Full and final version of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 for iPhone and iPad is now available for download. You can grab the update over the air.
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 Final Updates Arrive with Tons of New Features Including the Much-Awaited Universal Control
Compared to iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, the newly released iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 updates are packed with a ton of new features. This includes the ability to unlock your iPhone using Face ID while wearing a mask even if you are not wearing your Apple Watch, a handful of new emoji, 120Hz ProMotion support for third-party apps if you have an iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max and, of course, Universal Control. The latter is a big one, given the feature was announced last year.
We will let the official feature list do the talking here and then we will show you how you can download everything onto your iPhone and iPad:
Universal Control
- Universal Control allows you to use a single mouse and keyboard across iPad and Mac
- Text can be typed on either iPad or Mac and you can drag and drop files between them
Emoji
- New emoji including faces, hand gestures, and household objects
- Handshake emoji allows you to choose separate skin tones for each hand
FaceTime
- SharePlay sessions can be initiated directly from supported apps
Siri
- Siri can provide time and date information while offline on iPad Pro with A12Z Bionic and later
- Siri now includes an additional voice, expanding the diversity of options
This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPad:
- Volume controls can be set to adjust as you rotate your iPad, on iPad (5th generation and newer), iPad mini (4th and 5th generation), iPad Air 2, iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation), and iPad Pro
- iCloud custom email domains can be managed from Settings
- Safari webpage translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
- Podcasts app adds episode filters for seasons, played, unplayed, saved, or downloaded episodes
- News offers enhanced discovery of audio content in the Today feed and Audio tab
- Camera in keyboard can be used to add text to Notes and Reminders
- Shortcuts adds support for tags in Reminders; add, remove, or query tags when creating and editing Shortcuts
- Security recommendations can now be hidden
- Saved passwords can now include your own notes in Settings
This release also includes bug fixes for your iPad:
- Keyboard may insert period between typed numbers
- News widgets in Today View may not open articles when tapped
- Photos and videos may not sync to iCloud Photo Library
- Speak Screen Accessibility feature may quit unexpectedly within the Books app
- Live Listen may not turn off when switched off in Control Center
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/kb/HT201222
Just like any other iOS or iPadOS update, this one is available to download over the air. First and foremost, you have to make sure that you have 50% or more battery life remaining in order to go forward. Plugging your iPhone or iPad to a wall outlet is recommended at this point. Other than that, you can download the update using 5G or Wi-Fi. Support for downloading updates using 4G LTE is included with iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. For now, you're limited to 5G and Wi-Fi only.
- Launch the Settings app on your phone or tablet.
- Go to General > Software Update.
- Wait for the page to refresh and then tap on Download and Install.
At this point, your device will send a request to Apple after which the download will begin. Once done, everything will be verified and installed. The whole thing may take around half an hour. Do not use your iPhone and iPad during this time.
You also have the option to perform a clean installation of the update. Simply grab the IPSW firmware file from the links below and follow our clean installation guide at the very end of this post.
We only recommend performing a clean installation of iOS and iPadOS if you're running into a lot of issues, including bad battery life, occasional slowdowns and more. Provided you're facing all of these issues, and more, then it's probably a good idea to go ahead with a clean install. It will take some time, you will lose your files and settings therefore backup everything using iCloud, iTunes or Finder before going ahead.
Download iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 IPSW Files
You will require the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 IPSW files for clean installing the update on your devices. You can find them below:
- iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13
- iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS
- iPhone 11, iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8, iPhone 7
- iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE 3
- iPhone SE 2
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPod touch seventh-generation
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th-gen, 4th-gen, 3rd-gen, 2nd-gen, 1st-gen)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd-gen, 2nd-gen, 1st-gen)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (5th-gen, 6th-gen, 7th-gen, 8th-gen, 9th-gen)
- iPad Air (2nd-gen, 3rd-gen, 4th-gen, 5th-gen)
- iPad mini (4th-gen, 5th-gen, 6th-gen)
Follow the guide posted here on how to clean install:
Also check out the following:
- How to Downgrade iOS 15.4 to iOS 15.3 on iPhone and iPad
- Final HomePod Software Update 15.4 Now Available for Download
- Download: macOS 12.3, watchOS 8.5, tvOS 15.4 Final Released
About the author: Uzair has been writing about tech for a little under 10 years. Started off in the Symbian days, migrated to Android, eventually settling on iOS and Mac to make a living. Loves photography, drones, talking about the latest tech, and firmly believes that iPad is the future of computing. Served as Editor-in-Chief with Redmond Pie for five years, author at The Readers Eye and many other freelance gigs. Wccftech is now his current home.
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