Skip the iOS 16.4 FOMO: Download It Now for New Emoji and Voice Isolation

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2023, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice about Apple’s most popular product.

Apple released iOS 16.4 for iPhone last week. The latest iOS software update adds new emoji, including a shaking face, heart and donkey in light blue, and a sound isolation feature that blocks out ambient noise to make your voice clearer during calls cell phone.

iOS 16.4 also adds Safari-based push notifications, backup albums support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, collision detection optimizations for the iPhone 14 series, VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app, bug fixes, security updates and more .

Read on for a step-by-step guide to the process of installing iOS 16.4 on your compatible iPhone. You can also check out some of the best existing features in iOS 16 and some hidden features we were surprised to find. And if you recently got a new iPhone, here are the best iPhone 14 cases.

Video: Testing iOS 16 (Change/Delete Sent Messages, New Lock Screen & More!)

Before you begin, is your iPhone compatible?

Not every iPhone will get the iOS 16.4 update. You need at least an iPhone 8, which was released in 2017, to run iOS 16. This also includes the iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone SE (second generation and up), and the new iPhone 14.

iPhone 14 comes pre-installed with iOS 16.

James Martin/CNET Next, back up your iPhone

Getting your hands on new software can be exciting, but there are precautions you should take before updating. You might not be happy with some of the features that iOS 16.4 offers (although you can fix some of the more annoying ones), so you should be able to downgrade to an earlier version of iOS 16 for whatever reason – – and that requires you to back up your iPhone before updating.

By default, your iPhone should back itself up whenever it connects to power and Wi-Fi during regular sleeping hours. However, if this backup feature is disabled, you can go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and then hit Back Up Now to back up your device.

You can (and should) also back up your iPhone to your Mac.

Image by Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Additionally, you can back up your iPhone via the Finder on your Mac. Just connect your device to your computer, open Finder, select your device, and then create a backup. Apple also recommends archiving the backup so that it is not overwritten by other backups.

Also, make sure you do these three things

You want the download and installation process to go as smoothly as possible, and the best way to do that is to do the following:

Make sure your iPhone is connected to power. You won’t be able to download iOS 16.4 if you’re below 50% battery, so it’s best to connect your phone while updating. And even when plugged in, the battery should be above 20%. Connect to Wi-Fi. You also won’t be able to download iOS 16.4 with cellular data, so connect to a stable Wi-Fi network. Clear enough storage space. If you’re running out of storage space, you’ll need to clear some before you can download and install iOS 16.4. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to delete large files and apps.

Here’s our guide on how to get more iPhone storage.

How to Download and Install iOS 16.4

Now that you’ve set everything up, open your iPhone and go to Settings > General > Software Update, wait a few seconds (or minutes) for the update to appear, and then tap Download and Install for iOS 16.4.

You can also use the Finder on your Mac to download iOS 16.4 to your iPhone.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

You should then see a loading bar, along with a rough estimate of how long the download process will take. Once the download is complete, reboot your device and wait for iOS 16.4 to install. When your iPhone starts up, follow each prompt and you should then see iOS 16.4 downloaded to your device.

For more on the new operating system, here’s a look at our iOS 16 cheat sheet and some of the most annoying features and settings in iOS 16 (and how you can fix them).