MacRumors

With iPadOS 16.4, Apple added new functionality to the Apple Pencil hover function, introducing tilt and azimuth support. The updated hover feature is designed to allow artists to view a mark at any angle before it's actually made, making the iPad more useful than ever for drawing.

Apple Director of Input Experience Leslie Ikemoto and Apple Director of Platform Product Marketing Stephen Tonna spoke with TechCrunch about the hover update. Using Procreate as an example, Ikemoto said that users can now see exactly where a mark will appear when the Apple Pencil is set on the display.

"If you look at Procreate, they have the pencil brush, which is small and thin when you're perpendicular to the display. With Tilt and Azimuth, Procreate can render an exact outline of the mark that you're going to make when you set down your pencil brush, and that's a huge accelerator for their users.

Tonna said that Apple is "always listening to customer feedback" and also "building things our customers didn't even think of." The ‌Apple Pencil‌ team also uses what it builds, participating in "Inktober" every October. All of the team will draw and paint during the month, even those without notable artistic skill.

The new hover functionality works in native Apple features like Markup, as well as in third-party apps like Procreate. "We wanted hover to be as easy to adapt as possible," said Ikemoto, which is why hover was designed to use APIs that had already been used for the Magic Keyboard Trackpad. This allows hover to work automatically for any app that already supported UI pointer interaction, with further refinement possible through the UI hover gesture recognizer.

For those unfamiliar with hover, it is an M2 iPad Pro exclusive feature. It allows an ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2 to be held up to 12 millimeters above the ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ for a more seamless transition when stopping and starting on a digital canvas.

More information about Apple's perspective on hover can be found in TechCrunch's full interview.

The iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS 13.3, and watchOS 9.4 updates add a long list of new actions and improvements to the dedicated Shortcuts app that is available on Apple's iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.

There's now a Find Books action for locating content in the Books app, along with an Intercom action for sending announcements to HomePods in your home through iOS devices. There are dedicated actions for activating always-on display on supported devices, and on the Mac, there are options for logging out and putting a Mac to sleep.

• Find Books searches your library for books or PDFs matching a given title, author, genre, purchase date, or content type on iOS and macOS
• Intercom broadcasts announcements to your home on iOS and watchOS
• Set VPN connects, disconnects, or sets the On Demand setting for any VPN on iOS and macOS
• Set AirDrop Receiving sets the AirDrop Receiving preference to Everyone, Contacts Only, or Nobody on iOS and macOS
• Set Stage Manager enables or disables and changes the settings for ‌Stage Manager‌ on iPadOS and macOS
• Set Announce Notifications toggles the Announce Notifications setting on iOS and watchOS
• Set Silence Unknown Callers toggles the Silence Unknown Callers setting on iOS
• Set Night Shift and Set True Tone toggle the display settings on iOS and macOS
• Set Always-On Display toggles the Always-On Display on supported iOS devices
• Find Apps finds and filters apps installed on macOS
• Find Displays finds and filters displays on macOS
• Shut Down, Restart, and Lock Display are now available on iOS and macOS
• Log Out, Sleep and Put Display to Sleep are now available on macOS

Several actions have also been updated. Find Photos, for example, can be used to find screen recordings, and the Get Device action can now show the OS build number.

• Move Window now allows moving a window to a display on macOS
• Ask for Input has a new "Allow Multiple Lines" option, which can be disabled for single-line text input
• Find ‌Photos‌ can now find screen recordings
• Find Contacts now filters by birthday more accurately
• Get Device Details can now get the OS build number
• Get Device Details now rounds numbers, including the current battery level, volume, and brightness, to remove unnecessary decimal digits
• Set Playback Destination now works when run from Siri
• Play Music once again resumes currently playing music if no music is passed as input
• Run AppleScript can now produce dictionaries as output from AppleScript records
• Nothing now produces a variable with zero items, instead of producing no variable at all
• Repeat can now be set to run 0 times

These actions and updated action options can be found in the Shortcuts app on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watch models running iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, and watchOS 9.4, respectively.

The iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, and tvOS 16.4 updates add support for the PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge Wireless Controller, allowing it to be used with Apple devices.

Though it launched in January, Apple devices have not supported the new PlayStation controller until now, with a number of PlayStation users complaining about a lack of support just last month.

