Apple has rolled out a new bug fix update for iPhone users, dubbed as iOS 16.4.1, just a week after the release of iOS 16.4. This latest update focuses on fixing bugs related to Siri and emojis. Although iOS 16.4 introduced a host of new features such as Safari Web Push notifications and Voice Isolation for phone calls, iOS 16.4.1 is deemed as a minor update to the iOS 16 operating system, which made its debut in September of 2022.
While the iOS 16.4.1 update focuses mainly on bug fixes, it’s worth noting that the previous iOS 16.4 release included some new features as well, such as Safari Web Push notifications, Voice Isolation for phone calls, and a batch of additional emojis.
To update to iOS 16.4.1, iPhone users can access the Settings app, select General, and choose Software Update. The build number for this update is 20E252, and it is compatible with any iPhone that supports iOS 16, including models from the iPhone 8 and up.
Specifically, the release notes state that the update fixes a problem where Siri may not respond and adds skin tone variations for the pushing hands emoji. In addition to fixing bugs related to Siri and emojis, iOS 16.4.1 also addresses two security vulnerabilities that were being actively exploited.
Here are the official release notes from Apple for iOS 16.4.1 Update:
This update provides important bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone including:
- Pushing hands emoji does not show skin tone variations
- Siri does not respond in some cases
IOSurfaceAccelerator
- Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.
- Description: An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved input validation.
WebKit
- Impact: 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.
Although the Weather app encountered several outages this week, it appears that iOS 16.4.1 does not contain any changes to address these issues. This is not unexpected since most of the problems with the Weather app appear to be related to server-side issues that Apple can resolve without needing to release an iOS update.
Apple has reportedly started testing iOS 16.5, which will be a follow-up to the recently released iOS 16. It is expected that the company will soon shift its focus to working on iOS 17, the next-generation version of the operating system, which is likely to be introduced at WWDC in June.
Source: Apple