Apple Seeds Third Betas for iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 for developers

Apple today released the third beta of the upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta updates two weeks after Apple released the second iOS and iPadOS 14.5 beta.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or by streaming after installing the appropriate profile on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 14.5 is the biggest update to date of iOS 14, which introduces several significant features. First, Apple makes it easy to unlock an iPhone when you wear a face mask with the 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 along with Face ID. With this feature, you no longer need to enter a password or remove the mask to unlock your ‌iPhone‌. Both an iOS 14.5 BothiPhone‌ 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 offers worldwide support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models, so if you use multiple lines, both can be connected 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 and then AirPlay on a compatible smart TV or a set-top box. IrAirPlay‌ 2 supports audio and video, but does not display on-screen training metrics.

The PlayStation 5’s DualSense and Xbox Series X drivers are compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ with iOS 14.5, and the code suggests that Apple will add joint 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 on Maps when getting directions.

There’s a new “Report” button available in the Apple Maps app that lets you tap to report an accident, danger, or speed trap to your location in the ‌Apple Maps‌ app, which is a feature offered by the Waze map application. It is available directly on the iPhone and CarPlay.

There are several new emoji characters in the iOS 14.5 beta, with Apple introducing the flaming heart, the repairing heart, the exhaling face, the spiral-eyed face, the cloud face, along with different genre options for bearded people. There are also new couple emojis that have new blends of skin tones.

Apple drew blood from the syringe emoji, updated the headphone emoji to look like the AirPods Max instead of a generic set of headphones, and added a helmet to the rock climbing emoji.

The beta version of iOS 14.5 addresses the issue of the green tone experienced by some iPhone owners and Apple has confirmed that the beta has “optimizations” to help it.

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

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 add a new feature to choose a default music playback service to be used with Siri. So if you prefer Spotify over Apple Music, for example, you can now choose Spotify as your default app for use with ‌Siri‌ and all ‌Siri‌ song requests will go through Spotify without the need to add “to Spotify “at the end of ‌Siri‌ requests.

iOS 14.5 is the update in which Apple will begin requiring developers to comply with its application tracking transparency rules. In the future, developers will need to request and receive your permission to access your random ad identifier and track your activity through apps and websites.

Apple has made design adjustments to Apple News and Podcasts applications, and there are new printing and sorting options in Reminders. There are new settings for emergency alerts, a horizontal loading screen on the iPad, and many other smaller feature modifications that are described in our full iOS 14.5 feature guide. Apple says iOS and iPadOS 14.5 will be released in the spring, so we can expect a release date after March 20th.

Note: Beta 3 has been a bit rocky today, as it was initially only available in Apple’s developer center before being removed after about 45 minutes. Beta 3 is now being rolled out and resubmitted to the developer center.