Sony introduced the DualSense Edge back in October. It is designed to be "ultra-customizable," featuring standard, high dome, and low dome caps, half dome back buttons, and lever back buttons so pro gamers can swap out their controls.

The buttons on the back are a new addition compared to the standard DualSense, as are the updated joysticks and trigger buttons. The controller also supports profiles with preset controls for different games. Priced at $199 in the United States, the controller includes a braided USB-C cable, a connector housing, and a dedicated carrying case. It is similar to the Xbox Elite 2 Wireless Controller.

The iOS 16.4 update that was released today fleshes out the built-in order tracking function that's available in the Wallet app for purchases made using Apple Pay.

There's now a dedicated Home Screen widget for tracking orders placed with ‌Apple Pay‌, and an updated Apple support document clarifies that it is also possible to share order tracking options with others using the Share button.

Orders can be sent using Messages, email, and other apps, allowing you to share tracking with friends and family.

Apple added ‌Apple Pay‌ order tracking to the Wallet app with iOS 16, but it is limited to participating merchants.

iOS 16.4 is available as of today on all devices capable of running iOS 16.

iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS 13.3 were released today with several new features for Apple's Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and CarPlay.

First, a new Channels menu in the Podcasts app provides a list of podcast channels all in one place on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A channel allows a creator or brand to list all of their podcasts in one place for listeners to easily discover.

Second, the Up Next queue now includes episodes listeners have saved to their Library and episodes that they play from shows they do not follow:

For example, when a listener plays an episode of a show before deciding to follow it, that episode will now remain in Up Next until the listener finishes it, marks it as played, or removes it. New episodes from followed shows and recently saved episodes will appear at the top of the Up Next queue while episodes that listeners have started and older saved episodes will appear toward the end. The latest episodes from recently followed shows appear at the start of Up Next. Also, episodes categorized with a "bonus" episode type will appear in Up Next.

Users also have more tools to manage Up Next. For example, they can touch and hold a show's artwork to remove it from the queue.

Third, users are now able to view how many unplayed episodes are available for them at the top of each show page, identify "early access" subscriber episodes that are made available to them as part of their Apple Podcasts subscriptions, and more.

Fourth, iOS 16.4 includes Podcasts app improvements for CarPlay, including access to the Up Next and Recently Played queues from Listen Now in CarPlay. And in the Browse tab, there are now editorially curated podcast recommendations.

More details can be found in the "What's new for Apple Podcasts" post on Apple's website.

The watchOS 9.4 update that came out today has a hidden feature that is designed to allow you to delete built-in apps directly from the Apple Watch. Apple did not mention this function in the release notes for the update, but a support document on deleting built-in apps from various devices has been updated.

According to Apple, the following apps can be deleted from the Apple Watch if you are running watchOS 9.4 or later:

• Activity
• Depth
• Emergency Siren
• Find My
• Heart Rate
• Maps
• Wallet
• Workout
• World Clock

Prior to watchOS 9.4, you could remove an app from your Apple Watch by removing it from your iPhone, but the app needed to be deleted from both devices. With watchOS 9.4, you can delete an app like Activity or Maps on your Apple Watch, leaving it intact on the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple warns that deleting built-in apps can affect core device functionality. If you delete the Heart Rate app, for example, the Apple Watch is not able to send high heart rate, low heart rate, irregular rhythm, and cardio fitness notifications.

Apple has come under fire for requiring that its apps be installed on ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and Apple Watch devices, so it has been implementing tools for deleting the apps over the last several years. iOS 14 in particular added support for deleting a wide variety of built-in apps, which is useful for those who prefer to use third-party alternatives.

Alongside the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates, Apple today released iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4, which is available to those using older devices that are not able to be upgraded to the latest software. It is important for those with an older iPhone or iPad to download the software as soon as possible, because it includes important security fixes.

According to Apple's release notes for the security update, it addresses a long list of vulnerabilities, including a WebKit vulnerability that was known to be actively exploited. From Apple's security support document:

Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Note that those running iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 do not need to worry about this exploit as it was previously fixed in iOS 16.3.1. The update also fixes other WebKit vulnerabilities that were not actively exploited, plus it fixes security issues with Calendar, Camera, Find My, and more.

iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4 are available for all ‌iPhone‌ 6s models, all ‌iPhone‌ 7 models, the first-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE, the iPad Air 2, the fourth-generation iPad mini, and the seventh-generation iPod touch.

