Apple is getting ready to publicly launch the new App Tracking Transparency feature in iOS 14.5 that'll let its customers consent to being tracked across other apps and websites. The advertising industry has been bracing for these changes for months and now Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is on the record saying his company is not against digital advertising.
iOS 14.5
Apple seeds seventh betas of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to developers
Tim Cook recently confirmed that the public launch of iOS 14.5 is "a couple of weeks" away. As such, there's still time for more beta seeds to keep ironing things out before that happens.
Apple launches an app to test devices using the ‘Find My’ network
Today, Apple has launched a brand new app. This one's not for the general public, though. Instead, it's meant as a means to let folks building devices and accessories that utilize the "Find My" network to test them.
iOS 14.5 will add a tool for battery recalibration in iPhone
Earlier today, Apple seeded the sixth beta of iOS 14.5 to developers. Now that the pre-release software is out there in the wild, new discoveries are being made. Including a new tool Apple will include with the latest update.
Siri adds a pair of new voices and will no longer default to a female voice in iOS 14.5
Apple is currently working on releasing the latest major update to iOS 14. The company just seeded the sixth beta of iOS 14.5 earlier today. And it turns out the upcoming new software will feature a pretty big change for Siri.
Apple seeds sixth betas of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS 11.3, tvOS 14.5, and watchOS 7.4 to developers
Apple on Wednesday went ahead and seeded the latest betas of its popular operating systems to developers.
iOS 14.5 has fixed a stupid bug that blocked web searches containing the word “Asian”
Apple's iOS 14.5 software update unblocks the word “Asian” as adult content, fixing an apparent bug in the Screen Time feature that blocked any web searches with “Asian” in them.
iOS 14.5 beta code hints at upcoming ‘A14X’ processor destined for iPad Pro
Sometime in the near-ish future, Apple is going to probably launch a new iPad Pro model. That device will look largely like the existing model (last refreshed in 2020), but with some key changes for potential new owners. Like an upgraded processor, for instance.
Apple seeds fifth betas of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS 11.3, tvOS 14.5, and watchOS 7.4 to developers
Moving right along, Apple is seeding the latest beta versions of its upcoming updates to its operating systems, including iOS, watchOS, and macOS.
Apple’s security fixes could become separate from the main iOS updates
Apple is reportedly tweaking its Software Update mechanism to support the delivery of standalone security fixes to iPhone and iPad users without installing the latest iOS version.
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This would be similar to macOS updates. A new toggle in your Automatic Updates settings. Get security fixes without installing an iOS update. The handy feature requires iOS 14.5 and could be nixed. Security fixes delivered separatelyYour Mac supports the delivery of security fixes separately from main macOS software updates. This is used, for example, to deliver critical security fixes to customers who happen to be using an older version of the macOS operating system. Android, Windows and other operating systems work like this, too, and now the same feature is reportedly coming to the iPhone and iPad owners with Apple's respective iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates.
9to5Mac has spotted interesting changes within the iOS 14.5 code suggesting that Apple is working on a new feature that would give customers the option to choose whether they would like to get the latest iOS updates separately from security fixes for the platform.
More specifically, the site has found a new toggle within the Automatic Updates menu that would let you choose whether you'd like to only receive security updates or full iOS updates.
There are no guarantees this feature will launch publicly but if it does, you'll be able to receive critical security fixes for your device without having to install the latest iOS version available.
How would this be beneficial?According to 9to5Mac, users may need to delete a specific iOS fix that they previously downloaded before being able to download another iOS update. "The new code found in iOS 14.5 also mentions that once you download a specific update, such as a security update, you may need to delete it before installing another available iOS update," reads the article.
→ How to stop automatic iOS updates
Apple could use this to continue offering security updates to folks on iOS 14 after the release of iOS 15. A good example is the recent iOS 14.4.1 update which only brought a security fix for a major WebKit vulnerability and nothing else—with the new system, Apple could only deliver the necessary fix without having to release a whole new iOS point update just for that.
When's iOS 14.5 coming out?Aside from this feature, iOS 14.5 will also bring the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask, new Shortcuts actions, 200+ new emoji, support for Beast headphones in the Find My app, Waze-like reporting in Maps and more.
iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 and other Apple OS updates are currently in developer testing, with a few additional betas likely in the works before the final builds are ready for prime time. Though Apple has not said when the updates are dropping, we're expecting an early-Spring launch.
Apple Maps is gaining crowd-sourced live status data for points of interest
Aside from bringing out Waze-like reporting and hazard features, Apple Maps is getting another feature similar to Google Maps: real-time crowdsourced information for points of interest, such as whether a business is currently open and how busy it is at the moment.
Apple launches the fourth betas of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 and more
Apple has released the fourth betas of the upcoming iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, macOS Big Sur 11.3 and HomePod 14.5 software updates.