First public betas for iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4 arrive

After a developer release on Thursday, on Friday Apple seeded the first public betas of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, and watchOS 9.4.

On February 16, the company distributed the first betas of the newest software version to developers. It is now also available to public testers via the Apple Beta Software Program.

The build number for the first iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 pubic betas is 20E5212f, which replaces build 20D67. The build number for the first beta of watchOS 9.4 is 20T5222g, which replaces build 20S664. The build number for tvOS 16.4 and HomePod software version 16.4 is 20L5463g, up from 20K672.

Apple is adding plenty of new features to iOS 16.4 to improve the software and user experience. They include rich Mastodon links in iMessage, changes to the Podcasts app, push notifications for web apps, 31 new emojis, and more.

AppleInsider and Apple strongly advise users don't install beta operating systems, or beta software in general, on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should instead use secondary or non-essential hardware and ensure they have sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.