As planned, Apple today expanded Emergency SOS via Satellite to Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal. In a press release, Apple said the feature requires the iOS 16.4 update released today to function in these countries.

Emergency SOS via Satellite enables iPhone 14 models to connect to Globalstar satellites in countries where the feature is available, allowing users to send text messages to emergency service dispatchers when outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. The service is free to use for two years after activating an iPhone 14, and this two-year period will begin today for users in the newly supported countries.

With iOS 16.4, Apple says a user dialing a local emergency number in the newly supported countries will automatically be redirected to 112, the European emergency number, in the event that the call fails due to no cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

In a support document, Apple warns that foliage or other obstructions can result in messages taking longer to send or failing to send, and satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska.

Emergency SOS via Satellite first launched in November in the U.S. and Canada and requires an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. The service expanded to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December. iPhone users should read Apple's support document for important details about the service.

Alongside the macOS Ventura 13.3 update, Apple has released new 16.4 firmware that's designed for the Studio Display.

The Studio Display firmware can be updated by connecting it to a Mac. Studio Display owners can go to System Preferences > Software Update to install the firmware.

According to Apple's release notes, the Studio Display Firmware Update 16.4 adds support for in-field recalibration of the display using the Pro Display Calibrator. It allows for specific color workflows that may require custom calibration by an in-house spectroradiometer. The update also includes minor stability improvements.

Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.3, the third major update to the macOS Ventura operating system that was released last October. macOS Ventura 13.3 comes two months after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.2, an update that added Security Keys for the Apple ID.

The ‌‌macOS Ventura‌‌ 13.3 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings.

macOS Ventura 13.3 adds new emoji characters that include pea pod, ginger, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, and jellyfish, among others.

There are bug fixes to fix an issue that could cause Trackpad gestures to stop working, along with a number of other small features and tweaks. Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

This update includes new emoji along with other enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.

• 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
• Remove background option in Freeform automatically isolates the subject in your image
• Photos duplicates album expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Transliteration support for Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu keyboards
• New keyboard layouts for Choctaw, Chickasaw, Akan, Hausa, and Yoruba
• Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
• VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
• Resolves an issue where Trackpad gestures may occasionally stop responding
• Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent's device
• Addresses an issue where VoiceOver may be unresponsive after using Finder

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

macOS Ventura 13.3 is expected to be one of the last updates to the macOS Ventura operating system as Apple shifts its attention to the next-generation of macOS that's expected this June.

Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID.

iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users due to high demand. Apple has also released iOS 15.7.4 for iPhone users who have older devices, with the update offering security improvements.

iOS 16.4 adds 21 total new emoji characters including shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, and more.

It also includes Safari web notifications for websites added to the Home Screen, Voice Isolation for clearer cellular phone calls, the return of the Apple Books page turning animation, updates to Podcasts, new HomeKit architecture, and a number of other small changes and tweaks. Apple's full notes for the update are below:

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

- 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
- Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
- Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you
- Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
- VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
- Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
- Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent's device
- Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home
- Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 may be some of the last updates that we see to the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 operating systems as Apple shifts its focus to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, software that will be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's expected in June.

Apple today released watchOS 9.4, the fourth major update to the watchOS 9 operating system that first launched last September. watchOS 9.4 comes two months after the release of watchOS 9.3.

watchOS 9.4 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌.

The watchOS 9.4 update adds support for new emoji characters that include donkey, goose, black bird, shaking head, hyacinth, pea pod, and more. The update also introduces a change to wake-up alarms, preventing them from being silenced with the mute gesture to prevent accidental cancellations.

AFib History and Cycle Tracking have been expanded to new countries, with Apple's full release notes for the update below.

watchOS 9.4 includes improvements to Apple Watch and brings features to new regions.

• Wake-up alarms are no longer silenced with cover to mute gesture to avoid accidental cancellations during sleep
• Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates and cycle deviation alerts now supported in Moldova and Ukraine
• AFib History now available in Colombia, Malaysia, Moldova, Thailand, and Ukraine

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

watchOS 9.4 is expected to be one of the last updates to the watchOS operating system as Apple works on transitioning to watchOS 10, expected to be previewed at WWDC in June.

