iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today.

voice isolation
Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa.

Voice Isolation has been available for VoIP calls that use FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other apps on devices running iOS 15 or macOS Monterey or later, and it is designed to significantly improve microphone quality when on calls by cutting down on background noise. Until now, it was not available for cellular conversations, with Apple offering no way to improve call quality.

On a ‌FaceTime‌ call, Voice Isolation can be enabled by activating control center, tapping on the Mic Mode option, and choosing the Voice Isolation option, so the feature may be able to be activated in a similar way for voice calls.

Other iOS 16.4 features include new emojis, Push Notifications for web apps, bug fixes for HomeKit, Crash Detection optimizations, and more.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

46 months ago

Wow! such a useful feature. This should have been released a long time ago. We also need Cellular Phone Call Recording Feature.
Only the government CIA , NSA is allowed to do that
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sith_lord Avatar
46 months ago
Finally!!! It irked the hell out of me that voice isolation is supported for every other form of voice calls besides cellular. Which I use the most, and I am sure others do to. I don't get why they didn't release this support at launch of the voice isolation feature.

This will greatly increase the clarity of calls between iphone users overall. This update should also dramatically increase voice clarity while using airpods!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
46 months ago

Wow! such a useful feature. This should have been released a long time ago. We also need Cellular Phone Call Recording Feature.
nahh that won't happen due to legal reasons in many countries...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
46 months ago

We also need Cellular Phone Call Recording Feature.
This will never be implemented for privacy reasons.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
46 months ago
This was a feature previous to the iPhone 13. There were even articles about how the noise cancelation option disappearing for the newest phones.

https://www.macworld.com/article/605566/iphone-13-noise-cancellation-accessiblility-missing.html

https://www.engadget.com/apple-has-reportedly-killed-noise-cancellation-on-the-i-phone-13-083456476.html

https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_confirms_iphone_13_series_lacks_noise_cancellation_during_phone_calls-news-52715.php
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
46 months ago

This was a feature previous to the iPhone 13. There were even articles about how the noise cancelation option disappearing for the newest phones.

https://www.macworld.com/article/605566/iphone-13-noise-cancellation-accessiblility-missing.html

https://www.engadget.com/apple-has-reportedly-killed-noise-cancellation-on-the-i-phone-13-083456476.html

https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_confirms_iphone_13_series_lacks_noise_cancellation_during_phone_calls-news-52715.php
They removed it so they can promote it now as a new innovative free feature 🤩
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)