Everything New in iOS 14.5 Beta 2: New AirPods Max Emotes, Green Tint Fix, iPad Security and More

Apple today introduced the second betas for iOS and iPadOS 14.5, building on the extensive feature set introduced in the first betas.

The changes in the second beta are more minor than what we saw in the first beta, but there are still some new additions worth highlighting. Below, we’ve rounded up the changes we spotted in the second beta.

New Emoji Characters

As Emojipedia points out, iOS 14.5 introduces several new emoji characters including heart on fire, heart mending, face exhaling, face with spiral eyes, face in clouds, as well as different genre options for bearded people. There are also new couple emojis that have new mixes of skin tones.

Apple has removed the blood of the syringe emoji to give it a more neutral look that also works for vaccinations. The Headset emoji has been updated to look like the AirPods Max rather than a generic headset, and the Climbing emoji now includes a headset.

Green tint correction?

Reports suggest that the second beta of iOS 14.5 might fix the green tint issue some iPhone owners have been experiencing. Some iPhone 12 models show a gray or green glow, an issue Apple announced it was investigating in November. For some users there are improvements, but for others the problem still seems to exist, so it’s not entirely clear if the beta fixes the tint for good.

Battery mention

There is a vague mention of charging an ‌iPhone‌ with a “battery” in the iOS 14.5 code under the optimized charging section. It is not clear what Apple refers to with “battery”, as the existing battery options made by Apple are Smart Battery Case. That’s either unusual wording for the case or a hint of a future ‌iPhone 12‌ battery pack. “To improve charging efficiency and maximize the available battery life, the battery will keep your phone charged to around 90%,” the text read.

IPad Smart Folio Security

On the 8th Generation iPad, 4th Generation iPad Air, 2nd Generation 11-inch iPad Pro, and 4th Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Apple has added a new privacy feature designed to disable privacy. integrated sound. microphone whenever the Smart Folio is closed.

This will prevent apps from accessing the microphone when the tablet is not in use, with the feature also working with other MFi smart cases. Apple first introduced this feature in the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models and is expanding it to other models.

Shortcuts

There is a new shortcut action for taking a screenshot that can be incorporated into various shortcuts, as well as new actions for locking iPhone orientation and switching between cellular data modes. With the voice and data mode action, there are options to select 5G, 5G Auto and 4G network options.

Apple Music

There are new slide movements in Apple Music to add a song to Now Playing queue or add it to “Apple Music” library. When you long press a song, there are also new options for “Play last” and “Show album”. In the library, the download button has been replaced with three dots that can be touched to access a whole range of options for a song. The actions are the same as the actions available when you long press a song title anywhere in the Music app.

Software update text

The first beta of iOS 14.5 changed the software update text to read “Your ‌iPhone‌ is up to date with all the latest bug fixes and security enhancements,” but iOS 14.5 beta 2 is rolling back. Now it just reads “iOS is up to date” which can be placeholder text for future editing.

App Store Privacy Labels

Apple has changed the appearance of the App Store privacy labels to make them easier to distinguish in dark mode.

Code changes and small feature changes

There are a handful of changes to the underlying code that don’t necessarily reflect the new feature implementations yet, but could potentially serve as an indication of what’s to come in the future. There are also some small changes and tweaks which we’ve included below.

• For the Find My app, there is new wording for AirTags or future third-party item trackers. “These are objects which are not your own, but which have been seen with you for a continuous period of time.”
• It is mentioned that web applications access speech recognition.
• There is an Apple Watch accessibility option for headset notifications, which turns off the feature.
• Apps can request to connect with your Game Center friends for enhanced multiplayer.

IOS 14.5 Beta 2 missing features?

Do you see something we missed? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll add it.

More iOS 14.5 Features

We have a complete list of all the new features in iOS 14.5 in our dedicated iOS 14.5 feature guide, which is worth checking out if you want to know what to expect when the software releases to the public in early spring.