Alongside the iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 updates, Apple has released new 16.4 software created for the HomePod and HomePod mini.

According to Apple's release notes, the update adds stability and performance improvements to the ‌HomePod‌.

‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and ‌Apple TV‌ HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3.

The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌tvOS 16.4 automatically.

tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than outward-facing changes. The 16.4 update adds a Dim Flashing Lights option that is meant to dim the display when there are flashes of light or strobe effects.

This update adds Dim Flashing Lights, an accessibility option to automatically dim the display of video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected, and includes performance and stability improvements.

Apple shares information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.

Verizon today introduced a new all-time low price on the AirPods 3 with Lightning Charging Case, available for $134.99, down from $169.99. This beats the previous record low price on the headphones by $5, and right now only Verizon has the deal.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Additionally, the AirPods 3 with MagSafe Charging Case is down to $144.00 on Verizon, from $179.00. This is the best price we've tracked so far this year on the MagSafe model.

Deals on the AirPods 3 were rare earlier in 2023, but in the past few weeks Verizon has finally kicked off fresh discounts, leading up to today's low prices. Shoppers should remember that you don't need to be a Verizon customer to take advantage of these deals.

Verizon also has the year's best prices on other AirPods models, including the AirPods Pro 2 for $199.99 ($50 off) and the AirPods 2 for $89.99 ($39 off).

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. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple Music Classical is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, March 28. The app is already beginning to roll out for some iPhone users in countries with earlier time zones than the U.S., including Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and others. The rollout will continue around the world as the calendar turns to March 28.

Apple Music Classical became available for pre-order on the App Store earlier this month. The app offers over five million classical music tracks and is free to use with a standard Apple Music subscription on iOS 15.4 and later.

Apple Music‌ Classical is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service that Apple acquired in 2021. The standalone app leverages Primephonic's playlists and audio content, search capabilities, metadata, and more. Apple says the app features thousands of composer biographies, descriptions of key works, and more.

Apple Music Classical is available for the iPhone only at launch, with an Android version of the app coming soon, according to Apple. The app is currently available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Dutch.

Apple originally planned to launch a classical music app in 2022, but the app was not announced until this year. Apple shut down Primephonic in September 2021 and offered subscribers six months of access to Apple Music for free at the time.

Apple recently acquired WaveOne, a California-based startup that was developing AI algorithms for video compression, according to TechCrunch.

Apple did not confirm the acquisition, but former WaveOne executive Bob Stankosh said a "sale of the company to Apple" was finalized earlier this year. In addition, the report notes that WaveOne's website was taken offline around January and that several of the company's employees now work at Apple on various machine learning teams.

WaveOne was working on "content-aware" video compression and decompression algorithms to reduce the size of video files, according to the report:

Leveraging AI-powered scene and object detection, the startup's technology could essentially "understand" a video frame — allowing it to, for example, prioritize faces at the expense of other elements within a scene to save bandwidth.

It's unclear how much Apple paid for WaveOne or when the startup's technologies might be integrated into Apple's software platforms.

Satechi today kicked off a new springtime sale, offering 20 percent off sitewide when entering the code SPRING20 at checkout. This sale is available on all Satechi products sitewide with the exclusion of the new 200W USB-C 6-port GAN charger, and it will last through March 31.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Satechi is known for its wireless chargers, USB-C hubs, keyboards, cables, and other accessories, many of which are compatible with Apple products like the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iMac, and iPhone. We've collected a few examples of the accessories you can buy during this sale below, but remember that the code SPRING20 will work sitewide through March 31.

• 30W USB-C Wall Charger - $24.00, down from $29.99
• USB-C Magnetic Charging Cable for Apple Watch - $32.00, down from $39.99
• 2-in-1 Headphone Stand and Wireless Charger - $64.00, down from $79.99
• Slim X3 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard - $72.00, down from $89.99
• Pro Hub Max - $80.00, down from $99.99
• 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand - $96.00, down from $119.99
• USB-C Slim Dock for 24-inch iMac - $120.00, down from $149.99

The sale will end in one week, so browse Satechi's website soon if you're interested in using the coupon code before it expires. Additionally, be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Update: We've updated this article with a correction about the sale's end date, which is Friday, March 31.