Apple Releases First iOS 16.4 Beta to Developers | 5 Things That May Be Coming
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Earlier this week, Apple rolled out a minor iOS 16.3.1 update, and now it looks like the company is getting ready for its next major point release, with the first iOS 16.4 beta being seeded to registered developers.
While a public beta will likely follow in the next day or so, registered developers can get their hands on the new iOS 16.4 beta right now as a direct download from Apple’s Developer website or via the built-in software update mechanism if they already have the appropriate beta profile installed.
The beta weighs in at around 5.4GB and has a build number of 20E5212f. It’s not clear what’s new, but there are still a few things on Apple’s iOS 16 roadmap that haven’t made an appearance yet, so iOS 16.4 may be paving the way for those.
Note that not all of these features may be visible in the iOS 16.4 beta, as some are changes that need to be made under the hood for upcoming Apple services. Nevertheless, it’s likely that iOS 16.4 will be preparing the iPhone for at least some of these things. Read on for five new features that could arrive in iOS 16.4.
Apple Pay Later
We already know that Apple is testing Apple Pay Later for an impending launch, but since this is tightly integrated with Apple’s Wallet app, there’s going to be some code required in iOS 16 to make it work.
With Apple Pay Later expected in the coming weeks, it’s very likely that iOS 16.4 will include support for this feature, allowing iPhone users in the U.S. to make deferred purchases at any retailer that takes Mastercard and supports Apple Pay. Applying for Apple Pay Later will be done through the Wallet app; once approved, Apple will front the money to the merchant using a virtual Apple Pay Mastercard and then collect it back from the customer’s chosen payment method in four equal payments over six weeks.
However, don’t expect to see any hints of this in the Wallet app. Even if the app is ready to go now, the features will likely be locked away until Apple turns the key on the service.
New HomeKit Architecture
With iOS 16, Apple promised to bring Matter support to HomeKit, an open standard that vastly expands compatibility for smartphone devices.
Support for Matter arrived last fall in iOS 16.1, but Apple also promised a revamped HomeKit architecture that was expected to significantly improve the reliability and performance of the home automation platform, particularly in larger homes with lots of accessories.
Sadly, Apple’s first attempt at this in iOS 16.2 didn’t go over so well. Many beta testers who chose to opt into the new architecture found that the performance had improved, but not necessarily the reliability.
The new architecture focused on giving a more prominent role to home hubs, such as an Apple TV or HomePod, rather than relying on direct communication from the iPhone Home app to smart home accessories. Sadly, things didn’t always seem to sync well for folks with multiple home hubs; when it worked, it worked well, but when it failed, it failed equally well.
Apple back-pedalled on the rearchitecting of HomeKit, removing it from the final iOS 16.2 release to defer it to a future update. Beta testers who had already converted to the new HomeKit architecture were able to continue using it — for better or for worse — but the option to switch to it was gone.
We’ve heard some reports lately that Apple has fixed whatever the problems were in iOS 16.2 and is prepared to bring back the new architecture in iOS 16.4
Apple Music Classical
Apple has been promising a dedicated classical music streaming service since August 2021 after it acquired Primephonic. While our sources expected it to launch as part of iOS 16, Apple hasn’t said much about it since that initial announcement.
Still, it’s fair to say it’s behind schedule, as Apple had suggested it would arrive sometime in 2022. Thankfully, code found in iOS 16.3 suggests that Apple is still laying the groundwork for the service, which means it could arrive alongside iOS 16.4. There’s no visible evidence of this in the Music app in this first iOS 16.4 beta, but as with other components that rely on back-end services, it’s probably a matter of Apple flipping the switch.
Apple Card Savings Account
Shortly after the release of iOS 16 last fall, Apple announced plans for a new high-yield Savings account for Apple Card holders to provide them with a way to save and grow their Daily Cash rewards. The account promises to have no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements.
The Apple Savings account acts as an alternative to depositing Daily Cash to an Apple Cash account, although users will also be able to deposit additional funds from a linked bank account or their Apple Cash balance at any time.
As with Apple Pay Later, this Savings account would be managed through the Wallet app and therefore requires an iOS 16 update to add the necessary pieces.
Web Push Notifications
With iOS 16, Apple promised to expand the ability for websites to send push notifications to iOS and iPadOS for the first time. While the announcement was met with quite a bit of enthusiasm by web developers, it seems to have been on the back burner since then.
Web push notifications have been available through Safari in macOS for several years now, so it’s logical to expand that to the mobile version of Safari. Apple says it still has plans to release this sometime in 2023 but likely wants to make sure this is handled in the most non-invasive way possible.