The release of iOS 14.4 last month had features such as the camera recognizing smaller QR codes that were useful, but not life-changing.
However, Apple’s upcoming iOS 14.5 update appears to be one of the major version updates in recent times. The company will roll it out through at the end of this month, but let’s take a look at some exciting features that people have already noticed in the beta.
Face ID works with masks
Are you not overjoyed at the thought of this? If not, you should. Apple lets you unlock your phone with Face ID even if you’re wearing a mask, but you need an Apple Watch for it. Once this update is rolled out you will need to manually enable this feature from the settings. It’s totally worth it if you have to spend a lot of time outside and wear a mask all the time.
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Choose a default music service for Siri
Currently, when you ask Siri to play a song, Apple Music opens by default. If you want to play a song on another streaming service, you have to indicate that in the request: “Hey Siri, play ‘Don’t Start Now’ on Spotify.” However, that may change with iOS 14.5 and you can choose a different streaming app for Siri-powered music requests by default.
Advanced protection against ad tracking
You won’t see this feature in action like the Face ID, but it will always protect your privacy. With this update, apps will have to ask for permission before they are unique Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) can track you and show you advertisements based on that data. You can see all apps are following you under Settings and make changes if you wish. Earlier this month, the company also released a white paper explaining how app tracking works.
Aside from this, users on Reddit noted that Apple will be introducing a toggle called “Privacy-Sensitive Ad Measurement” that will likely allow you to view ads anonymously.
Accident reporting from Apple Maps
Apple is also introducing crowdsourced accident reporting in its Maps app. A screenshot of the beta version of the software suggests that you can report an accident, danger, or speed trap gun in a specific place. If you don’t have time to stop, you can also use Siri to report an incident.
Horizontal iPad splash screen
Apple is finally bringing a horizontal splash screen to the iPad. If your iPad is currently connected to the magic keyboard in landscape mode, it will wake up to a vertical splash screen. So you have to adjust the orientation for the first time and that is annoying. Fortunately, Apple is fixing this with the upcoming update.
iPadOS 14.5 beta 1 adds a HORIZONTAL BOOT SCREEN !!#Apple # iOS14 # iPadOS14 pic.twitter.com/0hZ6WBSLQw
– Steven (@fjordstrom) February 1, 2021
Google “Safe Browsing” traffic redirected by Safari for anonymity
Minimal ad tracking isn’t the only feature in the iOS 14.5 update. Apple also redirects Google’s “Safe Browsing” traffic through its own servers – for sites on the Safe Browsing list – to keep your identity hidden. Safe Browsing provides browser clients with a list of malicious sites to avoid while using the Internet.
These are some of the exciting features coming to your iPhone and iPad with the new iOS 14.5 update. We’ll keep an eye on the official rollout and tell you all about it on Plugged.
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Published February 12, 2021 – 06:24 UTC