macOS Ventura 13.3 and iPadOS 16.4 usher in new emoji and other improvements

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First public betas for iOS 16, macOS Ventura arrive
Apple released OS updates for its various computers today, including Mac and iPad.
Photo: Apple

The wait is over for macOS Ventura 13.3 and iPadOS 16.4, which Apple released Monday. While not major upgrades, they do bring new emoji, a better way for devs to work with betas, and other changes (including security updates).

Apple also released iOS 16.4, as well as watchOS 9.4 and tvOS 16.4, today.

Tweaks as Apple looks ahead to WWDC23

Apple announces new operating systems each June during its Worldwide Developers Conference, then releases them in the autumn. Some features take a while to be implemented, but by the time spring rolls around, there’s typically a lull.

Coming in March as they do, macOS Ventura 13.3 and iPadOS 16.4 are fairly minor updates. Anything major will go into macOS 14 and iPadOS 17.

What’s new in macOS Ventura

The full release notes for macOS Ventura 13.3 say:

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 the Finder

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Mac models.

What’s new in iPadOS 16.4

The release notes for Monday’s iPadOS 16.4 update state:

This update introduces 21 new emoji and includes other enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPad.

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

  • 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
  • Apple Pencil hover adds tilt and azimuth support so you can preview your mark at any angle before you make it in Notes and supported apps on iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
  • Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
  • 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 with Apple Pencil responsiveness that may occur while drawing or writing in the Notes app
  • 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

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/HT201222

Although it doesn’t come up in the release notes, Apple added a new way for developers to deal with betas. “Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings,” the company noted back in February when beta testing began.

How to install macOS 13.3, iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4 and tvOS 16.4

iPad users can install the new iPadOS versions directly by by opening the Settings app and going to General > Software Update. Alternatively, the update can also be accomplished by connecting the device to a Mac, or to a PC running iTunes.

To download the macOS Ventura update, go to Apple menu  > About This Mac. Then click Software Update. Alternatively, you can install the new version from the App Store. (Note: At the time of this writing, Apple had not yet updated the version of macOS in the App Store. But it should happen soon.)

The watchOS update can be installed directly onto an Apple Watch, as long as the wearable is connected to Wi-Fi. From the Settings app just navigate to General > Software Update. Alternatively, it can be installed from an iPhone by opening the Apple Watch app and going to My Watch > General > Software Update.

Those eager to get the tvOS update immediately can do so by navigating to the Settings app on Apple TV. Then click through to System, then click on Software Updates, then click on Update Software.

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