Apple is expected to release iOS 15.4 to the public soon after its ‘Peek performance’ event on March 8. This will be a significant update for the OS that will bring a slew of exciting new features to your iPhone. Below is a look at the top cool features coming to your iPhone with iOS 15.4.
iOS 15.4 will likely be the last major point release of the OS before Apple shifts its focus towards iOS 16 and WWDC 2022. Before that, though, the company wants to give existing iPhone users some new features and enhancements to play around with.
Cool Features Coming to Your iPhone with iOS 15.4
1. Face ID with a Mask
One of the most remarkable features making its way to your iPhone with iOS 15.4 is the ability to use Face ID even when you are wearing a mask. In the wake of the pandemic, Face ID on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 was rendered unusable because of face masks.
Apple’s first workaround allowed Apple Watch users to unlock their iPhones using the wearable. This new feature will help you unlock your iPhone with Face ID even if you don’t have an Apple Watch. It will also let you authenticate Apple Pay transactions and third-party app login attempts with Face ID. This new feature works by scanning the “unique features around the eye area.” Note that the feature will only be available on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series due to incremental improvements in the True Depth camera used for Face ID.
2. SharePlay Directly from Supported Apps
SharePlay allows you to enjoy movies, music, and TV shows with other Apple device owners. With iOS 15.4, you can activate SharePlay directly from the share sheet of any app that supports it. For instance, you could enjoy listening to your favorite song, album, or playlist with your friends through SharePlay within the Music app itself.
3. Notes in iCloud Keychain
Apple appears to be gradually converting iCloud Keychain into a full-blown password manager utility for its ecosystem. iOS 15.4 adds a new Notes section to iCloud Keychain. So, you can add a note alongside any login details you save. It could be a password hint, a reminder that you deactivated the account, etc.
4. New Emoji
iOS 15.4 supports Emoji 14, which brings with it 37 new emoji and over 70 skin tone options bringing the total up to a whopping 112 new emoji characters you could use to spice up conversations and interactions.
The new face characters include melting face, saluting face, face with peeking eyes, face with a diagonal mouth, and dotted line face. New emojis added with the update include biting lips and bubbles. Make sure to check out Emojipedia for more details about the new characters available in iOS 15.4.
5. ‘Notify to Run’ Option in Shortcuts App
iOS 15.4 also brings an exciting update to the Shortcuts app. When you set up new Personal Automations, you will be shown a new “Notify When Run” option. You can use this option to enable or disable the notification whenever an automation is triggered.
This wasn’t possible in older versions of iOS. It makes your iPhone less distracting because automation will just begin in the background, and you won’t be alerted unless you want to.
While this was a look at the top five features, there are several other features and improvements in iOS 15.4. Did you find any other super cool features in iOS 15.4? Tell us which one you find the most useful in the comments section.
