Apple Seeds iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 Release Candidate for Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today released the RC version of the upcoming iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 updates to developers for testing, with the new betas coming a week after Apple released the second betas.

iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 can be downloaded through the Apple Dev Center or over the air after installing the appropriate profile on an iPhone or iPad.

Paired with the HomePod 14.4 beta which is only available to a limited number of testers, iOS 14.4 adds a new HomePod mini feature that takes advantage of the mini’s U1 chip.

There are now visual, audio and haptic effects when songs are transferred from a HomePod mini to a U1 compatible iPhone 11 or iPhone 12. ‌‌IPhone‌‌ gets closer until the interface for transferring a song between ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and ‌‌iPhone‌‌ opens.

This feature will make the transfer faster and more reliable on a ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and ‌iPhone 11‌ or ‌iPhone 12‌, all equipped with U1 chips that allow devices to better understand where they are in relation to each other.

In the Workout section of the Apple Watch app on ‌iPhone‌, there is a new “Time to Walk” feature that includes a toggle for “Add latest workouts to watch”. This suggests that Apple might consider adding guided walk workouts in the watchOS 7.3 beta. “Time to Walk workouts are downloaded when Apple Watch is connected to power and near your ‌iPhone‌. Completed workouts are automatically deleted, ”reads the parameter. This is not functional in the first beta of watchOS 7.3 and iOS 14.4, but could be activated later.

iOS 14.4 includes a setting to specify a device type for third-party audio devices connected via Bluetooth so that headphone audio level measurements can be taken correctly. Apple tracks headphone audio levels to send alerts if music is playing at a level that could damage hearing health over time.

iOS 14.4 includes code suggesting that Apple will add a warning on iPhones whose camera has been repaired or replaced with aftermarket components. The warning, which says “Cannot verify that ‘iPhone’ has a genuine Apple camera,” will tell users that the camera is not a legitimate Apple camera. Apple’s full release notes for the update are below:

iOS 14.4 includes the following enhancements for your ‌iPhone‌:
– Smaller QR codes can be recognized by the camera
– Option to classify the type of bluetooth device in the settings for correct identification of earphones for audio notifications
– Notifications when your ‌iPhone‌ camera cannot be verified as a New Genuine Apple Camera on ‌iPhone 12‌, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max

This release also fixes the following issues:
– Image artifacts may appear in HDR photos taken with ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌
– Fitness widget may not display updated activity data
– Typing may be delayed and word suggestions may not appear on the keyboard
– Keyboard may not appear in the correct language in Messages
– Audio stories from News app in CarPlay may not resume after being paused for voice prompts or Siri
– Enabling the switch control in accessibility may prevent answering phone calls from the lock screen

It is not yet known when iOS 14.4 will be released, but with the release notes available, the public version could arrive soon.