to be stuck with a "configuring/updating" status. It also resulted in invitations to share the Home with others failing, and it broke HomeKit Secure video recording for some.
Podcasts
Apple made several updates to the Podcasts app. Channels access is available in the Library section, and Up Next now lets you resume episodes, start saved episodes, and remove episodes you want to skip.
For CarPlay, there's now an option to pick up where you left off on a podcast with Up Next, or find new podcast options in Browse.
Apple Music App Profile
There's now a prominent button for accessing your profile in the Apple Music app, which makes it easier to get to profile settings.
AppleCare Coverage Overview
In the Settings app, there's now an updated "Coverage" interface that shows you the warranty information of your iPhone and connected devices like Apple Watches and AirPods.
Shortcuts
There are options in Shortcuts for creating workflows that lock a device's screen and control the always-on display, plus there is an option to automatically enable or disable Stage Manager on the iPad. Apple has also added an option to have Siri announce Notifications as an action that can be incorporated into a Shortcut.
Content Previews for Mastodon in Messages
When you send a link to a Mastodon post to someone in the Messages app, it now displays a preview of the content that was shared rather than simply a link with an image.
5G for Turkey
5G support has been enabled in Turkey with iOS 16.4.
Tips User Guides
The Tips app now displays user guides for the iPhone and other devices that you might use with an iPhone, including Apple Watch, AirPods, and HomePod. In previous versions of iOS, the Tips app only offered up the iPhone User Guide.
Focus Mode
There's an always-on display filter that can be enabled for a Focus mode.
5G Standalone Support for T-Mobile
5G iPhone owners who use T-Mobile can turn on a new 5G option that allows them to connect to the carrier's 5G Standalone network.
As 9to5Mac points out, the 5G Standalone network from T-Mobile launched last November and is expected to allow for connection speeds up to 3Gb/s on Samsung smartphones. T-Mobile could soon expand the faster connectivity option to other devices like the iPhone.
More Granular Timing on Satellite Availability for Emergency SOS
For the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, Apple will now inform users of when the next satellite will be passing by in more detail. Apple used to provide an "Available Soon" and Available in X amount of time options for the feature, but now will give specific hour and minute timelines.
Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s) and [x]Minute(s)
Next Satellite Available in [x]Hour(s)
Next Satellite Available in [x]Minute(s)
Next Satellite Available in Less Than 1 Minute
Apple Card High-Yield Savings Account
The iOS 16.4 update lays the groundwork for the high-yield savings account for Apple Card owners, which Apple announced back in October. Code in iOS 16.4 has references to routing and account numbers, current balance, interest earned, data management, funds available for withdrawal, and more.
Apple will encourage customers to sign up for a savings account by providing a message that says "Transfer your Apple Cash balance to your savings account and start earning interest today" and "You can transfer up to [amount] from Apple Cash to your savings account in a single transaction and start earning interest today.
As with the Apple Card, the high-yield savings account will be offered through Goldman Sachs. Apple Card owners will be able to opt-in to having their Daily Cash deposited automatically so that it can earn interest. The savings account could be introduced alongside iOS 16.4, but it is not yet available in the Wallet app.
Launch Date
iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 will be released in the spring, according to Apple. Spring begins on March 20 and lasts through June 20.
Multiple rumors have indicated that there are a handful of design changes that are coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and to demonstrate what we might see, Ian Zelbo has created a series of renders that were shared by 9to5Mac.
With the iPhone 15 lineup, a USB-C port will be added to all iPhone 15 models in lieu of the Lightning port. Based on the renders, the port won't look significantly different, but there may be some changes to the speaker holes at the bottom.
The iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have somewhat thinner bezels than than the iPhone 14 Pro models, plus there is a minor change to the curve of the edges. The frame is slightly more curved and the glass curves into the edges, a subtle but noticeable tweak.
Zelbo's renders suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro camera bump will be thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro camera bump, with the lenses expected to be thicker as well. The layout is generally the same, and it is worth noting that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to get a unique periscope lens that will not be available on other iPhone 15 models.
With rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro models will transition to solid state buttons rather than physical buttons for the volume and power controls, we can expect some design changes. The renders do not appear to have the finished buttons included, as they are based on "early CAD drawings" likely sourced from Apple suppliers.
Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro models will look similar to the iPhone 14 Pro models based on these renders, but there will be some notable design updates that refine the look of the devices. For more on what to expect from the iPhone 15 Pro models, we have a dedicated roundup with all of the rumors.
Apple is preparing to release a new high-yield savings account option for Apple Card users, based on code that was found in the iOS 16.4 beta. The update lays the groundwork for the feature, which was announced in October.
Since Apple announced plans for a high-yield savings account for the Apple Card, it has not made any additional information available, including details on a launch. iOS 16.4 lays the groundwork for the feature, so it could be available alongside the iOS 16.4 release.
Code in iOS 16.4 has references to routing and account numbers, current balance, interest earned, data management, funds available for withdrawal, and more.
Apple will encourage customers to sign up for a savings account by providing a message that says "Transfer your Apple Cash balance to your savings account and start earning interest today" and "You can transfer up to [amount] from Apple Cash to your savings account in a single transaction and start earning interest today.
As with the Apple Card, the high-yield savings account will be offered through Goldman Sachs. Apple Card owners will be able to opt-in to having their Daily Cash deposited automatically so that it can earn interest.
Apple has not yet provided the APR for the savings account that will be made available to Apple Card owners, and there is no mention in the code. There are also no signs of the savings account in the Wallet app as of yet.
The savings account and Daily Cash will be able to be managed through the Wallet app alongside the Apple Card.
The iOS 16.4 beta that Apple provided to developers today appears to reintroduce the HomeKit architecture update that was pulled from iOS 16.2 due to a wide range of HomeKit bugs that it added.
In the Software Update section of the Home app, iPhone and iPad users who have not yet upgraded to the new architecture are seeing a "Home Upgrade Available" option after updating to iOS 16.4.
There were signs that the HomeKit architecture would be reintroduced in iOS 16.4 as early as January, as Apple has been working on it behind the scenes for some time now. Apple has prepared an updated version of the update, presumably with fewer bugs that will impact HomeKit users.
The new HomeKit architecture is meant to improve the reliability and efficiency of communication between smart home accessories and Apple devices, and it is something that Apple has been developing since iOS 16 was announced at WWDC in June 2022.
The initial launch caused some HomeKit devices to go missing from HomeKit setups or to be stuck with a "configuring/updating" status. It also resulted in invitations to share the Home with others failing, and it broke HomeKit Secure Video recording for some.
With the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 betas, those who are enrolled in Apple's developer program are able to turn on developer betas directly from the Software Update section in the Settings app.
This will eliminate the need to install a profile from the Developer Center in order to get developer betas, simplifying the beta downloading process. There is also an option for public beta testers as well who want to install updates with less hassle.
Under a new Beta Updates section, iPhone and iPad users can opt to enroll in the iOS 16 Developer Beta or the iOS 16 Public Beta track. Those who were already enrolled in a beta will have these options toggled on automatically.
Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings. This new option will be automatically enabled on devices already enrolled in the program that update to the latest beta release. Your iPhone or iPad must be signed in with the same Apple ID you used to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in order to see this option in Settings. In future iOS and iPadOS releases, this new setting will be the way to enable developer betas and configuration profiles will no longer grant access.
Note that to receive developer betas, a Developer Program Membership is required, and to use this feature, the iPhone or iPad must be signed in with the same Apple ID used to enroll in the Apple Developer Program.
The iOS 16.4 beta that was released today introduces new Unicode 15 emoji characters, adding new emoji options for the first time in more than a year.
New emoji characters include shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, flute, maracas, black bird, and more.
These new emoji options were first proposed in July 2022 and then were released in the new Unicode standard in September 2022. It often takes Apple several months to implement new emoji characters because the company's designers need to create the icons based on the information provided by the Unicode Consortium.
The emoji characters are available in the iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 betas, which can be downloaded by developers. Apple will likely make a public beta available in the near future, but it will likely be several weeks before the software updates see an official release.
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Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
