Apple Seeds Sixth Betas from iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to developers

Apple today released the sixth betas of the upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing, with the new beta updates arriving a week after the release of the five iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the appropriate profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 14.5 is the biggest update to iOS 14 yet, introducing several important new features. First of all, Apple makes it easier to unlock an iPhone while wearing a face mask with a new “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature.

This activation option allows you to use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication method to unlock an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID. With this feature, you no longer need to enter a password or remove your mask to unlock your ‌iPhone‌. An ‌iPhone‌ running iOS 14.5 and an Apple Watch are required to use it, and Apple Watch cannot authenticate Apple Pay purchases, App Store purchases, or unlock third-party apps that use Face ID.

The update also brings global support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models, so if you’re using multiple lines, both can now connect at 5G speeds. Previously, Dual-SIM mode was limited to LTE networks.

With watchOS 7.4, iOS and iPadOS 14.5 include AirPlay 2 support for Apple Fitness +, so Apple Fitness + subscribers can start a workout on an ‌iPhone‌ or iPAd, then AirPlay on a smart TV or a compatible decoder. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 supports audio and video, but it does not display training metrics on the screen.

PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers are supported on iPhone‌ and iPad‌ with iOS 14.5, and the code suggests that Apple will add joint account support for the Apple Card in the near future.

iOS 14.5 includes a Waze-like crowdsourcing feature to report crashes, hazards, and speed checks along a route in Maps when getting directions.

A new “Report” button is available in the Apple Maps app that allows you to tap to report an accident, hazard or speed camera to your location in the ‌Apple Maps‌ app, a feature offered by the Waze mapping app. . This is available directly on the iPhone and in CarPlay.

There are several new emoji characters in the beta of iOS 14.5, with Apple introducing Heart on Fire, Heart Repairing, Face Expiring, Face with Spiral Eyes, Face in the Clouds, as well as different options for kind for bearded people. There are also new couple emojis that have new mixes of skin tones.

Apple removed the blood from the emoji from the syringe, updated the headset emoji to look like AirPods Max rather than a generic headset, and added a headset to the climbing emoji .

In the Find My app, a new “Items” tab has been added, which will work with non-Apple products such as the Beats Headphones and Belkin Wireless Headphones that have been designed to integrate with the “Find” app. My ”. Any item tracking feature that uses Apple’s ‌Find My‌ API will be displayed here right next to your Apple devices, and the Items tab will also work with AirTags when those are finally released.

The iOS 14.5 beta fixes the green tint issue that some iPhone owners have experienced, with Apple confirming that the beta has “optimizations” to help resolve the issue.

“IOS and iPadOS 14.5 beta 2 includes optimization to reduce the appearance of faint glow that might appear at reduced brightness levels with a black background,” reads the iOS 14.5 beta notes from Apple. For some users there are improvements thanks to the optimizations, but for others the problem still seems to exist, so Apple may still have work to do.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 add a new feature to choose a preferred streaming music service to use with Siri. So if you prefer Spotify to Apple Music, for example, now you can choose Spotify as the app you want to use with ‌Siri‌ and all ‌Siri‌ song requests will go through Spotify without having to add “on Spotify” to the end of ‌Siri‌’s demands. This is a new ‌Siri‌ intelligence feature that works with music apps, podcast apps, and audiobook apps.

iOS 14.5 is the update where Apple will start asking developers to comply with its application tracking transparency rules. Going forward, developers will need to request and receive your permission to access your random advertising ID and track your activity on apps and websites.

Apple has changed the design of the Apple News and Podcasts apps, as well as new printing and sorting options in Reminders. There are new settings for Emergency Alerts, a horizontal loading screen on the iPad, and tons of other smaller feature changes that are covered in our full iOS 14.5 feature guide, which we’ve updated. throughout the testing process.